WASPS head coach Tony Hanks was proud of his players after the London club came close to pulling off a shock victory at the reigning Heineken Cup champions.

FRANCE coach Marc Lièvremont blamed his team’s horrific opening 20 minutes for their 42-17 loss to South Africa in Cape Town on Saturday.

Wenceslas Lauret will make his international debut for France against South Africa on Saturday after being named in the starting XV by Marc Lievremont for the clash at Newlands.

HE may have looked strangely subdued come the final whistle in Paris on Saturday, but Toulouse coach Guy Noves livened up somewhat when praising his team after they recorded a record fourth Heineken Cup triumph.

Toulouse coach Guy Noves has decided to go with David Skrela at out-half against Leinster in the Heineken Cup semi-final on Saturday.

BYRON KELLEHER has warned three-time Heineken Cup champions Toulouse to raise their level of performance despite a crushing 42-16 quarter-final win over rivals Stade Francais at Le Stadium yesterday.

Controversial centre Mathieu Bastareaud has been recalled to the France squad for the 2010 RBS 6 Nations Championship.

NEW ZEALAND yesterday filed an official complaint over what they believe was an eye-gouge on prop Tony Woodcock following their crushing win over France in Marseilles on Saturday.

WORLD champions South Africa suffered a second successive loss on their northern hemisphere tour as France triumphed in Toulouse last night.

SOUTH AFRICAN prop Tendai Mtawarira’s participation in tonight’s Test against France in Toulouse is in doubt due to ongoing confusion surrounding his citizenship.

BYRON KELLEHER admits Toulouse are still smarting from their 2008 Heineken Cup defeat to Munster as they chase a fourth European title.

DANNY CIPRIANI has been left out of England’s squad for the summer Test series against Argentina – but there is a recall for 2003 World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson.

ENGLAND boss Martin Johnson yesterday warned his ill-disciplined players he is ready to wield the axe ahead of next week’s RBS 6 Nations clash with France.

DANNY CIPRIANI will continue his quest to regain the England out-half jersey with Wasps this weekend after being included among 17 players Martin Johnson has made available for club duty.

FRANCE go into their opening RBS Six Nations match against Ireland on Saturday week with little experience at half-back after Jean-Baptiste Elissalde was surprisingly omitted from their trimmed-down 23-man squad.

FREDERIC Michalak’s omission from the 30-strong France training squad for the Six Nations is neither a surprise nor a shock as the French rugby establishment opt once again to shun his mercurial talents for more predictable playmakers.

Maleili Kunavore and Thierry Dusautoir got the nod over Florian Fritz and Yannick Nyanga, repsectively, in the most contentious selection issues for Toulouse ahead of the Heineken Cup final against Munster on Saturday.

Tomas O'Leary has held off the considerable claims of Peter Stringer to start beside Ronan O'Gara at half-back in the Munster side to play Toulouse in the Heineken Cup final at The Millennium Stadium on Saturday.