IT was nail-biting stuff on Saturday as Ulster drew first blood in dispatching Bath at Ravenhill.

Ulster 22 Bath 18

Johann Muller will captain Ulster for Saturday’s Heineken Cup game with Bath at Ravenhill (kick-off 1.30pm).

Lewis Moody is convinced he has the credentials to captain England into the 2011 Rugby World Cup – but he is still in the dark over his future in the job.

Springbok Luke Watson has been immediately installed as Bath captain for their pre-season match against Heineken Cup group rivals Ulster at Ravenhill this evening (K.O. 7.30pm).

Toulouse 42 Stade Francais 16

Edinburgh 9 Stade Francais 7

FRANCE centre Mathieu Bastareaud can expect a lengthy ban from representing France after he caused uproar with lies that he’d been mugged while touring with the national team in New Zealand earlier this year.

BERNARD JACKMAN believes his Leinster team-mate Gordon D’Arcy may still have a role to play in this summer’s Lions tour to South Africa, despite being overlooked yesterday by Ian McGeechan.

IT takes one hell of a player to keep Munster pair Denis Leamy and Alan Quinlan out of the Ireland number six shirt, yet through the first three games of this so far unbeaten Six Nations tournament, that is exactly what Stephen Ferris had done.

RAW POWER, pure brawn, a force of nature — all have been used to describe Irish backrow forward Denis Leamy, wordsmiths of varying levels of ability attempting to describe the destructive capacity of this favoured son of Boherlahan.

Scotland flanker Kelly Brown insists he was wrongly denied a try during his side’s RBS 6 Nations defeat in Paris.

Frank Hadden today insisted Phil Godman could handle the pressure of kicking goals for Scotland after gambling on leaving Chris Paterson out of the RBS 6 Nations opener against Wales.

Frank Hadden has handed a maiden call-up to Glasgow starlet Ruaridh Jackson for the RBS 6 Nations opener against Wales.

Jason White will quit Sale Sharks at the end of this season after agreeing a two-year deal with French club Clermont Auvergne.

Scotland have been forced into four changes for Saturday’s third and final autumn Test against Canada at Pittodrie.

Scotland coach Frank Hadden insists his team have learned their lessons from their New Zealand mauling and are confident of victory over South Africa on Saturday.

Scotland have kept it in the family with the one enforced change from the team which lost to New Zealand for Saturday’s visit of world champions South Africa.

Head coach Frank Hadden has made seven changes to the side which started against Argentina in the team’s last Test ahead of Saturday’s Murrayfield meeting with New Zealand.

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden has made seven changes to the side which started against Argentina in the team’s last Test ahead of Saturday’s Murrayfield meeting with New Zealand.

Pumas playmaker Juan Martin Hernandez, arguably the best player in the world, will start at fly-half for Stade Francais against Ulster in the Heineken Cup at Ravenhill tomorrow.

Wales great Mervyn Davies has backed Ryan Jones’ credentials to captain the British and Irish Lions in South Africa next summer.

TWO men were yesterday convicted of killing a student and jailed for seven years each.

Scotland coach Frank Hadden has no qualms about nominating Edinburgh scrum-half Mike Blair as his captain in place of the injured Jason White in the RBS 6 Nations against Ireland.

DYNAMIC on the park, laid back to the point of being horizontal off it. It’s a contrast in styles that has served Jamie Heaslip well as he continues his climb up the ladder of Irish rugby.

Scotland 6 France 27

Chris Paterson took his place on the bench for Scotland’s opening game of this year’s RBS 6 Nations Championship against France at Murrayfield.

Nick De Luca will make his Scotland debut in the RBS 6 Nations clash with France - but Chris Paterson has been left out of the side for Sunday's meeting at Murrayfield.

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden has challenged his young guns to seize their Six Nations opportunity.

Scotland coach Frank Hadden has confirmed back-row forward Jason White as captain for the forthcoming 2008 RBS 6 Nations Championships.

Scotland number eight Simon Taylor admits every player involved in the World Cup defeat by Argentina will be forever "haunted" by the result.

Scotland insist they are reading nothing into Italy’s abject performances in the World Cup so far ahead of Sunday’s qualification decider between the two teams in St Etienne.

Scotland will start their World Cup campaign with Dan Parks at stand-off when they take on Portugal in St Etienne on Sunday.

British band The Klaxons have won this year’s Mercury Prize for their debut album, 'Myths Of The Near Future'.

The band the Klaxons tonight won this year’s Mercury Prize for their debut album, 'Myths of the Near Future'.

Scotland 3 South Africa 27

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden has defended his decision to head into the World Cup with three players who will have not played a competitive match since last season.

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan has confirmed that Marcus Horan is to travel with the squad to Edinburgh for tomorrow’s clash with Scotland.

THE Scottish Rugby Union have demanded answers from Edinburgh after Scotland full-back Chris Paterson was allowed to leave the club and join Gloucester.

Edinburgh 9 Munster 35

Scotland 17 Italy 37

Edinburgh chairman Alex Carruthers has revealed his disbelief after Simon Taylor emerged as a Stade Francais target.

Head coach Frank Hadden today names the side he believes can put Scotland’s RBS 6 Nations campaign back to winning ways.

Scotland captain Chris Paterson insists there are positives for his team to take from their opening 42-20 RBS 6 Nations defeat by England.