Munster skipper Doug Howlett remains “very doubtful” for Saturday’s Heineken Cup semi-final against competition favourites Clermont Auvergne as head coach Rob Penney assesses a mixed bag of injury news before finalising his team selection.

They will be at each other’s throats again on Saturday in Limerick but there was a liberal amount of fraternal love extended towards Munster from Leinster after the weekend’s European battles.

IRELAND’s love-affair with the Heineken Cup is about to reach into the stratosphere, with a first ever all-Ireland final at the headquarters of English rugby in three weeks.

FRANCE forwards coach Didier Retiere says his team honestly believe Australia will be harder to beat than New Zealand when the teams clash at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.

NOT TOO long ago, things weren’t looking good for Doug Howlett. Though long established on the All-Blacks side, when Graham Henry picked a squad to go on a reconditioning programme — a squad seen as a definite World Cup indicator — Doug was a shock omission. Few were more surprised than the man himself.