Clermont 16 Munster 10

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.

Clermont Auvergne 36 Montpellier 14

Leinster 21 Clermont Auvergne 28

EPIC. Truly epic.

As Ulster adapt to being favourites for a Heineken Cup semi-final, champions Leinster face the sternest test in the defence of their title and an all-Irish final hangs in the balance.

Leicester 23 Clermont Auvergne 19

GLASGOW WARRIORS maintained their pursuit of Leinster in Heineken Cup Pool Three with a 20-15 victory over Montpellier at Firhill.

NEW ZEALAND coach Graham Henry has announced his 30-man squad for the Rugby World Cup with no place for quintet Sitiveni Sivivatu, Wyatt Crockett, Liam Messam, Jarrad Hoeata and Hosea Gear.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry has announced his 30-man squad for the Rugby World Cup with no place for quintet Sitiveni Sivivatu, Wyatt Crockett, Liam Messam, Jarrad Hoeata and Hosea Gear.

New Zealand 30 Australia 14

New Zealand 60 Fiji 14

New Zealand wing Sitiveni Sivivatu has been ruled out of the All Blacks’ tour of Britain and Ireland after suffering a knee injury.

France 12 New Zealand 39

MARTIN JOHNSON’S bid to keep his management team in place for the Six Nations could be undermined after it emerged Mike Ford is being considered for the England rugby league head coach’s job.

AUSTRALIA have quickly turned their attentions to their forthcoming tour of Britain and Ireland after coming up short against New Zealand for the fourth time this year.

New Zealand assistant coach Steve Hansen had no argument with the one-match bans handed out to prop Tony Woodcock and wing Sitiveni Sivivatu following Saturday's 32-19 victory against Australia in Tokyo.

New Zealand 32 Australia 19

New Zealand 29 South Africa 32

New Zealand drew first blood in the 2009 Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations series with an entertaining, hard-fought 22-16 win against Australia in Auckland on Saturday.

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.

NEW Ireland manager Paul McNaughton believes the Croke Park crowd can play a major part when it comes to beating New Zealand for the first time in 22 meetings of the countries.

New Zealand 19 Australia 14

NEW ZEALAND coach Graham Henry has refused to get into a war of words with South Africa counterpart Peter de Villiers after the latter accused the All Blacks of cheating in the scrums.

New Zealand 44 England 12

New Zealand 37 England 20

New Zealand 21 Ireland 11

New Zealand 85 Romania 8

Scotland 0 New Zealand 40

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.

THE ALL BLACKS have been forced to call up the seventh and eighth locks on their pecking order yesterday, after Ali Williams and Keith Robinson joined a growing list of seriously injured middle row forwards.

Chiefs winger Sitiveni Sivivatu is a doubt for New Zealand’s opening Test match against France next month.

New Zealand winger Sitiveni Sivivatu believes he is “injury free” and ready to help the All Blacks maintain their place as the best team in rugby after a storming performance at the Stade Gerland.

ENGLAND’S record Twickenham crowd of 82,000 witnessed a record-breaking occasion — but for all the wrong reasons as New Zealand underlined their credentials as overwhelming World Cup favourites.

New Zealand head coach Graham Henry has named Sitiveni Sivivatu and Doug Howlett on the wings for Saturday’s highly-anticipated clash with England at Twickenham.

OUT of the picture, out of the frame. At half-time last Saturday the first TV commercial that aired on the big screen Saturday in Lansdowne Road blared that out, an appropriate soundtrack for underwhelmed Irish fans; their team was 25-0 down at that point, and as the old saying goes, lucky to get nil.

Ireland 7 New Zealand 45

NEW ZEALAND’S flying winger Sitiveni Sivivatu said he was “surprised” at the All Blacks’ clear physical advantage over Ireland on Saturday.

British and Irish Lions second row Malcolm O’Kelly today admitted the power of the All Black juggernaut had reduced Ireland to playing for pride at Lansdowne Road.

Ireland 7 New Zealand 45

Ireland 0 New Zealand 25

New Zealand 38 British and Irish Lions 19

The British and Irish Lions crashed to a record Test defeat in New Zealand as Graham Henry’s men took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.