For some, the sight of Jared Payne, Richardt Strauss and Rodney Ah You in an Irish shirt will never sit right, but all three will stand for the anthems tomorrow before Joe Schmidt’s side gets to grips with South Africa at Lansdowne Road.

Ulster 21 Exeter Chiefs 22

Clermont 22 Leicester 16

Wasps flanker James Haskell will make his first RBS 6 Nations start in nearly two years when England tackle Ireland in Dublin on Sunday.

Toby Flood will be named in England's RBS 6 Nations squad today after a citing for an alleged tip tackle was dismissed at a Rugby Football Union hearing.

England 14 Australia 20

Nkosi sikalel’ iAfrika, which we heard in Dublin six days ago, is basically two songs mingled to make up South Africa’s beautiful national anthem and its status as a unifying number for the Rainbow Nation is confirmed by the five languages used in its delivery.

Chris Ashton is back to play Australia after being recalled to the England side for Saturday’s Cook Cup showdown at Twickenham.

The sun shone brightly on a smattering of young Ulster stars as they held a full-strength Leicester Tigers side in a pre-season slog at Ravenhill on Saturday.

England’s interim head coach Stuart Lancaster will name at least eight uncapped players in his 22-man squad to face Scotland in Saturday’s Calcutta Cup showdown.

If Declan Kidney was hoping his Irish Wolfhounds would upset the established order ahead of his RBS 6 Nations squad announcement today, he will have left Exeter on Saturday night slightly disappointed.

Leicester's disappointing European campaign came to an end with a comfortable but far from convincing 33-6 win over a battling Aironi at Welford Road.

SCARLETS number eight Ben Morgan could be in line for an immediate England call-up after turning down the chance to play for Wales.

Leicester 23 Clermont Auvergne 19

ULSTER could not breach Leicester’s tryline at Welford Road on Saturday as the home side dug out an important win over a determined Ulster at Welford Road.

Leicester 20 Ulster 9

Aironi 12 Leicester 28

England lock Courtney Lawes insisted he will not change his approach to the game, despite serving a two-match World Cup ban for striking Argentina hooker Mario Ledesma with his knee.

Thomas Waldrom has joined England’s Rugby World Cup squad as the official replacement for injured prop Andrew Sheridan, manager Martin Johnson has announced.

Mike Tindall is poised to return to the England team for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup Pool B clash with Romania.

Joe Worsley is set to miss out on playing in his fourth Rugby World Cup after being cut from England's training squad.

Matt Stevens’ return from the ignominy of a drugs ban continued today when he was confirmed in England’s 45-man Rugby World Cup training squad.

RICHARD COCKERILL wasn’t the first Leicester coach to dismiss the significance of an iconic Irish stadium when he glossed over the return of five of his players to the Aviva this evening so soon after their Six Nations trauma with England.

Leicester’s New Zealand-born number eight Thomas Waldrom is targeting a place in England’s Rugby World Cup squad after discovering his grandmother was born in this country.

Leicester 62 Treviso 15

LEICESTER director of rugby Richard Cockerill praised the intensity of his side’s performance after they hammered the Scarlets at Welford Road to take control of Heineken Cup Pool 5.

Leicester 46 Scarlets 10

Leicester Tigers 37 Leinster 14, Welford Road

Ireland international Geordan Murphy will captain Leicester Tigers from full-back against Leinster in a pre-season friendly at Welford Road in Friday night.

IT WAS a relaxed and smiling Brian O’Driscoll who turned up at the Aviva Stadium for press duties yesterday and no wonder. Most men must make do with just the one honeymoon period; the Leinster and Irish centre is currently in the midst of two.

Eleven current or former All Blacks including Carlos Spencer have been named in the New Zealand Maori squad for matches against Fiji and the British and Irish Lions next month.