Munster 42 Castres 16

Castres Olympique 29 Newport Gwent Dragons 24

France coach Bernard Laporte has been dealt a double injury blow ahead of the autumn internationals.

Italy 13 France 56

Italy 10 France 24

France centre Benoit Baby insists he has learned his lesson from his four-week suspension.

France lead Ireland by 18 points to nine after two excellent tries and a textbook conversion followed opening scores.

CHANCES are that a swirling wind will blow all over Lansdowne Road this afternoon. And they are just the conditions Ireland and France would gladly do without in a match that will play a major part in deciding the destination of the RBS 6 Nations Championship for 2005.

France full-back Julien Laharrague is hoping he impressed enough on his international debut to be retained for Les Bleus’ next RBS 6 Nations clash against Ireland on March 12.

France 18 Wales 24

THE flair factor could prove the deciding factor in the clash of two unbeaten sides in Paris today as Six Nations Grand Slam holders France host a resurgent Welsh outfit.

France fly-half Frederic Michalak is convinced he will soon be back in Bernard Laporte’s first XV – but the 22-year-old is in no rush.

FRANCE COACH Bernard Laporte has made four changes to the starting line-up from the one that beat England 18-17 for Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Wales in Paris.

NOTHING is left to chance in the modern professional era.

Pirate Irwin, Paris

France coach Bernard Laporte has made five changes in his squad ahead of their second RBS 6 Nations match against England at Twickenham on Sunday.

France 16 Scotland 9

France 16 Scotland 9

France 0 Scotland 6

MATT Williams has vowed to make his side’s RBS 6 Nations rivals eat their disparaging words and restore some long-lost pride to Scottish sport.

WALES have been given a major boost ahead of their opening Six Nations clash against world champions England with former skipper Martyn Williams declared fit to start.

A combination of injuries and a change in the thinking of coach Bernard Laporte has led to wholesale introductions to the French team to meet Scotland on Saturday in Paris.

Neath-Swansea 20 Castres 11

FRONT row brothers, Simon and Rory Best have been called into the Ulster panel for Friday’s Celtic League match against Edinburgh at Ravenhill.

WHEREAS coach Alan Gaffney occasioned little or no surprise when he announced his side to meet Castres in tonight’s Heineken European Cup tie in Castres, his opposite number, Christope Urios, unexpectedly made three changes to his anticipated line-up.

Castres have dropped veterans Yann Delaigue and Richard Dourthe for their home tie with Munster at Stade Pierre Antoine tomorrow evening.

Castres 38 Neath-Swansea Ospreys 17

Wasps 27 Toulouse 20

Lawrence Dallaglio tonight played down Wasps’ Heineken Cup final favourites tag as the English champions prepared for an epic European showdown with French giants Toulouse.

Wasps today received a major Heineken Cup final boost when centre Fraser Waters was declared fit for Sunday’s showdown against Toulouse at Twickenham.

Defending Heineken Cup champions Toulouse are on track to keep the trophy for another season after seeing off brave Biarritz in a rugged semi-final at Bordeaux’s Stade Chaban-Delmas today.

Toulouse 36 Edinburgh 10

Neath-Swansea Ospreys 11 Toulouse 29

Gonzalo Quesada’s injury-time drop goal gave Argentina a narrow 33-32 victory over France in the second and final Test of the series in Buenos Aires.

Toulouse 22, Perpignan 17

Irish international Trevor Brennan celebrated Toulouse’s second European title, and declared: “Winning this tournament is special.”

A 19-0 interval lead handed Toulouse the advantage in today’s Heineken Cup final as they roared to a 22-17 win against French rivals Perpignan at Lansdowne Road.

THE staging of the Heineken Cup final at Lansdowne Road today may seem to be a most bizarre decision by the ERC committee, but as recently as last Wednesday, when Celtic played Porto in Spain in the UEFA Cup final, we saw its parallel in another sport.

STADE TOULOUSAIN captain Fabien Pelous believes his side has too much all-round strength to succumb to a fired-up Perpignan in tomorrow’s all-French European Cup final in Dublin.

Toulouse13