TONY WATENE’S love affair with Gaelic Games began in an unconventional fashion.

RONAN O’GARA should be handed the out-half jersey for Ireland’s crunch World Cup outing against Australia, according to the Munster man’s former international and provincial teammate Rob Henderson.

Scotland 26 Italy 6

THERE IS sufficient evidence to suggest that the international game as we know it in the southern hemisphere is under serious threat.

THE waiting is over. The sixth Rugby World Cup kicked off last night, with 20 teams competing for the coveted William Webb Ellis trophy.

BEAUTY, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder and one man’s “incredibly exciting back division” is another’s team of robots.

AND SO after years of divisive argument and bickering it has finally come to pass. The decision to allow Croke Park open its doors is truly momentous and has been recognised as such.

LAST Saturday, I had the privilege of attending the traditional end-of-tour meeting of the Barbarians and New Zealand in Twickenham.

He knows very little about Sunday’s Heineken Cup Munster and cannot name one prop that really troubled him, but All Black legend Craig Dowd ia not an arrogant player, merely an honest one. Hugh Farrelly met the family man who is loving his rugby with the Wasps.

Former New Zealand star Zinzan Brooke is relishing the prospect of coaching the Barbarians against Leicester in the NIG Challenge match on Wednesday.

WAISALE SEREVI, the acknowledged genius of sevens rugby, will once again be the star attraction of the Heineken Kinsale Sevens, which takes place between April 30 and May 2 in the Cork town.

Wales 27 Tonga 20

THOMAS BJORN heads a powerful European invasion this week in the Dunhill links championship at St Andrews.

SIX NATIONS organisers were urged yesterday to overhaul the championship to avoid a repetition of this year’s series which sees England opening the tournament against France next month.

All-Black great Zinzan Brooke is considering an offer to join Leinster as assistant coach.

New Zealander Michael Campbell will be looking to join a very select band of men when he tees off in the Heineken Classic at Royal Melbourne tomorrow.

Former All Black number eight Zinzan Brooke has backed under-fire Wales coach Graham Henry and laid the blame for the country’s indifferent form at the feet of the players.

Assistant coach Richard Hill has confirmed he would love the chance to take over the Harlequins' coaching hot-seat.