HEINEKEN CUP POOL THREE:

Munster head coach Rob Penney has made seven changes to his starting XV from the side that took the field against Edinburgh in Round 2 for tomorrow’s Heineken Cup showdown with Saracens at Thomond Park (6pm).

WITH five of the eight quarter-finalists coming from Ireland and France it appears strange that the national sides of both are left disappointed with mid-table finishes in the northern hemisphere’s trophy international tournament.

Maybe the GAA can learn a thing or two from rugby –- like kicking off its premier competition with a bang. While the summer Championships often sleepwalk into summer, the Heineken Cup starts this weekend with heavyweight collisions. Alan Good looks ahead.