Previous World Cups, in soccer and in rugby, have demonstrated the dangers of bigging up teams during the pool stages, but Michael Cheika and the Wallabies have certainly earned the praise.

I’ve been a bold boy. Or so I’ve been told. I’ve had to explain myself, which is fine. You’re not always losing when you’re explaining, writes Ronan O'Gara.

Dave Calnan had no grand plan of where he wanted his education or even his employment to take him, but he had a fair idea where he didn’t want it to go.

THEIRS is a name synonymous with French rugby. Formed as a sporting club of many different disciplines for the Parisian elite in 1882, Racing Club de France, alongside Stade Francais, dominated the early years of the French Championship before disappearing — like Stade — for the bones of a century until the emergence of the bow-tie wearing and champagne guzzling side of Franck Mesnel, Eric Blanc and Jean-Baptiste Lafond in the late ’80s.

DON the thinking cap, dig out the calculators: it’s round six of the Heineken Cup.

All the evidence may point to Castres running up the white flag in Limerick today but Munster have plenty of reasons to expect yet another tough challenge on a crucial afternoon of Heineken Cup rugby at Thomond Park.

Argentina captain Felipe Contepomi is set to return from injury for the must-win World Cup Pool B clash with Scotland in Wellington on Sunday.

Argentina prop Martin Scelzo hopes captain and team talisman Felipe Contepomi is fit for Sunday’s vital World Cup Pool B showdown with Scotland.

Steve Meehan will leave his position as head coach of Bath at the end of the season, the Aviva Premiership club announced today.

PROUD Italy captain Sergio Parisse has hailed his team-mates for the determination shown in Saturday’s historic triumph over France.

FRANCE centre Yannick Jauzion is determined to take his chance in today’s Six Nations showdown and put “arrogant” England in their place.

THE ageing, rickety old RDS was almost shaken from its foundations for the final 40 minutes of Saturday night’s Magners League semi-final in which Leinster overpowered Munster for the fourth time in as many meetings of these old rivals.

Marc Lievremont has reassured French fans that Mathieu Bastareaud is fit to face Italy and has only been named on the bench in order to allow him such much-needed rest.

YET another Munster invasion of France beckons this weekend and with it, no doubt, another clutch of ‘planes, trains and automobiles’ tales from their legion of resourceful travelling fans.

LATE scores by Tim Visser and Phil Godman ensured Edinburgh claimed their first win of this season’s Heineken Cup campaign as they came from behind to deny Ulster.

STADE TOULOUSAIN’S former All Black scrum half Byron Kelleher has publicly apologised for his part in a drink-fuelled incident in the southern French city which saw the player spend a night in a Toulouse jail cell. Kelleher, 32, was arrested by police after allegedly being involved in a street brawl following a car accident in the early hours of Friday morning.

Heineken Cup champions Leinster will start their bid to retain their title against London Irish on the evening of Friday 9, October 2009 at the RDS in Dublin, it has been announced.

ENGLAND’S elite rugby director Rob Andrew yesterday warned players who land lucrative club contracts abroad risk jeopardising their international careers.

Ulster 21 Harlequins 10

Wales coach Warren Gatland last night hit out in the player release row between the Welsh Rugby Union and the regional sides and insisted five days’ preparation for the opening November Test would be “insufficient”.

WHEN France winger Vincent Clerc scored in the dying moments in Croke Park last Sunday I couldn’t help but recall the moment Michael Lynagh scored in the Wanderers corner in the last minute of Ireland’s World Cup quarter-final against Australia in 1991. The nightmare returned.

Geoffrey Messina has been drafted into France’s truncated RBS 6 Nations championship squad as coach Bernard Laporte tries to come to terms with an injury list that is seriously hampering his preparations for the competition.

Heineken Cup Quarter-Finals

Teams for today's RBS 6 Nations clash at Stade Francais.

Leicester have received a timely Heineken Cup boost with the return of Martin Johnson for tomorrow’s clash against Ulster.

THE lone Irishman on the Treviso squad is expecting little ‘home’ support against Munster in the Heineken Cup tomorrow.

Despite a late come-back from Scotland, the Ireland Under 19s kept their composure to hold on for a 28-22 victory at the IRB/FIRA World Championships at Creteil, Paris, yesterday.

Big Dean Richards tried valiantly to keep the smile from his face but it was clear that a Heineken Cup semi-final draw against Gloucester was OK by him.

Newport have been forced to make two changes to the side originally picked for Tuesday's rearranged Heineken Cup Pool Four match at Bath.