Castres 22 Leinster 29

LEINSTER V CASTRES

Ulster boss Mark Anscombe praised the spirit of his team after they secured a scrappy 9-8 victory over Castres at Stade Pierre-Antoine in the Heineken Cup.

Ulster boss Mark Anscombe praised the spirit of his team after they earned a home tie in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup with a scrappy 9-8 victory over Castres at Stade Pierre-Antoine.

Castres 8 Ulster 9

Ulster have suffered a major blow ahead of their crucial Heineken Cup clash with Castres at Olympique at Stade Pierre-Antoine, with talented full-back Jared Payne ruled out after exacerbating a groin injury last week in the victory over Glasgow.

LIKE so many Kiwis, Joe Schmidt has adapted effortlessly to life in Europe but there must be times when he and others from the southern hemisphere wonder about our peculiar ways.

ON to April’s Heineken Cupquarter-finals Leinster go, butwith a nervous stumble rather than a confident swagger.

GIRVAN DEMPSEY believes he and his Leinster colleagues will benefit from playing Saturday’s must-win Heineken Cup clash with Wasps at Twickenham.

IT’S already been a year of firsts for Cian Healy and the Leinster prop is hoping to add to his list of achievements by making his first competitive appearance on French soil tomorrow.

THE good news first.

THERE are reasons to believe that Castres might offer limited opposition in Friday’s return Heineken Cup clash at Stade Pierre-Antoine, but don’t say that within earshot of Leinster coach Michael Cheika.

THE sight of French opposition this week is likely to spark one or two conflicting memories for Brian Blaney as Castres arrive in Dublin to take on Leinster in Pool Two.

JIM WILLIAMS wasn’t too disappointed or surprised when a Christmas card from the Japanese Rugby Union didn’t land in his Ballincollig hallway last month.

TWELVE months ago, we emerged from the back of the stand at the Stade Pierre-Antoine in Castres.

THANK God for French unpredictability. Any regular follower of the French championship coverage on Setanta Sports will marvel at the quality of rugby displayed.

Former Wasps flanker Paul Volley came back to haunt Munster and help Castres to a 19-12 pool four Heineken Cup win at Stade Pierre-Antoine tonight.

Castres centre Laurent Marticorena ended Munster’s nine-game winning streak and dealt their Heineken Cup quarter-final hopes a blow, kicking four crucial penalties in a 19-12 Pool 4 win at Stade Pierre-Antoine.

A European Rugby Cup disciplinary committee will hear the citing complaints made by Munster and Castres in Dublin tomorrow.

Castres president Pierre-Yves Revol has blasted Peter Clohessy after the Munster prop claimed Ismaela Lassissi bit him during their Heineken Cup clash on Saturday.

Scrum-half Nick Duncombe will make his Harlequins debut in Saturday’s Heineken Cup away clash against Munster.

The Heineken Cup will claim its annual round of high-profile casualties before the knockout stages begin next January, with four English challengers and French champions Toulouse among those likely to make an early exit.