Pusey debut boost for Con

DAVID PUSEY will make his debut for Cork Constitution when he plays in the Munster Senior League final against Shannon at Musgrave Park, tomorrow (2.30 pm).

Since Pusey arrived from Australia, he has either been injured or involved with Munster. His availability for Constitution is timely given the fact that the Cork side will be without four regulars for this tie.

Cian Mahony, Steve McColl and Cronan Healy are all missing from the back division through injury while Ultan O'Callaghan, a development officer with the IRFU, is at a training camp with the Irish U21s.

While the Development League has long since lost its gloss, this particular game should have an added edge Constitution currently hold a narrow lead at the top of the AIB League table from their Limerick rivals.

Meanwhile, Munster captain Jim Williams was yesterday named Guinness Draught Can Irish Celtic League Player of the month for November.

Leicester boss Dean Richards launched a scathing attack on the staging of England's World Cup celebration match.

The non-cap Zurich World Champions Challenge between an England XV and the New Zealand Barbarians at Twickenham tomorrow will be watched by a 70,000-plus crowd.

But call-ups have hit several clubs hard for this weekend's Premiership action, even though England's line-up will feature just four players who started the World Cup final against Australia last month Jason Robinson, Ben Cohen, Trevor Woodman and Richard Hill.

Richards has also accused Premiership clubs of "selling their soul", by agreeing to the fixture.

Leicester and their east midlands rivals Northampton, it is understood, were the only clubs who voted against the hastily-arranged encounter.

Tigers travel to Northampton tomorrow and, because of events at Twickenham, both sides are under-strength. Leicester have lost Martin Corry, Ollie Smith and Daryl Gibson, with Saints minus England pair Ben Cohen and Paul Grayson.

Richards claimed that former All Blacks centre Gibson, who will be on Barbarians duty, did not want to play, but was pressurised by Premier Rugby, the organisation that oversees Premiership matters.

Tomorrow's festivities England's World Cup-winning squad are to parade the Webb Ellis Trophy after the game will earn each Premiership club a six-figure sum.

Meanwhile, the women's U-19 Inter-provincial finals take place at Malahide RFC on January 10 and 11 next.

The timetable is as follows: Saturday: Ulster v Munster (11am); Munster v Leinster (12.40pm); Leinster v Ulster (2.20pm).

Sunday: Leinster v Ulster (10am); Ulster v Munster (11.40am); Munster v Leinster (1.20pm)

Cork Constitution (v Shannon): D. Dillon, F. O'Gara, R. O'Donovan, J. V. Igarza, M. Canning, C. O'Sullivan, P. McCarthy, G. Murray, D. Murray, M. Ross, D. Pusey, C. O'Keeffe, J. Sheahan, F. Cogan, J. Sheahan.