Ross ready for familiar foes

MIKE ROSS has been around long enough to know tonight’s opening Heineken Cup clash at the RDS (8pm) between Leinster and London Irish won’t be easy. But he does have the jump on some of his colleagues.

The powerfully-built Ross, standing 6’ 2” and scaling 19 st 6lbs, played against the Exiles on more occasions than anyone in this Leinster side when tied to Harlequins at the Stoop.

Apart from anything else, he will hardly be found wanting physically even though his direct opponent Clarke Dermody has a reputation of being a pretty immovable object.