So the Scotland have ended their interest in hosting part of Rugby World Cup 2015.

The sport's showpiece event is tipped to return to Europe after the 2011 event in New Zealand with England in the running - but they remain concerned by the £80m hosting fee/guarantee demanded by the IRB. Unlike their likely rivals to host the 2015 competition - Italy, Japan and South Africa - England do not yet have assurances of financial backing by their government.

The IRB will confirm on May 8 which unions have bid to host the 2015 and 2019 tournaments and final presentations will be made on May 13, The venues for both will then be selected by the IRB council on July 28.

It remains to be seen whether the Rugby Football Union, who reportedly had fears about ticket sales north of the border, strike deals with their Welsh, Irish and possibly even French counterparts that will see games staged there as they plan how to recoup the massive hosting fee. But there will be no formal co-hosting deals struck.

Such arrangements would see the RFU hire venues in those countries, in the hope of tapping into strong markets, and then reap the benefits from ticket sales - their only guaranteed revenue as hosts.

The common view amongst fans and pundits is that the one-country bid is the way ahead. Australia set the standard in 2003 and that will again be the case in New Zealand. The event in France in 2007 was a huge success, although the four matches in Wales and two in Cardiff did water down the impact to a certain degree.

It appears that the horse-trading when it comes to voting means that a similar scenario is likely if it did return to the northern hemisphere, and specifically England, in 2015. The fact that Scotland, Ireland or Wales will never be in the position to host the tournament on their own adds to the mix. Joint bids make financial sense to them with the cost off-set by the substantial revenue the tournament can generate. The Rugby Football Union knows this too and can use it to their advantage.

Could the RFU muster enough support without such promises to share matches? I dare say this is being discussed behind the scenes as I write. Sadly, I fear the political history would mean that the pros and cons of their bid against that of other countries would only be part of the story.

The game does need to break new ground in terms of tournament hosts, but the IRB also need to secure the sport's future in terms of revenue and European-based tournament will provide that. But will the IRB decision-makers chance their arm and go with Italy? If the RFU were to alienate their own allies, Italy's claims could become stronger. Either way, the impact of the IRB's new hosting fees are casting a shadow over all the proceedings.

Logistically, in terms of stadia, Italy would have no problem hosting the tournament but it would require the use of football stadiums. This would also be the case in England if they opted to go it alone.

We've already seen rugby at Wembley recently (although their remain concerns over the pitch) and a bid that also included matches at impressive arenas like Old Trafford (which will also host England v Argentina later this year), City of Manchester Stadium (Commonwealth Games 7s) and the Madejski Stadium (London Irish) would be very impressive.

Where would you like to see the Rugby World Cup take place?

Welcome to Super Saturday that will decide this season's Guinness Premiership semi-finals.

Only leaders Leicester are assured of a place in the final four but will have their eyes set on a home semi-final. Five other clubs are chasing the remaining three spots while another four have a possible Heineken Cup qualification spot within their grasp.

Get ready for a dramatic and tension-filled couple of hours as we track the fortunes of all the sides across the country.

As a reminder - this is how they line up on the final day of the regular season:

Bath 33-18 Saracens - FT
Harlequins 31-12 Newcastle - FT
Leicester 73-3 Bristol - FT
London Wasps 34-3 Gloucester - FT
Sale 24-18 Northampton - FT
Worcester 15-32 London Irish - FT

And here's how the table finished:

1. Leicester 71 pts
2. Harlequins 66
3. London Irish 66
4. Bath 65
5. Sale 61
6. Gloucester 57

Updates:

17.00
The game finishes with some more ugly scenes - Justin Harrison putting Steve Borthwick in a headlock. The semi-finals are decided - Leicester Tigers v Bath (Walkers Stadium), Harlequins v London Irish (The Stoop) - both games will be played May 9. Kicking off at 3pm and 5.30pm respectively.

16.58
Full time at Sixways - London Irish win 32-15. They have third place at the moment.

16.56
Game over at The Rec as Bath winger Matt Banahan snaffled the ball before races the length of the field to score. Bath now have a chance to claim second place in the table - two minutes to conjure the bonus point try. That would lift them to third place and a match against Quins rather than Leicester.

16.52
Watch out everyone else - final score from the Walkers Stadium - Leicester 73-3. Harlequins too good for Newcastle at The Stoop - 31-12.

16.50
Full time at Adams Park, 34-3 to Wasps, where Ian McGeechan embraces the retiring Josh Lewsey who is then chaired off by Phil Vickery and Serge Betsen. A miserable end to the season for Gloucester - prepare for changes. Sale to wrap up a 24-18 victory over Northampton.

16.44
Sale score a fourth try against Northampton meaning that Bath cannot afford any slip-ups against Saracens. Let's hope that single point deduction does not prove too costly to the Sharks.

16.41
The dreaded unncontested scrums at The Rec with Bath props David Flatman and Duncan Bell sidelined. Noah Cato squeezes in at the corner following a superb pass from replacement Andy Farrell. This game may not be over yet. The conversion closes the gap to 8 points.

16.40
Quins scrum-half Danny Care having a great game at The Stoop according to reports which may see him jump to the top of potential Lions replacements following the injury to Munster's Tomas O'Leary.

16.33
Leicester are closing in on a half century against Bristol while Sale have clawed their way back into the lead against Northampton.

16.29
Another score at Sixways - bonus point for the Exiles as Declan Danaher crosses to lift Irish into third place - as it stands. Will Bath chase the tries? Do they know the score at Sixways? London Irish will take third place with second-placed Harlequins having won more games this season.

16.26
Scrum-half Paul Hodgson is the latest to dot down for the Exiles at Sixways. The top four places rubber-stamped now surely?

16.25
Bath's Peter Short surges over for a try - the west country side back to their fluid best.

16.22
Andy Saull is the third Sarries player sent to the bin after a cynical off the ball tap tackle on Bath's Nick Abendanon.

16.20
Ryan Davis gives Bath a bit more breathing room with a penalty.

16.14
London Irish back in the lead against Worcester at Sixways - Chris Hala'ufia the try scorer. Glen Jackson pulls Saracens to within two points of Bath.

16.08
Second half underway at The Rec as Bath go in search of victory - they have not secured back-to-back Premiership victories since December. Sarries have something to prove with a European Challenge Cup semi-final against Northampton next weekend.

15.52
Half-time whistle at The Rec - Bath lead 13-8. Whistles also go across the country with the semi-finals looking like Leicester v London Irish and Harlequins v Bath.

14.49
Tom Voyce crosses in his last game for Wasps against Gloucester - who he will be playing for next season.

15.45
Newcastle show some signs of life as Geoff Parling scores a try against Quins at The Stoop.

15.38
The bonus point is in the bag at The Stoop. Looks like the home semi-finalists are decided. Sarries claw three points back against Bath.

15.37
Bath make the two extra men count - the pressure finally sees Andrew Higgins cross for the try. Sarries' Steve Borthwick and Bath's Justin Harrison exchange pleasantries in the wake of the score.

15.34
Ryan Davis edges Bath ahead of Sarries with his second penalty to make it 6-5.

15.32
Worcester level things up against Irish at Sixways - Chris Fortey with the try. Meanwhile, back at The Rec Hugh Vyvyan the latest to be sin-binned - that's two for Sarries.

15.30
Quins are one try away from the bonus point - Tani Fuga the latest to cross.

15.27
London Irish get on the board against Worcester. Sailosi Tagicakibau the try scorer.

15.25
A second try for Quins - Nick Easter again. They are in a great position to nab that home-semi-final.

15.20
Tempers flaring in the sunshine at The Rec. Bath losing their focus when they should be concentrating on winning the game. Saracens' Tom Mercey on his way to the bin.

15.17
Wasps extend their lead against Gloucester at Adams Park - a try from Riki Flutey. Gloucester's season continues to implode. Meanwhile players continue to go down like nine pins at The Rec - you can tell this is the end of the season.

15.15
Yet more colourful language - this time from England captain Steve Borthwick - and another apology!

15.13
Leicester take the lead with the first try against Leicester. One point will ensure they play at home in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, yet more injury woe for Bath's Michael Lipman as he is helped from the field at The Rec.

15.10
Quins are ahead against Newcastle - Nick Easter the scorer of the converted try. A bonus point win will secure them a home semi-final.

15.05
Official timing on the Wyles try - 26 seconds - fastest of the season. Not surprising.

15.00
The games kick off and we have to wait less than a minute for the first try as Chris Wyles dots down for Saracens heaping pressure on Bath - what a dramatic start.

14.58
Apologies from Sky's excellent commentator Miles Harrison for the industrial language picked up by the microphone being pushed into the Bath changing room - what do they expect! The amount of times that happens...

Fate has dealt Irish scrum-half Tomas O'Leary a cruel blow. The talented 25-year-old has been ruled out of this summer's Lions tour to South Africa just three days after being confirmed as part of Ian McGeechan's 37-man tour party.

A season that has already delivered career defining moment for the No.9 - Ireland's Six Nations Grand Slam success - has been brought to a dramatic end thanks to a broken ankle suffered in the domestic clash with Scarlets on Friday night.

What makes it all the more tragic is that the season promised so much more with Munster on the brink of the Magners League title and just days away from an all-Irish Heineken Cup semi-final with Leinster. Such are the highs and lows of sport.

His injury is set to send a shockwave through the rest of the squad destined for South Africa next month. For most, Lions tours offer a once in a lifetime opportunity, and to have it ripped away from you must be tough to take.

And with another month of the season still to go there may yet be more tales of woe. What effect will O'Leary's injury have on those set to board the plane? Will any of them take their foot off the gas in contact or in training to ensure they get to Heathrow in one piece? Unlikely as to do so can just as easily lead to injury.

One major concern for McGeechan is if Munster and Cardiff Blues make it to the Heineken Cup Final. If that does happen 14 of the squad could be going head-to-head for European glory just a day before the Lions leave for SA>

My advice? Just stick to the approach that got you onto the Lions radar and hope that Lady Luck smiles on you. But even she may be hard-pressed to protect you from the Springboks.

But one player's misfortune opens the door for another with Scotland's Mike Blair (a high profile omission from the origina squad), England's Danny Care and Wales' Dwayne Peel amongst those likely to get the call. Wales Mike Phillips is surely in possession of the Test jersey at the moment ahead of England's Harry Ellis - but anything can happen - just ask O'Leary.

The wait is over. The 2009 British & Irish Lions were unveiled to great fanfare in London today along with confirmation that Ireland lock Paul O’Connell will lead the elite tourists to South Africa.

And so begins the ‘last great rugby adventure’ as tour manager Gerald Davies described it during a goose-bump inducing introduction to proceedings.

The Lions legend then read out the 37 names - 14 from Ireland, 13 from Wales, 8 from England and 2 from Scotland - that will go into battle in the famous red jerseys on a 10-match tour that will culminate in a three-Test series against the Springboks.

There were the names we all expected and also some many didn’t. England’s Ugo Monye, Wales' Leigh Halfpenny, Ireland’s Keith Earls and Wales’ Andy Powell will all board the plane as somewhat surprising selections but three national captains – England’s Steve Borthwick, Scotland’s Mike Blair and Wales’ Ryan Jones will not. For Jones it will surely be a bitter pill to swallow having fallen from favourite for the captaincy to surplus to requirements.

Powell's inclusion also comes depsite the huge No.8 suffering a drop in form but the Lions coaching team are obviously keen to put his big frame on the line in South Africa.

Perhaps the most surprising omission was England flanker Tom Croft who had been widely tipped to make a big impression on the hard ground of the high veldt. He is the vicitm of a highly-competitive position that will include the Irish trio of David Wallace, Stephen Ferris and Alan Quinlan, England's Joe Worsley and Wales' Martyn Williams.

The appointment of O'Connell, the worst kept secret in rugby, was ratified and the big ginger lock was paraded in front of the media and talked up his side's chances - and talked down his recent spat with Wales coach Warren Gatland.

So who are going to be the stars of the tour? And did McGeechan get it right?

British and Irish Lions squad for the 2009 tour of South Africa:

Fullback: Lee Byrne (Wales), Rob Kearney (Ireland)

Wing: Shane Williams (Wales), Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Ugo Monye (England), Luke Fitzgerald (Ireland), Tommy Bowe (Ireland)

Centre: Tom Shanklin (Wales), Jamie Roberts (Wales), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland), Keith Earls (Ireland), Riki Flutey (England)

Fly-half: Ronan O'Gara (Ireland), Stephen Jones (Wales)

Scrum-half: Mike Phillips (Wales), Harry Ellis (England), Tomas O'Leary (Ireland)

Number eight: Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Andy Powell (Wales)

Flanker: David Wallace (Ireland), Stephen Ferris (Ireland), Alan Quinlan (Ireland), Joe Worsley (England), Martyn Williams (Wales)

Lock: Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O'Connell (Ireland, capt), Donncha O'Callaghan (Ireland), Simon Shaw (England), Nathan Hines (Scotland)

Prop: Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Andrew Sheridan (England), Phil Vickery (England), Euan Murray (Scotland)

Hooker: Jerry Flannery (Ireland), Lee Mears (England), Matthew Rees (Wales)

Here are some great soundbites from various Lions who recall how they found out they were selected for the elite tourists:

Gareth Edwards (1968, 1971 & 1974)
"A brown envelope came through the door and it said something along the lines of 'Dear Edwards, you've been selected for the British Lions' which you read three or four times just to make sure you hadn't made a mistake!"

Andy Irivine (1974, 1977 & 1980)
"I was driving to a business meeting and I heard it on the radio as I left that morning before the mail came in. I have to say it was just a tremendous sensation because you really felt like you had made it."

Willie-John McBride (1962, 1966, 1968, 1971 & 1974)
"The Lions team was announced on radio and that's how we learned, and then you got a letter. But prior to that you were obviously asked 'would you be able if selected to go to South Africa for four-and-a-half months'. Now, if that's not better than working I don't know what is."

Mike Teague (1989 & 1993)
"I think it was Clive Rowlands, the manager, who phoned me and said 'Is that Mike Teague, British Lions rugby player; it was just a call, he didn't say who it was, but it was a Welsh voice saying that to me so then I knew."

Will Greenwood (1997, 2001 & 2005)
"At the time I was living with everybody's favourite pal Austin Healey; I came down for breakfast and he was reading his letter, jumping around the house and saying 'oh well, unlucky kid'.

"There were rumours that I may have made the tour so I was obviously hugely disappointed. Then he asked me to give him a lift to Welford Road, so I drove Austin into the car park and there was Graham Simmons from Sky and he said 'Well done, Will'. I nearly smacked him - I thought he was being a sarcastic little so-and-so.

"Then Austin pulls something out of his top pocket and says 'I think you are looking for this'; so I found out in a roundabout sort of way - those are the perils and dangers of living with A Healey.”

The most dramatic day of the Guinness Premiership season awaits on Saturday with the final round of the regular season.

Leicester, Harlequins, Bath, London Irish, Sale and Gloucester are all in the mix for the play-offs but only four can progress to the post-season with the top two sides come 5 o'clock on Saturday afternoon set to be rewarded with a home semi-final.

These six sides will go head-to head with the bottom six in the Premiership, with all the games kicking off simultaneously at 3pm, ensuring a tough day for the Sky Sports cameras that will try to convey all the drama into your living room.

But before all that Gloucester tackle Worcester on Tuesday night in a re-arranged fixture and a bonus point win would lift the Cherry and Whites to third place based on games won and nearer a much-prized semi-final.

There was another dramatic twist today when Sale were deducted one point for fielding an unregistered player last month. Sale, currently fifth in the table and now five points behind London Irish, need a bonus point victory at home to Northampton next weekend to stand any chance of qualifying for the play-offs.

Outside of the race for the semi-finals, there is also the small matter of Heineken Cup qualification up for grabs. Thanks to the exploits of the Tigers in this season's competition even a 7th place finish in the Premiership table (depending on the destiny of the European Challenge Cup) could offer a seat at the elite table next season.

Leaders Leicester are in the box seat need a point from their final game at home to already-relegated Bristol to guarantee top spot and a home semi-final.

A five-point maximum for Bath at the Recreation Ground could be enough to secure them a home semi-final next month, although Saracens are still chasing seventh place and possible Heineken Cup qualification.

Here are the last round of fixtures:

Bath v Saracens
Harlequins v Newcastle
Leicester v Bristol
London Wasps v Gloucester
Sale v Northampton
Worcester v London Irish

Stay tuned to Scrum.com for full coverage this weekend.

Will this week's Lions squad announcement throw up a 'bolter'? Will the elite tourists offer a relatively unknown player, untested on the international stage, the chance to make a name for himself on one of the biggest stages in the sport?

In today's professional environment it is increasingly difficult for a player to go under the radar but the romantic notion of someone emerging as a world-class talent in the famous red jersey when their own country have yet to tap into their potential remains a fascinating prospect.

England's Will Greenwood was the last uncapped player chosen by the Lions when he was selected for the 1997 tour to South Africa and it appears he may hold onto that accolade for another four years at least. Former England centre Jeremy Guscott was another to emerge on Lions duty when he toured Australia in 1989 with just one previous cap to his name.

McGeechan was the coach on both those occasions but will he take such a gamble this time around? Unlikely. And those fringe players hoping for the nod will not have been heartened by these recent words from tour manager Gerald Davies.

"We have had an open mind on players who didn't make their countries' Six Nations squads," he said, "but I can't imagine we will be going outside of those squads. It is fair to assume that the Lions will come from the Six Nations squads."

But that hasn't stopped the speculation.

England's Ben Foden was an early name thrown into the mix after some stand out performances for Northampton but he failed to grab his chance when drafted into the elite squad for the Six Nations. The versatile 23-year-old was shaping up as a key weapon on the hard ground of the high veldt - but not anymore.

England hooker Dylan Hartley is another potential surprise selection. Although his playing time was also limited he may benefit from a real stand-out candidate amongst the hookers in this year's Six Nations.

Scotland speedster Thom Evans caught the eye in the Six Nations and he too may be boarding the plane to South Africa with just a handful of caps to his name.

Wales livewire Leigh Halfpenny is another who could be adding the Lions to his burgeoning CV despite only having made his international debut in the autumn. The 20-year-old's timely display in Cardiff Blues' Anglo-Welsh Cup romp against Gloucester at Twickenham many see him joining his regional team mates Martyn Williams and Jamie Roberts in South Africa this summer.

And what about Munster's Keith Earls? Another player who would relish the hard ground, he only has two caps to his name but his versatility is a huge plus.

All of these players offer plenty of untapped potential and their relative low-profiles would have the Springboks scurrying to check out YouTube.

It may well be that the omission of some big names will overshadow the chance offered to any bolter with the likes of Wales skipper Ryan Jones and his England counterpart Steve Borthwick reportedly struggling for support amongst the Lions coaching team.

One thing for sure is that there are some shocks in store - one way or another - on Tuesday.

After another dramatic weekend of Heineken Cup rugby, three out of the four semi-final places have been filled by sides from the Magners League - which features the best sides/regions/provinces from Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

The PR department at Celtic Rugby were quick to capitalise on this fact - and why not. This is the first time the League has had such representation at this stage of the northern hemisphere's most prestigious competition - something well worth singing and dancing about.

It is also the first time teams from the Celtic Unions have taken up the majority of the semi-final berths since the inaugural season of the Heineken Cup when neither England nor Scotland entered sides.

For current European champions, Munster, it will be their eighth semi-final appearance in ten years, whilst their opponents in the mouth watering all-Ireland tie, Leinster, make it to this stage for the fourth time, although they have never lifted the trophy.

Cardiff Blues reached the semi-finals for the first time since the region was formed with a 9-6 victory over French aces Touluse, however their forerunners, Cardiff, played in the very first Heineken Cup final at the Arms Park.

With and Ireland Grand Slam already in the bag - what odds a clean sweep of the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup? (Two trophies they already 'own').

The devastating earthquake that hit the Abruzzo region of Italy has taken a costly toll and sadly L'Aquila rugby has not escaped the tragedy.

It was confirmed today that 20-year-old prop Lorenzo Sebastiani was amongst those killed by the quake with reports from his team mates suggesting he could only be identified by his tatoos.

Accounts have reached us of L'Aquila's players digging among the rubble for victims, carrying survivors to safety and other acts of bravery.

"We’re exhausted and absolutely shattered, but nobody wants to leave," commented fullback Dario Pallotta. "Of course we can feel the aftershocks – there was another major one only this morning. But we’re staying to do everything we can to help."

And questions are already being asked of the authorities with another player, Emmanuel Giacoponi, asking, "There had been minor tremors since January, which gradually got stronger. I don’t understand why the authorities didn’t give us more warning of the threat of stronger quakes, and how to behave in the event. This could have saved lives, including that of my teammate Lorenzo."

The fund-raising efforts are already underway and don't be surprised to be asked to donate at your club this weekend - that's the way the rugby community works.