Will Riki Flutey be back in England colours in time for the Six Nations? © Getty Images

"Savaged by injury ahead of the autumn internationals, the squad Martin Johnson originally had in mind is starting to take shape again with the wounded restored and returning to action.

"The festive period has seen Delon Armitage and Harry Ellis playing in the Premiership again after three-month absences, Nick Easter and Lee Mears are well into their stride and Danny Cipriani is knocking around too if, by any chance, the England manager is still interested.

"This weekend will witness one of the most important comebacks yet as far as England team manager Johnson is concerned with Riki Flutey pulling on a Brive jersey for the first time since September against Perpignan."

Scottish rugby is moving into 2010 with renewed heart according to David Ferguson in The Scotsman.

"Andy Robinson, Rob Moffat and Sean Lineen continue to work very closely together, along with Robinson's assistants, newly-promoted Gregor Townsend and defence coach Graham Steadman, who was retained after Frank Hadden departed. The key to improving Scotland lies with improving the professional teams – and their relationship with the club game – as the time available before internationals is not enough to lift a squad of Scottish players, bearing in mind coaches use over 30 players in a Six Nations tournament, to the required levels of fitness, strength and skills to be successful.

"Matt Williams tried to do it on his own and complained about lack of time, Hadden tried to work with the pro teams and still complained about lack of time – despite both having enjoyed far more time with their squads than any coach before them – but Robinson is acutely aware that lack of time is not a worthy excuse, merely a fact of international rugby. His two seasons with Edinburgh provided him with knowledge of the Scottish game and players, and he won admirers for spending time with club coaches in his first year, while big wins for his Scotland 'A' teams over Italy and Ireland – in an aggregate score of 104-22 – added to the belief that he could draw much from a Scotland team."

England’s top rugby players will escape with a fine next year if they are caught taking recreational drugs, according to Rob Wildman in the Daily Mail.

"Details of the new out-of- competition annual tests for all Guinness Premiership players will be finalised next month but the rugby authorities have decided that the names of first offenders will remain secret.

"The tests are being introduced following the scandal at Bath last season which ended in the suspension of four players and the departure of Australian lock Justin Harrison. The Premiership tests will be carried out in addition to those conducted around internationals and other club competitions under the World Anti-Doping Agency."

Alasdair Reid hails the return of South of Scotland as a banner for the amateur game in the Borders in The Daily Telegraph.

”The South, representing a handful of sides in the Scottish Borders, were one of the first casualties of professionalism. Teams with a nominal attachment to the area may have played under a Borders banner since, but they were never truly representative of the local clubs which, between them, had produced well over 150 international players for Scotland down the years.

“Although professional rugby left the area with the axing of the Border Reivers in 2007, the amateur game has remained strong. It is still a productive nursery of talent, and players with their roots in the Borders make up half of the current Edinburgh team.

“Frustration with the fact that the area's rugby heritage had no representation led to a proposal, put forward by Hawick RFC just a few months ago, to reincarnate the South team. Things moved on swiftly from there, a provisional squad was selected and the head coach role given to Craig Chalmers, the former Melrose, Scotland and British and Irish Lions fly-half.”

John Westerby meets Sale's farmer-in-residence, Wales prop Eifion Roberts, in The Times.

"Eifion Roberts has come a long way in a short time and there are occasions when his two worlds collide. When his rugby commitments permit, the Sale Sharks prop still likes to return to the family farm on the outskirts of Ruthin, North Wales, but it can often be a frustrating experience.

“I try to help out, but I can’t do as much as I’d like,” he said. “I’ve got to be careful with things like handling the cows, in case I get kicked or anything like that. It’s safer if I stick to the tractor work now.”

"At the end of a testing year for rugby union, tainted by Bloodgate and drug scandals, the best that can be hoped is that the sport stays true to its inclusive mission statement: that it remains a game for all shapes and sizes. In the professional ranks, there is no better example of this creed than Roberts, 28, who has been transformed from an overweight farmer playing amateur rugby into one of the best props in the Guinness Premiership and a folk hero with the Sale crowd. In November last year, he won his first Wales cap against Canada."

David Ferguson meets Glasgow's No.8 rivals Richie Vernon and Johnnie Beattie ahead of their battle for a Six Nations place with Scotland in The Scotsman.

"The pair share a flat in Glasgow and are very good friends, Beattie, the elder at 24, helping to guide the younger Vernon, who, at 22, is still something of a rookie in rugby having turned his back on a degree in medicine only last summer.

"Last month, Beattie started for Scotland and Vernon enjoyed some time off the bench at the end of the Test matches, but, back to club duty in recent weeks the tables turned as Beattie was told to rest a debilitating groin injury he played with through the autumn Tests.

"Beattie had to watch on Sunday as Vernon turned in his best performance yet in a Glasgow jersey, before coming off the bench to replace the 'Man of the Match' in the last few minutes.
Vernon is certain to start again in Saturday's return at Murrayfield, his pace and athleticism a core part of Glasgow's bid to cope with Edinburgh's desire to improve on an uninspiring encounter at Firhill."

Tony Ward, writing in The Irish Independent, puts forward his fears for the future of rugby in Connacht should their reliance on overseas players continue.

"In Limerick, what should have been a tough test for Munster turned out to be a one-sided romp. It was reassurance for Tony McGahan that he has plenty in reserve while, for Michael Bradley, it was a reality check of sorts. No one knows better than the long-serving Connacht head coach the extent of his limitations. His battle has been an admirable one. That said, I do find the Connacht situation perplexing.

"Let me declare my take here. I believe in the four-province, three-tier system that has served Irish rugby so well. I support the need for a 'shop window' professional side in the west. Should we reach the stage where cutbacks need to be made then I have little doubt as to where the IRFU will first look.

"Underage rugby in Connacht is thriving. Interest in the game is on a high. It is imperative the best of emerging talent has something to strive for.

"The aim for every young Connacht boy should be to wear that green Connacht jersey with pride. The desire should be there to become the Gavin Duffy, the Conor O'Loughlin, the Johhny O'Connor or the John Muldoon of tomorrow."

Mick Cleary salutes former Argentina scrum-half Agustin Pichot as his player of the decade in The Daily Telegraph.

”Of course Brian O'Driscoll has a serious claim to being the Player of the Noughties, as do Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson and the Kiwi double act of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw.

"All fabulous players, all highly influential, all first-class citizens in their way. They have shaped, or are shaping, sides in their image: committed, skilled, potent and capable of producing the X-Factor moment. No, you couldn't quibble with any of those contenders.

“But one man transcended even their achievements, managed to bend not only any given particular match to his will, but also to change the entire face of the sport in his country. It is not at all fanciful to declare that Agustin Pichot has been the player of this decade even if he does cede something to the likes of Carter or O'Driscoll in pure technical talent, in that hint of genius.

“Pichot's worth goes beyond a mere tick-list of abilities. For the sheer ferocity of his inner being, the unquenchable appetite for the contest, for his urgent passion, his awareness, his courage and his presence, Pichot has no equal.”

	Stade Francais scrum-half Julien Dupuy is the latest player to have been banned for eye-gouging © Getty Images

"The act of choice is eye-gouging which has been frighteningly common in 2009. seems to be happening almost every week - the latest being a nasty double attack by Julien Dupuy and David Atoub of Stade Francais on Ulster's Stephen Ferris. The video evidence was damning.

"As it was when Schalk Burger gouged Luke Fitzgerald in the opening minute of the second test between the British Lions and Springboks in June. As it was when Italian No 8 Sergio Parisse gouged Isaac Ross a few hours before Burger's indiscretion.

"If Alan Quinlan had been on tour with the Lions, then the tourists might have taken their revenge on Burger. But the Irish flanker didn't make the trip after being selected because he gouged Leinster's Leo Cullen in the Heineken Cup. Rotorua-born Dylan Hartley missed much of the season after being found guilty of eye-gouging while playing for Northampton and one naughty Frenchman can count himself lucky that there was no supporting video footage to support All Black claims Tony Woodcock was "facialled" in Marseilles."

Munster coach Tony McGahan praised the tremendous depth in his squad after an understrength side scored a bonus-point victory over Connacht, read the Irish Independent's take on their latest Magners League success.

"Australian Paul Warwick produced a man-of-the-match display having come on for fullback Felix Jones after 16 minutes before slotting in for Ronan O'Gara at out-half for the second period.

Warwick scored 10 points, including one of Munster's four tries, the others coming from winger Ian Dowling, hooker Damian Varley and a superb 80th-minute effort from centre Jean de Villiers with Connacht managing a single Ian Keatley penalty in reply. McGahan was without a raft of frontline internationals, including captain Paul O'Connell, but is happy to travel with the same squad to Ravenhill for next weekend's meeting with Ulster."

Waratahs coach Chris Hickey has given his best indication yet that livewire Wallaby Kurtley Beale will play fullback next year, writes Josh Rakic in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The unpredictable Beale was a stand-out on the wing for the Wallabies last month, and for the first time Hickey admitted his best position might not be as a playmaker.

"...Beale and University star Halangahu battled for the No.10 all last season. But word from the NSW camp is Halangahu - who all but rescued the Waratahs season from five-eighth late in the Super 14 season - will have first crack at the guernsey, with Barnes to play No.12."

The IRB should be praised for getting rugby into the Olympics but condemned for the huge blunders over experimental laws, writes Brian Moore in the Daily Telegraph.

"This will be seen as the year in which rugby was forced to look inward and begin the process of considering where 15 years of professionalism have led the game and where we might be heading unless consideration is given to the game's eventual goals.

"It has been a curious year, in which we have seen improvements and setbacks in equal measure. We have seen some organisations take important strides forward and others, sometimes those specifically tasked with running the game, act in a way which could not have been better designed to harm rugby and its wider image. We have seen rugby's unique ability to act decisively in face of some problems and yet remain inert over others of equal import."

Richard Cockerill could not have wished for more yesterday after his month-long touchline suspension, writes Mark Baldwin in The Times.

"In their last game of 2009, indeed, there was a real sense of Leicester, the Guinness Premiership champions, again being the team to beat during the second half of the domestic season. They meet Saracens on Saturday in a match that will provide a big pointer to the eventual destination of this season’s title.

"It was a scoreline that was harsh on Sale Sharks, who had more than their fair share of good moments and played some excellent rugby despite fielding a young side. Mark Cueto and Mathew Tait were rested, with a view to the club’s immediate Heineken Cup future, but the visiting team actually enjoyed marginally more territory and possession until Leicester’s superior strength off the bench began to tell in the final quarter."

A decision to put hopes of an international return on back burner has paid dividends for record-breaking Glasgow No.10 Dan Parks, according to David Ferguson in The Scotsman.

"Irony hung in the air at Firhill last night as Dan Parks' 20-point contribution to Glasgow's victory and record of becoming the first man to break 1,000 points in Magners League history ensured he was the player most were talking about, days before it is due to be confirmed officially that this was his last Firhill derby before he moves to Cardiff next summer.

"The 31-year-old stand-off was quick to pay tribute to his pack for allowing him the space and time to control this game for the first hour, and while it will only enhance the prospect of him returning to Scotland's RBS Six Nations squad next month Parks insisted putting international thoughts out of his head had been a factor in his fine recent form."

The Guardian's Ian Malin reports as London Irish destroy Saracens' aura of invincibility.

"The crowds pouring out of Twickenham may have disagreed but perhaps it was this game at Reading that deserved the billing of the Big Game. It was certainly the pivotal match of the season with Saracens' hopes of beginning the year as the Premiership's only unbeaten side foiled by an Exiles side that exchanged places with Northampton to move into second place with a deserved victory.

"London Irish are now three points behind the leaders. Buoyed by their form in two Heineken Cup wins over Brive, they recovered from being 10 points down after only eight minutes to win the game 10 minutes from time with their second try through the centre Elvis Seveali'i. Irish won a lineout, the replacement No8 George Stowers drove forwards and from the maul Irish's Argentinian scrum-half Alfredo Lalanne switched the play to the blindside for Seveali'i to batter this way through three tacklers in his path to the line."

	All Blacks coach Graham Henry let his players have it at half-time in Christchurch © Getty Images

"Best Meltdown - Graham Henry's half-time rant in Christchurch after the All Blacks produced the worst 40 minutes in living memory against Italy. Captain Mils Muliaina says his experience was vital - he knew to get behind Henry and not be in the coach's eyeline.

"Second best Meltdown - Jimmy Cowan was a stroppy so-and-so when he captained the Highlanders against the Blues. He let referee Stu Dickinson frustrate him - easily done, but still, best not to let it show - and then the halfback snapped. He followed through late on Jimmy Gopperth (who tumbled magnificently) and Dickinson, with some glee, brandished the red card."

With so many of Scotland's players now plying their trade at Edinburgh and Glasgow, the forthcoming double-header between the sides won't just have a major impact on the Magners League table, writes Richard Bath in The Scotsman.

"With the exception of blindside flanker and the back three, where most or all of the main candidates play outwith Scotland, most of the players vying for inclusion in national coach Andy Robinson's 22-man squad will be on show. Some of the individual confrontations this will throw up are mouth-watering, and have traditionally resulted in matches between the two which are euphemistically referred to as "feisty" or "committed"."

Bath and England prop David Flatman offers his take on the latest eye-gouging row in his latest View from the Front Row piece in The Independent.

"Every player has been gouged at some stage. François Pienaar once told me: "If you never get gouged or goosed [I assumed this meant the testicle grab] then you're not in the way enough." Possibly not a view my grandmother would share, but certainly one that, a few years ago at least, proved pretty accurate.

And while it is well wide of the mark to proclaim that all players have, at some point, gouged a man themselves, it is probably fair to assume that we have all "made contact with the eye area" from time to time. You see, in my opinion, there is a huge difference between these two descriptions of what is supposed to be the same act. To me, gouging is the conscious effort to put your fingers into another player's eye in order to intimidate, punish or injure him. However, there are times, especially in this era of accuracy and small margins at the breakdown, when you fly in with intent but manage to miss the defender threatening to steal the ball.

It is at this point you find yourself grabbing and grappling at any part of him you can to get him off the thing. Heads are tugged at, along with hands, legs, shorts, scrum caps, anything. No malicious intent, just a desire to keep the game going."

Danny Care has promised the action will live up to the hype after 75,000 are lured to watch Harlequins face Wasps - he talks to Eddie Butler in The Observer.

"Whatever marketing models the chief exec [Mark Evans] may be building, there is the plain old rugby fact that today just happens to be a plum fixture between two old rivals. It has captured the public's imagination because it has fired the players' too.

"It's the biggest club game I've been involved in," Danny Care, the Harlequins scrum-half, says. "It's going to be a fantastic experience, a special occasion."

It is the club's second Twickenham visit this season, the first being against Wasps, part of the double-header on the opening Saturday in September. Wasps-Harlequins and Saracens-London Irish pulled in a total of 65,000 between them."

Tony Ward reopens the rolling subs debate in The Irish Independent.

"Spare a thought for our rugby-playing elite this cold St Stephen's Day. Much like the way it is with football across the water, high-profile rugby matches are now central to the Festive season. The professional fraternity here have embraced it seamlessly and it is now part and parcel of what they do.

"Local derbies whet the appetite and this afternoon Thomond Park and the RDS will be heaving with atmosphere.

"Rugby union has come a long way in its relatively short professional life. It still has much catching up to do given the head start rugby league and football have had. Like everybody else, I look forward to the 'inter-provincial segment' of the Magners League season. The intensity of the rivalry naturally adds to the level of appeal but it is box office rugby with a warning.

"Far be it for me to be a killjoy, but I genuinely worry for the welfare of our players. The record of the IRFU in protecting its centrally contracted employees stands tall; certainly when compared to the French and English ruling bodies, who at best share responsibility with their constituent clubs. Is it any wonder so few Irish venture abroad?"

Chris Hewett talks to Gloucester skipper Gareth Delve about their frustrating start to the Guinness Premiership season in The Independent.

"Gareth Delve has spent much of his professional career learning how to put things in perspective. If it has been a lengthy process, the Gloucester captain has not exactly been pressed for time: three grisly knee injuries and a dislocated shoulder rendered him incapacitated for such interminable periods, it was reasonable to wonder whether he would ever be compensated for his stolen youth.

"Now he finds himself in charge of a team inconsistent enough to drive the most level-headed of leaders to drink, that rational streak is among his greatest assets.

"Not that Delve, who celebrates his 27th birthday next week, claims to have reached a full understanding of Gloucester's mood swings: Socrates and Freud combined would struggle to offer a persuasive explanation of why the Cherry and Whites behave as peculiarly as they do. "Last week against Glasgow was an interesting one," the Welshman says, shaking his head. "It was night and day, wasn't it?"

Will Greenwood is hoping for some glitz and glamour from Wasps at Twickenham in The Daily Telegraph.

“As a club, Wasps have disappeared off our radar this season. Lawrence Dallaglio has gone so there are no jaw-jutting pronouncements of intent. Danny Cipriani has been injured so there has been very little glamour to talk about. Phil Vickery is also injured, and Simon Shaw is only now returning from a long layoff.

“Today, I hate to say it, but Wasps are just another rugby club. I loved it when they were so much more than that. I have a yearning for big comments and celebrity gossip.

“Give me John Daley over Lewis Hamilton any day, and for a while Wasps were the best at mixing Big Brother-style honesty, Hello! magazine cover gloss and ruthless professionalism. Without their big headlines my rugby life is much poorer.”

	Dean Richards was cast into the rugby wilderness earlier this year for his role in 'Bloodgate' © Getty Images

"To see men like Richards stoop to such depths to win a match was one of the saddest sights of '09. But is it just a game of rugby anymore? No. Jobs, salaries, marriages, mortgages and families now depend upon the outcome of some of these games. Is it any wonder base human instincts have invaded what was once a sport renowned for its decency, behaviour and courtesy?

"...Rugby has been appalled by these and similar acts this year. Decent people have not been drawn to the game by eye gougers, drug cheats, liars or the foul-mouthed. Thank God these incidents are still a huge minority within the game -- yet just one of them is one too many."

Leinster's affable prop Stan Wright is going to do his best to spend Christmas with an Australian slant, but without the sun and beer, he talks to Gavin Cummiskey in the Irish Times.

"Some people are lucky enough to know a guy, while slightly deranged, who possesses the natural ability to drag a room full of people to their knees in laughter. In Stanley Wright, Leinster have such a character. To the communications department’s credit, they rolled out the Cook Islander prop for some festive cheer in Riverview yesterday.

"Now, all Wright’s comments should be taken with a pinch of salt. A good-natured human being if ever there was one, he brought a refreshing honestly and infectious chesty laugh to proceedings. It started with an innocuous enough question about plans for Christmas day.

“Spending Christmas day with the Whitakers’. We usually spend it there. Spent it there last year. Just down the road. This time I don’t think I will be walking out legless. Every time we go to the Whitaker’s we seem to come out legless – maybe not this year.”

Sunday Times correspondent Stephen Jones says our friends in the north need to draw on the game's current popularity.

"The round of Guinness Premiership matches which takes place on Boxing Day and on Sunday will constitute the biggest in the history of the tournament. Never forget that there is still a recession on and also that the weather is hardly conducive to outside activities, but given a decent walk-up at Worcester on Saturday and at Leicester, Bath, London Irish, Newcastle and Harlequins (at Twickenham) and we could see an aggregate attendance of over 140,000 people, at an average of around 24,000 per match.

"It is now time for teams in the north to stage similar spectaculars. Next Christmas, I would expect both Sale and Newcastle to try to emulate Quins by staging one-off matches at major football stadiums, with reduced ticket prices and a barrage of publicity. We keep hearing from our friends in the north that football is so massive up there that they can hardly be expected to emulate Quins or Leicester or even Bath, who will be full for the visit of Gloucester.

"However, correct me if I am wrong, but football is hardly tiny down south either; the Guinness clubs in the Midlands and in the London area have all kinds of soccer giants to compete with, and they are doing by no means a bad job."

Jamie Roberts tells The Independent's James Corrigan about overcoming injury to be named outstanding player of the Lions tour and Wales' best-looking man.

"It is fair to say that as the midnight chimes hurtled us into the new year of 2009, Roberts had reached the bottom point of the Big Dipper. A month before, he had fractured his skull at the beginning of the Test against Australia and, after famously carrying on for 10 minutes, he eventually obeyed the warning jolts flashing around his cranium. It meant a spell on the sidelines and the doubts inevitably surfaced. "Of course they did," he recalls. "They do any time you have an injury. And a fractured skull does sound quite scary. But I just had faith in my doctors and in the end I was only out six weeks."

"It doubtless helped that Roberts is studying to become a doctor and knows a thing or two about the body's recovery powers. Those rugby-loving folk at the University of Wales have allowed their most popular student to split his fourth year over two years. That still means afternoons and evenings crouched over the books while his team-mates are flat out on the sofa, but Roberts would not have it any other way. "Yeah, I get tired a lot," he says. "But I actually think it's beneficial. It helps me turn off and gives me some balance."

In an interview with the The Times, Harlequins chief executive Mark Evans reflects on a turbulent year for the club.

"In Mark Evans’s office at the Twickenham Stoop hangs an action picture of Nick Duncombe, the Harlequins scrum half who died of a rare blood disorder in 2003, aged 21. 'Now that was a tragedy,' Evans, the Harlequins chief executive, says thoughtfully.

"The photograph offers some perspective on a year unparalleled in the long and distinguished history of Harlequins. The first and the last quarters of the year suggest a club making significant progress back to the upper echelons of the English game, bookended by Big Game 1 and Big Game 2. Last Christmas, more than 50,000 flocked to the RFU’s headquarters at Twickenham to watch Harlequins play Leicester and, on Sunday, some 75,000 — probably more — will see the Guinness Premiership encounter there with London Wasps.

"The six months in between were dire. Bloodgate and the cover-up that followed the use of fake-blood capsules during the Heineken Cup quarter-final with Leinster will haunt the club. It cost them Dean Richards, their director of rugby, Charles Jillings, their chairman, a £250,000 fine and a proud reputation. 'I don’t think we will ever be defined by Bloodgate but there will be an association, always,' Evans, 50, said. 'You would be naive to deny that.'"

Just under six months on from coming so close to masterminding another series win in South Africa, Ian McGeechan reveals in an interview with the Daily Telegraph that he still considers a British & Irish Lions Tour the greatest experience in rugby.

"Seven tours he has been on, as player and coach, making him easily the Lions' most senior practitioner.

"Indeed, the Lions are so huge a part of his life – the shirts he wore on tour in 1974 and 1977 take pride of place in his house – that it comes as a surprise when he opens the door a couple of days before Christmas not wearing his kit. After all, his relationship with the distinctive red shirt could be described as a lifelong love affair.

"'Paul O'Connell [McGeechan's Lions captain] said it best,' McGeechan says. 'He said, referring to the Lions shirt, this is the biggest jersey a player can put on. The shirt is the symbol of what it is to be a Lion.

"'I introduced this idea on the tour of a plaque placed on the wall of the dressing room alongside each shirt as it hung in the dressing room, which listed the men who had worn that number in the past and been successful. That continuity, that history, is what motivates. For me, it doesn't get any higher than the level required to be a successful Lion.'"

In his column in the Irish Independent, former Ireland fly-half Tony Ward hails Jean de Villiers' best performance to date for Munster.

"Forget this nonsense about answering critics - the head coach who dropped him is the only opinion that matters - and concentrate instead on de Villiers' 'get on with it' attitude over the past two frustrating weeks spent out of the first-team loop. As with Ronan O'Gara - who let his feet and hands do the talking vis-a-vis losing his Irish place - so too with the much decorated Springbok centre for Munster. That's how it should be.

“His second-half try represented skill (by way of the step) and utter determination in making the line and it completed the victory the rest of his new team-mates so richly deserved. It will enter the annals of Munster folklore but more importantly, it provided proof that Tony McGahan has signed a player of substance and not a fleeting mercenary.

"All that said, the midfield conundrum still exists. Sunday's try, welcome though it was, will not blind McGahan to that reality."

Writing in The Independent, Peter Bills picks out some of his favourite moments from the past 12 months.

"2009 has been some year for rugby union.

“Ireland won their first Grand Slam for 61 years, South Africa their first Tri-Nations title since 2004. In doing so, the Springboks beat their greatest rivals, the New Zealand All Blacks, three times in a single season.

“The Lions chose the wrong captain and lost the Test series in South Africa. But the year ended with New Zealand again reminding us of their terrific power and quality in demolishing France in Marseille.

“So before you all disappear into a wine or beer bottle or whatever your favourite tipple might be at Christmas, here is this column's (albeit, slightly tongue-in-cheek) highlights of the rugby year.”

If Munster weren’t regularly up against it, we wouldn’t have had the drama and fun and games which we’ve had in the past, according to the Irish Times' Gerry Thornley.

"Not even the orchestrated and risible attempt by home stewards to insist that all Munster fans break their flag poles in half as they constituted ‘weapons’ could dim their colours.

"Although even some of the faithful had begun to doubt, they can enjoy Christmas a little more easily now. There’s something comforting about Munster being back in the groove. For even if, as O’Connell repeatedly conceded, Leinster have usurped them in 2009, Munster’s well-being is usually a barometer of Irish rugby’s health as well.

"In the process, Munster have gone and made mugs of a few people again. History has taught us never to write Munster off, and never to be surprised, much less shocked, by what they are capable of."

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mick Cleary reflects on a year in which rugby’s reputation has taken a number of knocks.

"There's an easy Christmas wish list for rugby: No more 'Bloodgate', no more drug exposés, no more gouging, no stodgy, boring, kick-and-chase, no more laboured England, no more Springboks banging over penalty goals from 53 metres to deprive the Lions in a series-deciding second Test.

“The game is badly in need of an ethical clean-up and a stylistic makeover. If Father Christmas can deliver on that, then we’ll all be happy. Well, not England’s opponents perhaps but the neutrals might have cause to appreciate some rugby worth the admission price.

“There is a moment of reckoning looming for Martin Johnson - the opening Six Nations match against Wales on Feb 6. The insurrection up in the Twickenham stands could well grow into open revolt. Johnson is acutely aware of the issues. Losing to the southern hemisphere big boys is one thing, defeat by the Celts on home turf quite another.”

Writing in The Times, Mark Souster talks to referee Luke Pearce - one of the new stars of refereeing who is turning heads.

"Pearce is an accomplished, erudite, remarkably mature and measured young man, who is full of confidence and who caught the eye of the power brokers at the RFU at an early stage. He sprang to prominence this season when he awarded three penalty tries to Moseley, the last in stoppage time to give them a 28-25 victory away to Coventry, their arch rivals. It caused a storm of protest. Home fans incensed by his decisions verbally abused him. Beer was allegedly thrown.

"Like Barnes after the 2007 World Cup quarter-final — the Englishman was vilified in New Zealand for failing to spot a forward pass that led to France’s decisive try — Pearce took it in his stride and pledged to learn from any unintentional mistakes."

Glasgow coach Sean Lineen believes that the time has come for some major tweaks to rugby's rules. He speaks to David Ferguson in the Scotsman.

"Rucking, he believes, has to be allowed to return to the game, with studs on bodies the only route to tidying up a 'breakdown' area that is now spoken of more than anything else in rugby and becoming a frustratingly apt description of the modern game.

"On top of that, the former Scotland Grand Slam-winning centre, insists that the scrum's 'hit', where the two packs batter into each other at the start of the scrum, should be scrapped altogether as it is the root cause of the plethora of momentum-jarring re-set scrums."

Gregor Paul springs a few surprises in selecting his best of the year in The New Zealand Herald.

"Cory Jane was a class act every time he played and came of age this season. He can be proud of what he contributed. Not even Jane, though, could match the contribution of Tom Donnelly who went from provincial stalwart to first choice All Black in the last few months of the year.

"More importantly Donnelly took the greatest source of national embarrassment and transformed it into one of the most efficient and accurate lineouts in world rugby. The importance of that cannot be overstated.

"The All Black lineout was an absolute shambles for most of the year. The test in Hamilton against the Boks will never be forgotten – the All Blacks went through 40 minutes of rugby without winning one of their own throws."

Simon Barnes evaluates Gareth Thomas' admission that he is gay against the backdrop of the wider world of sport in The Times.

"Sport certainly takes its time about things. At least, when it comes to sexuality. We live in a world in which endless conundrums and variations of sexual behaviour are forever in front of us, in a thousand different areas of public life. It’s only when it comes to sport that things get all difficult and old-fashioned.

"You can be a gay MP, or a gay vicar. You can be quietly or flamboyantly gay, according to choice, and still present television programmes. You can be a living national treasure and your status is not even remotely compromised by your sexuality.

"We live in a time when civil partnerships between same-sex couples are not only sanctioned by law, they raise few eyebrows when they take place. Just the usual sort of rejoicing. What was illegal half a century ago is now not only legal: it is no big deal.

"Except in sport. That is why it is both right and necessary to praise the courage of Gareth Thomas, the most capped player in the history of Welsh rugby, who has chosen to come out. It is not his courage that is troubling: it is the fact that courage was necessary."

Peter Bills hails stunning Heineken Cup victories from Munster and Leinster in The Irish Independent.

"So how on earth do Santa and his reindeer pals top this weekend of Heineken Cup rugby for Irish men and women? With extreme difficulty, I would suggest. Those who follow passionately the fortunes of Leinster and Munster got all their Christmas presents a week early, with coruscating victories by the two Irish provinces.

"Perhaps Santa had kept his biggest present for Ireland coach Declan Kidney, who must be beaming at two such comprehensive wins. Roll on the 2010 Six Nations Championship in the New Year. Munster, in particular, gave Kidney a template on how to defeat French sides.

"Irish teams have finished the year as they started it, with some hammering victories of huge importance. What Leinster did in Dublin on Saturday and Munster in the south of France yesterday underlined what a stunning year 2009 has been for Irish rugby."

David Ferguson talks to former Scotland fly-half Craig Chalmers, now working with Scotland Under-20, about handling pressure in The Scotsman.

“He speaks with the same passion that once coursed through each muscle as a player, and obviously retains the deep love of rugby that marked him out as a stand-off of world stature when he first pulled on the navy blue jersey of Scotland 20 years ago.

“That may be why Craig Chalmers has taken to the challenge of developing players in the great problem position of Scottish rugby – the guiding, controlling stand-off role he once grasped with a conviction that left no-one in any doubt about the Borderer's self-belief. It is a fair task, one to compare perhaps with following his football team Rangers as they struggle to convince that they have a future among the European elite, or his close friend and former team-mate Bryan Redpath, who faces a harrowing end to 2009 if Gloucester lose to Glasgow in the Heineken Cup tomorrow.

"Pressure," says Chalmers, "is what drives us. I had a few drinks with 'Basil' (Redpath] after Friday night's game and he's going through a tough time, but he knows what he wants and he'll come through it and next year you'll see Gloucester rising. But I'd like his pressure. I'd like to be in that environment and I hope I get the opportunity in the future. I'm delighted to have been given the chance to work with the under-20s and it's quite exciting seeing the young players, particularly the stand-offs, just starting out, looking to make their mark.”

David Walsh hails Gareth Thomas for providing a watershed moment in sport in The Sunday Times.

"When you are the most-capped player in the history of Welsh rugby, and you have been known always as a tough guy, a bloke’s bloke, it is not easy to then say: “Actually, I'm gay.” Publicly, rugby players have never been gay and Gareth Thomas has now done the game and the greater community a service in truthfully telling his story.

"It is at once sad and life-affirming. There is sadness in what he and his ex-wife Jemma have been through but there is much to admire in the way Thomas eventually dealt with the reality of his sexuality. It is also heartening that he feels he can now speak publicly without making his life as a rugby player any harder.

"Thomas knew he was gay from the age of 16 or 17 but as he says, knowing something and accepting it are different things. There are many reasons why teenagers struggle to deal with their homosexuality and for Thomas, rugby was one of the factors. “I could never accept it because I knew I would never be accepted as a gay man and still achieve what I wanted to achieve in the game.”

Paul Ackford talks to Danny Care about England, Bloodgate and PlayStation in The Sunday Telegraph.

"We're chatting, Danny Care and I, and it's going OK, but not great. We've discussed Bloodgate ("It's never a nice thing when people call you a cheat. For a while, when people I had never met knew that I was part of Harlequins, they'd say, 'Ah, the blood people'. I didn't get it as much as the others because I still look like a dirty little student and people don't know that I play rugby. Our usual response was to say, 'Don't believe what you read in the papers.' But it was a tough time."); discussed what he learned from his sin-binning against Ireland in last season's Six Nations which caused Martin Johnson to smash his fist into his thigh in frustration ("That was a rush of blood. There was just too much excitement coming off the bench. I did cringe when I saw it afterwards. Johnno kind of understood that I was trying to ruck the guy out but that my technique wasn't the best."); and discussed why England never really got out of first gear in the autumn.

"Care, 22, the Harlequins and England scrum-half, bubbly and slightly irreverent, is good company, but not that engaged by the conversation."

Eddie Butler runs a rule over the recent tribulations in the career of Welsh legend Gareth Thomas after he admitted that he is gay in The Observer.

"Since Gareth "Alfie" Thomas is the first international rugby union player to come out and say that he is gay, there is no protocol either to break or to follow. There was a familiar pattern: the years of torment and the deception, with particular regard to his wife, Jemma, and now the relief.

"But no system exists, based on past experience, to help him through his private struggle and his public sporting career. That might imply that rugby, a bit like the military, refuses to acknowledge homosexuality in its ranks. We don't offer help because there is no problem to solve.

"Or it suggests that for all its promotion of itself as the territory of the alpha male, rugby is surprisingly grown up in its inclusiveness. Nigel Owens, the top referee, is gay. Big deal. Alfie is gay. So what?"

Muster step into the Catalonian cauldron that is the Stade Aimé Giral tomorrow afternoon with a whiff of cordite in the air. Gerry Thrnley writes in the Irish Times.

"Having scraped past Perpignan by their wits’ end and the skin of their teeth last week, they face the French champions who have won their last 23 home matches. Even by Munster’s standards, this is a daunting task. Outscored by three tries to nil and unable to deny Perpignan a bonus point last week, defeat without a bonus point could leave Munster third in Pool One entering the final two rounds of games, and also knowing that if they finished level with Perpignan the Catalans would have the better head-to-head record.

"They’ve been in tighter corners, mind, and on the balance of things possibly encountered a more potent side in Clermont Auvergne over the last two years. Then, it was Munster’s resilience and no little flair away from home in securing bonus points which were critical; two years ago finishing level on 19 points with Clermont but progressing on the head-to-head record."

Writing in The Independent, Brian Ashton praises those players able to play 'heads-up' rugby.

"Going back a few years – decades, probably – I remember the great French coach Pierre Villepreux talking along similar lines. One of his favourite sayings was "play with your eyes", by which he meant "don't play it by the book, but play according to the things happening around you". Charlie is an excellent example of someone who does things the Villepreux way. It is not an easy art to master, even though one of the things the best practitioners have in common is their ability to make rugby look as simple as falling off a log. What separates people like Charlie from other midfielders? In essence, they have the advantage of being natural games players.

"What does this mean? In my view, such individuals have developed all the necessary technical competences to such a level that their mastery allows them the precious commodities of time and space. Very often, these people have a languid air about them; indeed, some of them appear almost disinterested. Daniel Carter, the New Zealand outside-half, is the ultimate in this regard: even when under the most intense pressure – especially when under such pressure, actually – he is able to make sense of the maelstrom with a bare minimum of fuss and bother. Others flounder in confusion, he prospers in his clarity."

The Sunday Times' Stuart Barnes says Leicester will have to exploit weaknesses in the French mentality if they are to gain revenge for last week's defeat to Clermont Auvergne.

"This is a case of do or die for Leicester, having lost last week’s fixture in France by five points to nil. The problem is, from the perspective of the Tiger’s fans, there seems, on the evidence of Sunday’s match, little the English champions can do to stop the French runners-up from killing them as they did in one of the most brutal beatings England’s most uncompromising club has suffered in the entire professional era.

"Clermont were superior in the scrum, left Leicester, missing Tom Croft, for dead at the lineout and outmuscled and outsmarted them at the breakdown. Behind the scrum, despite a brave individual effort from Toby Flood, the French collectively outclassed Leicester at half back, ran through them in the centre and over them out wide."

Luke Watson came to Bath for a fresh start in English rugby but he insists he wasn’t hounded out of South Africa. He talks to Chris Foy in the Daily Mail.

"'There was clearly an agenda in the media, but I was actually surprised by the positive response I got from the general population. A majority of people in the country, the black South Africans, play soccer — they don’t watch rugby because of certain perceptions that come with the sport in South Africa. So there was a large majority of people out there who really supported me.

"That was very encouraging. But whether I had that support or not, I had to be able to look at myself in the mirror and do what I felt was right, even if it was detrimental to my career or my reputation."

	Gareth Thomas celebrates winning the Heineken Cup with Toulouse in 2005 © Getty Images

"'Just because you are gay, doesn't mean you fancy every man who walks the planet,' he says. I don't want to be known as a gay rugby player. I am a rugby player first and foremost. I am a man.

'I just happen to be gay. It's irrelevant. What I choose to do when I close the door at home has nothing to do with what I have achieved in rugby. IIt's pretty tough for me being the only international rugby player prepared to break the taboo.
'Statistically I can't be the only one, but I'm not aware of any other gay player still in the game.

'I'd love for it, in ten years' time, not to even be an issue in sport, and for people to say: "So what?" '

Peter Bills reviews a mixed 2009 in The New Zealand Herald.

"Everywhere you looked in 2009, rugby seemed to have problems. The South Africans' reputation was stained by Schalk Burger's eye-gouging on Luke Fitzgerald during a physically brutal Lions tour; the All Blacks lost three times to the Springboks and in New Zealand calls for Graham Henry to be sacked were loud and long.

"Across the Tasman, another Kiwi, Robbie Deans, coaching the Australians, suffered the ignominy of seeing his men lose five of their six Tri-Nations matches. Then they pitched up in Edinburgh and lost to Scotland.

"In Europe, the French got hammered by England, 34-10 at Twickenham, but life was far from rosy for the English. The northern autumn brought defeats by Australia and New Zealand and a realisation for manager Martin Johnson that English rugby's love affair with him was fast ending.

"The English punters' disbelief at the path professional rugby was taking in England was exacerbated by the notorious "Bloodgate" affair at the London Harlequins' club. The ghosts of those crusty old colonels and their batmen who once epitomised the club and its support must have been groaning in their graves as it became clear that, under director of rugby Dean Richards' direction, one of the Quins players, wing Tom Williams, had used a fake blood capsule to make a phoney substitution late in the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster."

The Independent risks the wrath of fans everywhere by listing their top 50 players in the world.

”Once again the IRB's choice doesn't take the No.1 slot in our list. Richie McCaw has had a good year, but not outstanding by his high benchmark. Outstanding is certainly something you can say of the 12 months Brian O'Driscoll has had.

“The Irish captain sits in pole position after leading - sometimes dragging - Ireland to their first Grand Slam since 1948, lifting the Heineken Cup at last with Leinster and having an outstanding tour with the luckless 2009 British and Irish Lions. He still had enough in the tank to play a key role in Ireland's impressive Autumn series as well.

“There are some who have slipped from view - Shane Williams and John Smit to name just two to miss out this year - who fall foul of a loss of form and the emergence of other shining talents such as Tommy Bowe and Schalk Brits.”

Eddie Butler salutes the performance of Ulster flanker Stephen Ferris and calls for heavy sanctions against gougers in The Guardian.

"The performance of last weekend, when there was in general a welcome return to some audacious rugby, was by Ulster. Ian Humphreys weighed up safety and risk and decided to give the first the weekend off and take the second for a spin around Ravenhill.

"If you are brave enough to grow such a beard you are surely of a kind for whom heading west into the prairies with just a wagon and an ox is an everyday experience. Of course, he had Stephen Ferris at his side - or, in fact pulling his wagon - a No6 who once again revealed that he could become one of the very best players of his generation.

"Ferris played so well that not just one but two Stade Français players felt compelled to poke him in the eye. There is nothing more to be said about the crime of gouging, except to say that the disciplinarians who dole out bans in mere weeks bear full responsibility for its persistence, and that in the case of Ferris, its use in Ulster was a mark of respect for the performance of the ox."

Harleqins' appointment of Conor O'Shea has given the club a shot at redemption after 'Bloodgate', writes Mick Cleary in The Daily Telegraph.

"Many were contaminated by that capsule, from disgraced director of rugby Dean Richards, who instigated the scam and oversaw the attempted cover-up, to sundry medics and to club chairman Charles Jillings, on whose watch the devious events took place and who did the decent thing in resigning.

"The appointment of Conor O'Shea is the final part of that cleansing process. Of course his arrival goes beyond the need for a cosmetic makeover in that O'Shea has class and pedigree over and above mere PR credentials.

"That the two elements dovetail is a clever bit of work, but not without risk. Harlequins could not ignore the damage to their reputation, shrug it all off as one of those things that would pass."

Writing in The Scotsman, former Scotland winger Kenny Logan says Euan Murray's decision to opt out of Sunday games on religious grounds is to be respected - but it will open doors for others.

"There is little doubt Scotland will miss Euan Murray at the start of an exciting RBS Six Nations Championship for Andy Robinson's team next year, but the confirmation this week that he will not play on a Sunday is something the players have to accept.

"Euan has earned a lot of respect in the game and a decision like that is a very personal one; his to make alone and not for anyone to criticise. When I played at Glasgow he was a talented player making his presence felt in the pro game, but he felt he needed a change.

"Euan knows that his place is not guaranteed and that by not being available for the opening match against France – whether or not he was going to start anyway – he is leaving the door open for good young props Moray Low and Geoff Cross, who have, in 2009, been given that first taste of international rugby. He will know how determined they will feel at the prospect of starting a Six Nations for the first time."

	Will Hayman be heading home ahead of RWC'11? © Getty Images

"The bearded behemoth, who is captaining the English club Newcastle these days, is regarded as the missing link in the master plan that will see the Webb Ellis Cup paraded up Queen St and a town near you in 2011. Yes, some of these master plans have come unstuck at previous World Cups, but this one is a sure bet. Honest.

"Loath as this column is to give advice to the NZRU, here's a way of ensuring Hayman plays in the cup: if worse comes to worst, follow your own lead and ignore your own rule. There are all sorts of rumours about Hayman's return, including that the good people of Taranaki are prepared to give him a farm as an inducement. And there's no greater honour in this country than being given a farm."

New prop on the Leinster block, Mike Ross, thanks disgraced former Harlequins boss Dean Richards for saving career, he talks to David Kelly in the Irish Independent.

"It's been a strange 2009 for Mike Ross. He arrived back on Irish soil this summer, joining Leinster on the back of winning his first international cap against Canada, and with the promise of much more to come from the home of the new Heineken Cup champions.

"The club he left, Harlequins, would soon become embroiled in the tawdry saga that was 'bloodgate,' a cheating escapade which, ironically, could easily have upended his new employers' European dreams. And yet, as he watched his former team-mates' travails accelerate into further farce, he thought of Dean Richards, the now disgraced former head coach of Harlequins, and knew that there was a different figure behind the publicly caricatured "ex-bobby gone bent."

Scotland Andy Robinson has said he supports and respects Euan Murray’s decision not to play rugby on a Sunday, Alasdair Reid writes in the Daily Telegraph.

"Speaking at a lunch at Murrayfield, Robinson revealed that he had been discussing the issue with Murray for some time, but stressed that the talks were held to help him understand the player’s point of view rather than as an attempt to persuade the 28-times capped forward to change his mind on the matter.

"...However, Robinson refuted a suggestion that Murray, one of only two Scots originally selected for the Lions trip, was being given special treatment on account of his status."

The IRB is expected to announce an in-depth overhaul of its judicial and citing systems next year according to Mark Souster in The Times.

"Rugby’s world governing body was moved to act and review its procedures in the wake of the lenient sentences handed out to Schalk Burger and Sergio Parisse this summer. Both were banned for only eight weeks when the minimum suspension should have been 12 weeks.

"The IRB is committed to ensuring consistency of sanctions worldwide via a more streamlined and proactive system. Exact details on the new policy are still being worked on and will require ratification by its full council next May, but one key component is expected to be a law that would enable the board to appeal against punishments it considers to be inadequate. At present only players can appeal if they believe a penalty is too onerous."

Scotland coach Andy Robinson believes that his side's attack will be a platform for success in the Six Nations Championship, writes David Ferguson in The Scotsman.

"He also pinpointed poor kicking skills and a concern over players' fitness, pondering whether this played a part in their fading after a few phases of an attack and becoming predictable or going it alone as individuals. Dan Parks, he said, would come back into contention for the Six Nations if his form at Glasgow continued to improve, though he is also scouring for other contenders to the problem position of stand-off. But, a key to improvement in 2010, he insisted, lay with the players and their ability to emerge from a professional bubble and push themselves to improve skills."

Tony Ward hails the resurgent Ronan O'Gara and a great weekend for the Irish provinces in European competition in The Irish Independent.

"The mantra of 'it's only half-time' will, of course, be the message ringing around all four training camps in the build-up to the second of December's back-to-back games -- fixtures that are set to define the European rugby season in this part of the world.

"The calculators may still be required come the fourth weekend in January, but certainly as a mid-pool injection, the weekend outcome could hardly have been better from an Irish perspective.

"True, Munster squeezed across the finishing line a short head in front but given the quality of the opposition, it's a win they will take and head for the Stade Aime Giral with confidence high and qualification still very much in sight.

"That they eked out the win says so much about that insatiable desire and resilience central to the Munster psyche, as well as the Thomond Park factor. It was all driven by the master craftsman and point-scorer supreme in the No 10 shirt, Ronan O'Gara."

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mick Cleary calls for zero-tolerance as gouging returns to the headlines after last weekend's Heineken Cup fixtures.

"Ferris himself noted that if it had been a punch, then he would have said nary a word, in line with rugby's macho code of omerta in such matters. But gouging is something else altogether: sly, nasty, craven and spineless. It seems to be on the increase, a truly bizarre state of affairs given that the game has never been cleaner.

"There are far fewer flashpoints in a match, due primarily to the increased vigilance afforded by the all-seeing eyes of television. They miss nothing, so even if the match referee does, there is recourse to a citing commissioner.

"Also factor in that when a player is sent to the sin bin, never mind dismissed, it usually costs his side on the scoreboard. Peer pressure has become a deterrent. Might not, though, the self-imposed clean-up actually be the cause of rising frustration in a player? Dupuy's behaviour on Saturday is a case in point. He had already been shown a yellow card by the time he allegedly went for Ferris."

Damian Whitworth of The Times reports on how a new course is helping rugby players stop binge drinking.

"The past year has not been good for the image of rugby. The ‘summer of shame’ included the Bloodgate fake blood scandal and revelations about the abuse of recreational drugs by top players. Both controversies prompted a great deal of soul-searching in the sport and the drug incidents have led to a groundbreaking health education programme for every Premier Rugby player.

“Matt Stevens, the former England and Bath prop forward, was banned from the sport for two years after failing a routine drug test. He later told The Times: ‘It was a vicious cycle. It would always be at the end of a drinking binge — do coke, hate myself, vow never to do it again, and then do so.’ Three other Bath players also left the club after drug-related incidents.

“These stories ‘set off alarm bells’, says Phil Winstanley, the director of Premier Rugby. ‘Rugby has traditionally been considered a clean sport.’ A summit was held to look at the issue of illegal drugs in the sport and concluded that a major part of the problem was alcohol. ‘The use of illegal drugs is very closely linked to the mis-use of alcohol. We needed to address this. We needed to act fast,’ says Winstanley. How big is the problem? ‘The answer is that we don’t know.’

“In the past few weeks all 12 clubs in the top tier have put their players through Drink IQ, a programme that provides plenty of information to digest for all who drink, but especially for members of sports clubs. ‘Coming into the festive season, the time of partying and merriment, is a good time to reinforce the messages,’ Whinstanley says.”

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, former England international Brian Moore outlines why he believes that Declan Kidney has the deepest pool of playing talent available to him in Irish history.

"At one point England had all the following back-row players available: openside – Peter Winterbottom, Gary Rees, Andy Robinson and Neil Back; blindside – Jon Hall, Mike Teague and Mick Skinner; No 8 – Dean Richards, Tim Rodber, Ben Clarke and Lawrence Dallaglio. Perm any three of them and they would be better than any combination now available.

“Ireland's back-row factory may not yet be turning out the equal of that list, but they have more talent in that department than at any time in their history. Stephen Ferris, Denis Leamy, David Wallace, David Pollock, Chris Henry, Jamie Heaslip and Sean O'Brien all featured prominently in their sides' Heineken Cup wins over the weekend.

“Ronan O'Gara's resurgent form ensured victory for Munster over Perpignan, making the national fly-half berth a genuine selection poser, but then the performances of Andrew Trimble on the wing, Keith Earls at centre and Isaac Boss at scrum-half also pushed their claims. Only a few years ago Irish selectors prayed for such problems.

“Declan Kidney, Ireland's coach, must have been very satisfied with not only the form of his returning internationals, such as Rob Kearney, but also many fringe and younger players. All of this suggests he has available to him the strongest depth of playing talent in Irish history.”

Makhaya Ntini will play his 100th cricket Test for South Africa when the England series starts in Centurion next week - writing in the Cape Argus, Gavin Rich asks where are the Springbok players of Ntini's ilk?

"We have to use that odious term "black African" to explain what I am talking about, but it is a relevant question and one which should be disturbing to SA Rugby as the challenge of the Fifa World Cup approaches.

"Prop Lawrence Sephaka completed a handful of Test matches in the Bok jersey, but if you consider that Beast Mtawarira is a Zimbabwean, the fields have not reaped much of a harvest for rugby when it comes to that sector of the population the sport should be targeting as its new market."

With the international season now over, the New Zealand Herald's Gregor Paul picks his World XV.

"This was Brian O'Driscoll's year and it was a surprise he was not named IRB Player of the Year. He led Ireland to a Grand Slam and Leinster to their first Heineken Cup. He formed a deadly partnership with Jamie Roberts during the British Lions tour and then scored in the dying seconds to snatch a draw with Australia on his 100th test appearance. Not as quick as he used to be - but stronger, smarter and full of tricks.

"...Once Carter was restored to full health, there was only ever going to be one choice for this berth. Matt Giteau and Jonny Wilkinson have aspirations to be as good - but they just don't deliver the same quality as Carter, nor do they match him for consistency. He nailed the winning penalty in Sydney on his Test return, defended brilliantly throughout the end-of-year tour and was sensational against France where his running game returned to top form."

The public knows that on recent form, neither Harbour nor Counties-Manukau deserve to be part of the Air NZ Cup top division, according to Peter Williams in the Herald on Sunday.

"After Friday's decision to retain the status quo in the Air New Zealand Cup, for at least another year anyway, it's fair to ask once more - just who is running rugby in this country?

"How come the NZRU, the richest sporting body in New Zealand, with annual revenues in excess of $100 million, can still be dictated to by provincial unions with a precarious financial position and little more than parochial self-interest at heart? Perhaps it's because there's a growing realisation at head office that rugby's real fan base is shifting from the big cities and into the provincial centres like Napier, Palmerston North and Invercargill."

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Paul Ackford questions the Hollywood makeover of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

"Last week Invictus, a film depicting the story of the 1995 World Cup, premiered in America and South Africa. Directed by Clint Eastwood, with Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, the movie purports to tell the story of how Mandela used the Springboks and the tournament as a mechanism to unite a divided nation.

The thesis of the film is that Mandela planned the campaign a year out from the World Cup to the extent that there are scenes of him in the film poring over the various qualifying groups, trying to work out who the Boks will face in the quarter-finals. That much is poppycock. Those close to the Springbok camp at the time insist that Mandela's involvement was much more spontaneous, though no one doubts the sincerity of his approach and the close bond he eventually formed with Pienaar which continues to this day."

The Six Nations can wait as Leicester fly-half Toby Flood focuses on his side's Heineken Cup tie with Clermont Auvergne. Richard Rae writes in the Independent on Sunday.

"Somebody gets injured and drops out of the picture for a few months, for one reason or another things aren't going well on the field, and despite not having played, or maybe even trained, he's someone who might make a difference."

"Thank you and goodnight, because as a summary of the situation pertaining to Flood and England's misfiring team, some might suggest his description could hardly be bettered. If England's critics had seen the two games Flood has played for Leicester since returning from the six month lay-off that resulted from his rupturing an achilles tendon in the Tigers' Heineken Cup semi-final win over Cardiff Blues last May, they might feel justified in their assumption."

	Springboks skipper John Smit spearheaded an historic year for South African rugby © Getty Images

"Team of the year - It is hard to ignore the Springboks after a Tri-Nations win, but in terms of emphatically underlining their class over a 12-month period, the Bulls must surely pip the national team. Whereas the late season stumbles introduced doubts over whether the Boks ended the season as the top international team, and the current world rankings give backing to that, the Bulls went on from their emphatic Super 14 triumph to reclaim the Currie Cup. If they are not the best provincial team in world rugby, I would love to see the team that is.

"Man of the year - Who other than John Smit, and methinks this is the third year in a row that he has won this award. In fact, I also gave him coach of the year in 2008, which he could well have won again, such was his immense contribution to the Bok success both on and off the field."

After forcing the New Zealand Rugby Union into a re-think, now is the time for the unions have to put their minds to matters based more on fact than conjecture, so writes Dylan Cleaver in the New Zealand Herald.

"This is the story of the mice that roared - now they have to start to think.

"Northland, Counties Manukau, Tasman and Manawatu, the four unions with their necks under the NZRU's guillotine, have staved off execution with a formidable campaign that involved lobbying and explicit legal threats. Unless they want to find themselves in the same position a little further down the track, they now have to do more than rail against the national body."

Leinster’s coach Michael Cheika, in his final season with the province, wants to see his charges perform like European champions. He talks to Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times.

"It's a source of considerable pride for Michael Cheika that the Irish team which finished the win against South Africa contained four recent products of the Leinster academy – Rob Kearney, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O’Brien and Cian Healy. Slowly, but relatively seamlessly, the Leinster squad has undergone quite a change in Cheika’s five years at the helm.

"Indeed, he notes that there are only eight players from the squad he inherited still playing for the province – Girvan Dempsey, Gordon D’Arcy, Bernard Jackman, Brian O’Driscoll, Shane Horgan, Ronnie McCormack, Malcolm O’Kelly and Jamie Heaslip – while Rob Kearney came into the team halfway through that 2005-06 campaign."

Brive managing director Simon Gillham believes that Martin Johnson need have no fears that last season’s cross-Channel exodus of England players will be repeated in years to come. Mick Cleary writes in the Daily Telegraph.

Far from the move abroad having a detrimental effect on an England career, as was claimed last season by the RFU, Johnson picked five players based in France: Wilkinson, Thompson, Haskell, Ayoola Erinle and Andy Goode. Flutey would also have been on the roster but for the shoulder injury that has prevented him from playing for almost the entire season.

"Even though Gillham acknowledges that the relationship with England has been productive and that the players on his books have been great servants of the club, he has also begun to reappraise the value of imports in the light of their absences."

Leicester's coach is serving a four-week ban for criticising officials, but he won't quieten down at a key stage of the season according to Rob Kitson in The Guardian.

"As Richard Cockerill discovered the other day, his status as Leicester's head coach does not guarantee absolute respect. There he stood, attempting to break the news that a foul-mouthed rant at match officials last month had resulted in a four-week match-day ban. "Sorry," he told his players. "I'm afraid I won't be with you on Saturdays until after Christmas." The eruption of delight, air-punching and cheering apparently put even last season's raucous title celebrations in the shade.

"It is hard to imagine Sir Alex Ferguson seeing the funny side. But such is life at Leicester on Cockerill's watch. The ex-England hooker was the sort of player opponents loved to hate and some things never change. The World Cup-winning lock Ben Kay admits there are moments when he cannot believe the little pest is his boss. "I am surprised, to be honest," he said. "There were a few raised eyebrows when the club brought him back as a coach, knowing how hot-headed he used to be in training. As it's turned out, he's been a revelation in that regard, although the pills do occasionally wear off."

Sale's biggest names have moved on, and there's a queue for the physio's room. But as he faces Quins in the Heineken Cup, coach Kingsley Jones tells The Independent's Chris Hewett why he's happy to stick with home-grown talents.

"Jones, who succeeded that quintessential French rugby man Philippe Saint-André as top dog at the end of last season, agrees with many of the theories put forward to explain the calamitous plague of orthopaedic trauma that has swept through the European game since the middle of August, thereby accelerating the development of a new species of professional sportsman: Homo horizontalus. The static rucks, the gang-tackling, the obsession with hitting opponents high rather than low ... all have played their part, he agrees. But he also has a pet theory of his own – semi-serious, perhaps, but far from ridiculous."

Will Greenwood is losing patience with players failing to deal with the high ball in The Daily Telegraph.

”Over the past weeks I have seen enough bad play under the high ball and kicks to make me very nervous. It is as if people have forgotten that if they let the leather egg hit the deck anything can happen. The key is to keep it up, no matter what.

“I expect five defensive players to put themselves in positions to catch high balls and box kicks. This is not a controversial view, so I am at a loss as to why so many teams struggle with the concept.

“There are the back three of two wings and a fullback. Then there is the scrum-half, who in most teams sweeps in behind the defensive line as the opposition move the ball wide, looking to pick up the chip over the top.

Dylan Cleaver calls on the four Air New Zealand Cup sides saved from the chop to justify the decision in The New Zealand Herald.

"This is the story of the mice that roared - now they have to start to think. Northland, Counties Manukau, Tasman and Manawatu, the four unions with their necks under the NZRU's guillotine, have staved off execution with a formidable campaign that involved lobbying and explicit legal threats.

"Unless they want to find themselves in the same position a little further down the track, they now have to do more than rail against the national body.

"They were out of touch, very out of touch," said outgoing Counties Manukau chairman Matthew Newman of the NZRU. It is a strange charge to label against an organisation that, no matter how good a punching bag they make, has just shown that they are prepared to put pragmatism ahead of pride. These sort of comments help no one. The time for cheap shots is over."

Writing in The Irish Independent, Hugh Farrelly hails Tony McGahan's decision to drop Jean de Villiers ahead of Munster's must win clash with Perpignan.

"Munster did not need De Villiers, nor did Irish rugby, the Keith Earls-Lifeimi Mafi centre combination was the best in Europe last season up until the Heineken Cup semi-final and the South African's inclusion meant four of Munster's five outside backs were ineligible for Ireland -- hardly a healthy situation for provinces feeding the national cause.

"The Springbok comes across as a genuine individual and is obviously a quality, if one-dimensional, player but when overseas players are signed on lucrative short-term contracts, there is a pressure to excel -- a pressure Rocky Elsom met for Leinster last season in a position where he did not affect the plans of Ireland coach, Declan Kidney.

"The De Villiers-Mafi partnership struggled through five Magners League and two Heineken Cup matches, continually described as a "work in progress".

"Now McGahan has called time and gone back to last season's drawing board in the knowledge that there is no longer any latitude for a wait-and-see approach."

Peter Bills bows down to the talents of All Black fly-half Dan Carter in The Irish Independent.

”Unless you subscribe to the bizarre theory that it's best to wait until someone has retired or died before offering praise for their talents, let us salute one particular, unique performer from the world of rugby union as 2009 comes to an end.

“This year began with a dire injury to the game's outstanding out-half. A torn Achilles tendon can
be a career-ending blow, such is the gravity of the injury.

“Happily, Dan Carter will end 2009 in a blaze of glory. Not only did he recover from the injury that brought to an end his sojourn with Perpignan, but he rediscovered his glorious skills in the toughest ground of all - the Test match.

“Carter is a genius of this rugby age. He is a skilled, delightfully inventive player who brings a sublime craft to the game. Whether it's by running, passing, kicking, tackling, covering or reading the game, he stands apart.”

Robert Kitson previews must-win games for Leicester and Leinster in the Heineken Cup in The Guardian.

"Last weekend all remaining general public tickets for this season's Heineken Cup final in Paris sold out six months in advance. There are two instinctive reactions: 1) Are there really still six months of the season to go? (Answer: Yes, you lightweight); and 2) Can't wait. When it comes to refreshing jaded rugby palates, nothing does the trick quite like the lure of Paris in late spring and the glorious certainty of significant drama en route.

"So never mind the buzzwords of recent weeks: slow ball, breakdown, endless kicking. Good riddance, for now, to England's deficiencies and depressing law interpretations. Just place yourself instead in the boots of last season's finalists, Leinster and Leicester. Back in October a trip to Parc y Scarlets might not have unduly concerned Leinster; suddenly their hosts are two from two and, thanks to London Irish's victory at the RDS, it could yet be checkmate for their Australian coach, Michael Cheika, if they lose in west Wales without a bonus point. Leicester, having drawn at home to the Ospreys, will effectively be stuffed Tigers before Christmas if they contrive to lose home and away to Clermont Auvergne over the next two weekends. Ticking away in everyone's mind, too, is the need to score tries to enhance qualification prospects. It is a wonderfully combustible mix.

"In some cases, sides have no option but to come out firing, regardless of weather or opposition. Home defeats for Harlequins and Bath and, qualification-wise, it will be over and out. Gloucester have precious little margin for error, as do Perpignan and Clermont. It may surprise some to hear that Toulouse have lost their last three away games in the French Top 14, most recently at Brive. What price a cheeky little home win for the Blues in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon?"

Marc Hinton believes that the All Blacks are still behind the Springboks in world rugby's pecking order in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"There was something vaguely fitting about the anti-climactic end to the All Blacks' year at Twickenham over the weekend. After the giddy events of Marseille just seven days earlier, perhaps it was appropriate that the year should end on a slightly bum note, with the 18-25 defeat to the Bryan Habana-inspired Barbarians.

"After all this has been a far from perfect year for Graham Henry's side, with those three straight test defeats to South Africa, another to the French in the early part of the season, and a number of other rather unconvincing performances along the way.

"So even though the All Blacks ended the test year as the world's No 1-ranked side, surely not even they would kid themselves that they sit above South Africa on anyone's pecking order, but the IRB's."

Hugh Farrelly looks ahead to the weekend's Heineken Cup action by remembering a watershed moment for Ireland last season in The Irish Independent.

“The Ireland squad's brainstorm session in Enfield a year ago is now regarded as a seminal event in the history of Irish rugby - a Magna Carta moment that proved to be a launch pad for 12 months of unprecedented achievement.

“Ireland, adjusting to a fresh coaching regime, had just toiled through a difficult November series while a Munstersecond/third string had produced a wonderfully combative and skilful performance which very nearly caught out a shell-shocked All Blacks side at Thomond Park.

“And in that Co Meath retreat, Leinster full-back Rob Kearneybrought up the awkward issue of the Munster players transferring their legendary, long-established spirit to the green jersey.

“After some initial bristling, Kearney's concept was embraced and the upshot was a 10-match unbeaten run in 2009, incorporating a first Grand Slam in 61 years and victory over world champions, Tri Nations title-holders and Lions conquerors South Africa.”

Mick Cleary salutes the Barbarians' spirit following their victory over New Zealand in The Daily Telegraph.

“It was, Barbarians centre Jamie Roberts said, one of the best weeks of his life. And the reason? A couple of training sessions, a few beers, a lot of banter, some fun and games topped off with a high-quality match at the week's end. Cue more beers. Even Eskimo Nell might have been carded for an appearance.

"Sound familiar? Yes, it's how rugby used to be, a throwback to another time. A couple of midweek sessions, (work permitting), often conducted under carbon-conscious, low-energy, barely-worthwhile floodlights, with plenty of player input prior to the Saturday kick-off to cover all the things not dealt with during the week. After that, you made it up as you went along, reacting and responding as instinct dictated. No wonder it was more enjoyable.

"It was revealing last week to hear Dylan Hartley, the Northampton hooker, speak of the "fear of failure" he felt when in England camp during the autumn. That comment ought to be music to the ears of Martin Johnson. There's something here he needs to get his teeth into. And that doesn't mean Hartley. There has been an overriding sense this autumn that England players appear stifled, crippled by worry, fretful and fearful of making a mistake."

John Westerby catches up with former Wales prop Chris Horsman as he begins his career as a referee in The Times.

"I’m absolutely loving it as a referee. It can get a bit lonely at half-time when you’re standing by yourself and you see the players getting together in a group. But it’s a very rewarding experience.”

"With that description of his new life officiating in the lower levels of club rugby, where he does not even have touch judges for company, perhaps Chris Horsman has summed up why so few professional players in team sports go on to become referees.

"The 32-year-old former Worcester Warriors and Wales prop, who was forced to retire in the summer because of injury, has chosen to follow a path that is seldom travelled in rugby, and indeed in any sport. Last Saturday afternoon, while his former Worcester team-mates were holding London Irish to a draw at the Madejski Stadium, Horsman was refereeing the game in Bristol between Gordano and Nailsea & Backwell in Somerset League One, level nine in the national pyramid.

“I really don’t understand why more players don’t take it up,” he said. “You hear of players going off the rails when they finish playing professionally and this is a great way to keep in touch with the game. Maybe there’s the viewpoint [among players] that refereeing is something you do if you’re not good enough to play. But I still get the buzz before a game when I’m getting changed and warming up, and there’s still the camaraderie after the game. It fills the gap.”

	All Blacks coach Graham Henry is worried about the future of the game © Getty Images

"I do worry about the future. We used to have six coaching co-ordinators in Auckland. They each had responsibility for a number of schools and clubs in their area. They were knowledgeable people and they would get the message to the coaches. We were in good shape in those days. It was an amateur game. All the money wasn't channelled into paying the players, it was channelled into development. Now it's all going on wages and there is no education. Not one of those six is left now. Not one."

For a man whose default position sits somewhere between reserved and non-committal, Henry becomes almost evangelical at this point. He feels the game is in a mess and that swift remedial action is essential.

"They have to do something to improve the spectacle. The trouble is, countries are not going to agree on changes which won't complement their style of play. I think you have to get a group of people together who are all respected in the game and ask them to come up with solutions, and we'll play that game, whatever it is. I'd like to see one point for a drop goal, one point for a penalty and the ability to make a mark in other areas of the field."

The Irish Times' John O'Sullivan talks to the Leinster and Ireland fly-half Jonathan Sexton in the aftermath of the seismic impact he made during the November Test series.

"He didn’t make the Ireland match 22 against Australia, his debut against Fiji the following week and then retain his spot for South Africa from piggybacking on others’ misfortune. He earned those opportunities by dint of form. Talent is one ingredient for a successful sportsperson but Sexton lent substance to the wish list of qualities like passion, aptitude, work ethic and attitude.

"There is a tendency to trace the genesis of his current status to the day he climbed off the bench and played such a pivotal role in Leinster’s Heineken Cup semi-final victory over Munster at Croke Park last season. He tells a different tale."

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, Richard Loe believes New Zealand deserve a 7 out of 10 score for their tour exploits.

"So the All Blacks now have to aim for consistency in achieving the sort of result they did against France. That's a bit harder - but they have taken some big strides since the beginning of the season. They have focused on the basics and problems like the lineout have been fixed - just as we all said they could be.

"That brings me to Tom Donnelly - one of the best players of the tour, I'd suggest. He showed up well for most of this tour and particularly against France. Lock is one of the few areas where the All Blacks have no worries and plenty to choose from now. Donnelly did so well that I am bound to say: Isaac who? And that's a biggie - I was one of those people who insisted that Isaac Ross should have gone on this tour."

Negative thinking is at the root of rugby’s woes but some teams are fighting back according to Stuart Barnes in the Sunday Times.

"The try-count and the quality of rugby in the Tri-Nations, that annual benchmark of international excellence, have plummeted. Coaches worldwide have suffered from a state somewhere between mass hypnosis and hysteria. Even the All Blacks, with their fearsome firepower behind the scrum, followed the trend of obsessive kicking and awaited the other side’s errors instead of utilising their lightning back line.

"But last week there was more than a chink of light. A bloody great hole was blown in the theory that the current laws alone have killed the game. New Zealand cut France to pieces with surgical precision and Matt Giteau carved holes in Wales and the reputation of their defensive guru, Shaun Edwards."

In a comparison of 1971 and 2009 Lions tours, conducted in conjunction with ESPNScrum, the Independent on Sunday reveals rugby is now a collision sport for muscular hulks.

"The extraordinary transformation from the stamina-based rugby of the game's amateur era to the physically combative version served up by today's professionals is illustrated by The Independent on Sunday today in a unique comparison between this year's Lions tour and the trip to New Zealand in 1971.

"The desperate plea for change made by Lions doctor James Robson at the end of the tour to South Africa in July, when the Scotsman warned that players were getting too big and muscular for their own good, is borne out by our exclusive statistical and subjective analysis. By comparing key indicators between the Second Test of the 1971 tour in Christchurch and the Second Test in Pretoria in 2009, the anecdotal theory that rugby has become a collision sport for muscular hulks is revealed as hard fact."

Last season's semi-final exit was a bitter blow, but Cardiff Blues flanker Martyn Williams is determined to put it behind him. Read his thoughs in The Observer.

"The Heineken Cup is the best club tournament in the world and it has long been an ambition of mine to win it. To come so close to making the final last season, becoming the first team to lose out in a kicking contest, was hard to take, but you have to move on.

"At least the rules have changed and shoot-outs will not have forwards like me taking aim. Even though I had hardly ever done any kicking, I did not feel any nerves and was confident of putting it over. I had reckoned without a tee: on the occasions I had a go in training, I had used a cone.

"As I saw a tee being hurled in my direction, my heart dropped. I was not sure how to place the ball and the result was a shocking kick. I felt terrible, and still do, and my mood did not improve in the following week when I attempted 10 kicks after a training session and landed the lot."

Writing in The Scotsman, Allan Massey says Rob Andrew should look closer to home when criticising today's rugby standards.

"I always liked Rob Andrew as a player, despite that infamous moment in the 1994 Calcutta Cup match when his errant hand secured England a match-winning penalty. He was a very good fly-half playing to England's strength , which was ten-man rugby, not hugely exciting but mighty effective.

"He was usually preferred to his then rival, the free-running, adventurous Stuart Barnes. If the England sides he played for sometimes deserved the moan "boring England", they were successful in his best years and the Twickenham crowd certainly didn't seem to mind that matches were as often won by Rob's boot as by scintillating tries from Rory Underwood or Jerry Guscott.

"But now he seems to have lost his touch. Here he is, England's director of rugby or whatever, telling us that the game has become boring, and that the IRB must amend the laws in favour of the side in possession or the crowds will drift away. This is his Gerald Ratner moment: our product is "crap" – so don't buy it."

Writing in The Independent, Brian Ashton says the world of rugby could do with more Matt Giteaus and Austin Healys.

"After weeks of incessant clamour from coaches and administrators about the difficulty of scoring tries under the rules currently being applied in the tackle area, what happened in the last round of international and Premiership matches? A scoring frenzy.

"Tries came along like Blackpool trams, one after another: 25 of them in five games alone, with well over half being credited to the away teams. For those of us who enjoy seeing lazy theories being disproved, it was good fun.

"The teams responsible for most of this scoreboard activity – New Zealand and Australia; Northampton, Leicester and Harlequins – had something in common. All fielded a genuinely gifted footballer at outside-half. Dan Carter and Matt Giteau; Shane Geraghty, Toby Flood and Nick Evans ... these are players handsomely equipped to make things happen under any set of laws.

Robert Kitson speaks to Will Genia and wonders whether the prodigous Australian would be playing for the Barbarians today had he been born in England, in The Guardian.

"It is a fair question. Where would Will Genia be this weekend if he were English? On the bench for a Premiership club, if he were fit, waiting for a hard-bitten coach to treat him like a responsible adult. He would definitely not be on the Barbarians' bus, cruising towards Twickenham to face New Zealand alongside household names such as Victor Matfield and Joe Rokocoko. Nor would he have 11 Test caps and the admiration of both hemispheres. In Australia they do not believe in letting uncut diamonds gather dust.

"At the start of the year he was a frustrated reserve for the Queensland Reds, not long back from the World Under-20 Championship in Wales. The Australians came fifth, having lost to an England side containing several stellar talents. And now? Genia will have started a second season as a Test regular before two highly rated English counterparts, Joe Simpson and Ben Youngs, have had a sniff of Test rugby. Another triumph for English conservatism? Answers on a postcard to the usual TW1 postcode."

Jonny Sexton, Ireland's newest star, talks John O'Sullivan through his autumn series and that performance against South Africa in The Irish Times.

"He learned of his inclusion for the Springbok game from Ronan O’Gara who generously came to his erstwhile rival to give him a “heads up” prior to the team announcement. “Ronan told me, explained that Deccie had told him (O’Gara) that he would not be starting. He told me there was no point in keeping it secret. He was really professional and helpful in the build-up to the game and if and when the circumstances change I would hope to be the same. When playing for Ireland it’s important to put your rivalries aside. I think Paulie (O’Connell) summed it up best when saying that when the provinces play it’s like competing with your brother. The last person in the world you’d want to lose to is your brother.

“That rivalry is put aside when come together for Ireland. There is a tremendous spirit and camaraderie. I rang my dad (Gerry) and his reaction was ‘oh, Jesus Christ, you’re not starting, are you?’ He gets more nervous than me. I certainly didn’t expect it, especially when you consider all that Rog has done for Ireland in the big matches. Declan had faith in me and I had to repay that.”

"Sexton got a text from Felipe Contepomi on the eve of the game. His one-time mentor at Leinster reminded him that the most important thing was to trust his instincts and to do the right thing for the team. The team was everything and that individual aspirations take second place.

In his weekly column in The Guardian, Shaun Edwards assesses the fallout from the November Tests.

"All is not doom and gloom. OK, the final twist in the autumn internationals shifted the honours pretty firmly back towards the southern hemisphere, but there is a silver lining to what many see as a black cloud.

"If November proved one thing, it's that the form book – in this case the international board's ranking list – doesn't lie. Of the northern hemisphere nations, Ireland, the winners of the grand slam in the last Six Nations, stand proudest after beating the Springboks and drawing with the Wallabies.

"Marc Lievremont's France flattered only to deceive, beating the world champions in Toulouse but then conceding five tries to the All Blacks in Marseille. Lievremont has done many things to improve the side but adding consistency does not yet seem to be one of them.

"Ditto Wales, and we know there may be more pain before we gain with New Zealand ahead (twice) in the summer. Ditto England, who like Wales and France would claim to have been without some key personalities. And ditto Scotland, Andy Robinson's side, like many others before them, finding out Argentina aren't easy to put away just because you dominate possession.”

Writing for the Times Online, Stuart Barnes highlights the importance of the return of Toby Flood to Leicester ahead of this weekend's clash with London Wasps.

"The two giants of English club rugby have been lurking menacingly around the borderline of the play-offs most of the season.

"Wasps made the better start, which was all the more noticeable for their woes of the previous season. As for the Tigers, they have been ravaged by injury on an industrial scale but have managed to scrap and scramble their way to a position from which push for the play-offs and the defence of their title looks eminently doable.

"Sheer cussedness, pride and a pack of Tigers has been the strength of Leicester’s weakened team – until last week against Leeds when a different breed entirely took the field against their old hero Neil Back’s side.

"What a difference alignment makes. Jeremy Staunton is a deep lying fly-half from the school of rugby boredom, He is rarely touched by opposing flankers, so far does he position himself from the forwards, nor does he ever (well, hardly ever) unleash his midfield across the gain line and his forwards charging on the front foot.

"The net result has been the rule of the boot. Leicester has been reliant upon penalties as it abstained from the more tricky matter of try scoring. In their first eight matches of the season Leicester scored just five tries. Against Leeds they scored as many in forty minutes.

"Toby Flood made his belated Premiership start and the Tigers found their cutting edge.”

In his latest column in the Irish Times, Liam Toland reviews the autumn internationals, with a particular emphasis on Ireland's development.

"A week on and we’ve all had time to review the Kicking Series. The odds being stacked in the defences favour is the well-touted excuse. This, however, is too simplistic an explanation of the evolvement of rugby union.

"Our cousins in league have always valued the importance of defence, hence their involvement in our game. Add in the role of both the defending team at the breakdown, and then the referee and you can understand why coaches are forced into a kicking game.

"Try counts are down in all competitions. But again this should not be the barometer to our game. Five-pointers should not be allowed to dictate the rule book. TV executives will no doubt sweat the IRB into a more free-flowing game that will enhance ratings. Again this would be an error. The new breakdown rules can’t be blamed for the kicking game as way back in 2007 South Africa won the World Cup based on little else.

"Likewise, defence is not the problem. Leinster beat Harlequins back in April by one point. Leinster failed to score a try but held Harlequins out when it mattered. All the same they went on to beat Munster in the semi-final by three tries to none. Finally, they shared tries against Leicester in the final and won by kicking points. My point: Leinster were able to adapt to the opposition on three given days. Last weekend South Africa were not."

Writing in the Irish Independent, David Kelly attacks South Africa’s Schalk Burger over his try celebration during last weekend’s Test defeat by Ireland.

"CLASS has been defined as the "self-knowledge, self-discipline and surefootedness that comes from having proved you can meet life".

"Lack of class seems far easier to nail down and has nothing to so with social standing or monetary worth, but plenty to do with basic human interaction.

"Lack of class is a woman failing to acknowledge that you've held a door open for her; someone masticating (the posh description for chewing loudly) next to you in the cinema; sneezing without attempting to stem the spray or -- most irritatingly -- saying "hang on, I've got another call" (I'll just wait here until you're ready then, even though you rang me).

"Of course, lack of class is hard to detect by those who are already afflicted with it.”

Wynne Gray reviews the All Blacks tour as the saviour of their season in The New Zealand Herald.

"This was a strange old All Black season, not least for the fact that they lost more tests than they have in any other year under Graham Henry's command.

"In keeping with the theme which dominated the 2007 World Cup campaign and its aftermath, there was a bit of rotation. This time the coaches rotated themselves, with Henry, Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen swapping duties before charging through another end-of-year tour of Europe.

"A dozen players who made the first squad in June were missing from that voyage with injuries, form and gameplan changes as the side slogged through their itinerary before destroying France in Marseille."

Stephen Jones bleieves that the All Blacks are "individually weak but collectively outstanding", in The Times.

"The enormous victory by New Zealand over France in Marseille last weekend was interesting from many angles. I have always considered Marc Lievremont, the French coach, as a bungler rather than true international class and France's capitulation suggests strongly that some of his own players are undecided about him as well.

"But this win, for me, summed up the essential excellence of New Zealand rugby. Heaven knows, while they may be ranked the top team in the world they have been bested by South Africa all season and even the most fervent supporters know that the Springboks are out in front at present.

"Yet considering their exhaustion at the end of a long season, New Zealand can be justly proud of their results on this tour. It was they who upheld the superiority of the Southern Hemisphere sides."

Eddie Butler, writing in The Guardian, reviews a poor end to November for England and Scotland, but a thrilling one for New Zealand, Australia and Ireland.

"At the end of a desultory month, suddenly we had three cracking Tests between Wales and Australia, France and New Zealand and Ireland and South Africa. Just when it seemed that emergency legislation would have to bring the moratorium on law change to an end, six countries showed that anything was still possible.

"I think that's the point: that the outcrop of entertainment involved six countries. France and Wales may have been soundly put in their place by the All Blacks and the Wallabies, but at least they showed every intention of being positive.

"South Africa lost, but their assault on the Irish line at the end was the essence of the Croke Park drama. The game had come steeped in acid, as niggle between the two camps dominated the build-up, but in the end it stayed well within the bounds of acceptable, with Brian O'Driscoll's last-ditch tackle on Zane Kirchner the final stamp of approval."

Paul Rees speculates as to what the IRB can do with the repeated calls for changes to the laws of the game in The Guardian.

"Another year, another review panel to recommend law changes. The nervous breakdown strategy adopted by sides in response to a directive to referees to give more latitude to defenders after a tackle has prompted the International Rugby Board to look at ways of encouraging teams to attack, although any changes will not be implemented until after the 2011 World Cup unless there are medical grounds for quicker reform.

"The IRB will set up a panel early next year to review the state of the game, conscious that a problem with the experimental law variation process was that it was largely southern-hemisphere inspired and gained only the support of Scotland in Europe. This time the IRB wants a consensual approach, even if that increases the danger of nothing happening.

"Australia and New Zealand on the weekend showed that the try is not yet an endangered species in international rugby, but the four the Wallabies scored in Cardiff all started when Wales had the ball. The All Blacks under Graham Henry, until this year, had been the masters at exploiting turnover possession but they became more conservative after running at South Africa turned them into roadkill."

Peter Bills is thankful that his long wait for a side to show some attacking flair ended at the weekend, in The Independent.

"World rugby has waited all year - no, make that two years - for a blinding light of inspiration, a clarion call if you like from someone on how to play this game properly.

"The world champion South Africans have been a disappointment, scared of their own mighty shadow when it has come to embracing a proper running game with attacking intent. They have the players but their coaches have been too frightened to use them properly. Likewise the French who have forgotten how to utilise such talents.

"No-one else has seriously put their hands up to make the point as the game has plunged into an abyss of mess, muddle and mediocrity.

"Give thanks, therefore, for what New Zealand did in Marseille on Saturday night. Winning a game of rugby, just another Test match, was the least of their achievements when judged on a worldwide canvas. No, what the All Blacks did was re-affirm our faith in the game as something a whole lot more than just a series of bludgeoning forward charges, a contest about as subtle as the collision between two raging bulls."

Marc Hinton is thankful that the All Blacks cut loose in Marseille in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Test rugby has the smile back on its face, and it has the All Blacks to thank for that.

"As Graham Henry's New Zealand side ran in five tries to finally unleash its attacking arsenal at the Stade Velodrome yesterday, the stunning 39-12 victory over France not only rounded off the autumn test programme in style, but made an emphatic statement about the quality of the fare being served up in the international arena.

"Yes, the laws of the game may be deeply flawed, and the match officials given way too much leeway to stamp their mark on proceedings. And, yes, it's deeply ironic that northern hemisphere unions now appear to be backtracking on the much-maligned ELVs, many of which they gave short shift to without even bothering to trial them."

Wynne Gray, writing in The New Zealand Herald, believes that the All Blacks coaches' job swap might still have some mileage.

"Done and dusted for another season. The All Blacks turned over all five of their foes in the last sector of their test programme while also attempting to reinvent themselves.

"After 5 years in the same portfolios, the coaches rolled the dice and altered their duties. Graham Henry moved from defence into sorting out the forwards, Wayne Smith went from the backline to defensive boss and Steve Hansen shuffled from the forwards to the backs.

"Having completed the successful end-of-year-stint, Hansen is making noises about returning to deal with the pack again. This trip though might prompt other ideas.

"If the job swap has been beneficial for the coaches and the players, if it has sparked new thoughts, ideas and enthusiasm and added extra dimensions to their calibre, then let's persevere or add to it."

	Brian O'Driscoll was passed over for the IRB's top gong © Getty Images

"In amateur times, rugby union was always promoted as the ultimate team game. Certainly, given its nature, it had the facility to cater for all body types. A place could always be found for little Jimmy Blobby alongside long Johnny Beanpole in the same starting XV. Few competing codes could offer the same equality of opportunity.

"The team ethic was the core principle, guarded almost jealously by the game's administrators. Then, in 1979, the first Man of the Match awards came into being for the Five Nations, as it was then known.

"Following the opening Ireland game of that season (against the French in Dublin), I was named the recipient of the inaugural award. At training at Lansdowne Road the following weekend I was presented with a carriage clock by Paul McWeeney on behalf of the rugby writers. It was engraved with the sponsors' name, Thwaites and Matthews (to this day I couldn't tell you what they sold), and on the following Monday morning the picture of Paul (sadly long since passed away) presenting me with the award appeared in all the different papers.

"No big deal and all with the approval of the IRFU -- or so I thought! To cut a long story short, within 48 hours I had received a typically frosty and impersonal letter signed by Bob Fitzgerald on behalf of the IRFU."