Highlanders scrum-half Jimmy Cowan reflects on defeat against the Hurricanes © Getty Images

Inga Tuigamala believes that we have reached a point where New Zealand doesn't actually have sufficient talent to warrant five truly competitive Super 14 teams. Read his thoughts in the New Zealand Herald.

"Just as the Super competition is supposed to be on the rise with a new team in Australia, New Zealand's form has plummeted in the other direction.

"In other words, do we still need the Highlanders? I doubt that the New Zealand Rugby Union would ever contemplate reducing the number of our Super teams - it's just not the done thing of course.

"And we will all hope that a brilliant turnaround can be engineered, and quickly. But I make this point to illustrate how bad things have got.

"There is a very real chance that the semfinals will not include any New Zealand teams this season, and not one of our teams is playing close to the standards we expect. I'm actually shocked at how bad the situation is."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Vincent Hogan previews Connacht's European Challenge Cup showdown with big-spending Toulon.

"The flags adorn Salthill promenade; Quincentennial Bridge is a glorious blaze of green, yet Heaven alone knows if this is the sort of carnival soon destined to turn into an empty field.

"Connacht welcome Toulon to the Sportsground tonight and, with the promise of bad weather rolling in off the Atlantic, there is a soft murmur of uprising in the Galway air. The French, logically, should win this Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final rather easily, of course.

"They are bank-rolled by a comic book publisher to the annual tune of €16.5m, boast a galaxy of global superstars (some of whom have been blithely left at home) and currently top the French Championship. Connacht, meanwhile, survive on a €2.5m IRFU stipend and sit rock bottom of the Magners League. Yet, there is a peculiar chemistry to this fixture, a sense that something implausible might just happen if Toulon find tonight's surrounds a little too primitive and drafty."

Leinster captain Leo Cullen has been involved in no less than three Heineken Cup semi-finals and he tells the Irish Times' Johnny Watterson how each one had its own character.

"This week Cullen watched a piece of video of Leinster’s early season Heineken Cup match against London Irish at the RDS. His reasoning was as much to do with extracting what Leinster did so badly in that wobbling start to their campaign as much as it was to take some of the encouraging tracts to France. From the match he concluded that you rarely get what you expect to get.

"Back then Leinster were in no position to claim they could successfully defend their trophy. But Cullen is not squeamish about watching some car crash moments. He is the Leinster captain for a reason and one of them is his ability to use experience wisely. From the muck you can sometimes dig out a diamond."

Writing in The Independent, Chris Hewett believes it was no surprise to see the Rugby Football Union demolish the Premiership fraternity's tentative moves towards an expansion of the top league.

"This joint assault on the expansion idea may heighten the tensions between the union and its elite clubs, which, despite [RFU chief executive Francis] Baron's insistence that relations had "never been better", are rarely anything other than strained.

Although the Premiership teams deny that an end to relegation has reappeared on their agenda, the truth of the matter is that it never went away. Some club chairmen and chief executives identified relegation as a serious barrier to business development more than a decade ago and have not changed their minds. Now, with Worcester contemplating a costly descent into the second-tier Championship, the issue is live once again."

The buzz and crackle about the Heineken Cup's little brother marks its coming of age, according to Wasps coach Shaun Edwards in The Guardian.

"I'm not pretending I wouldn't rather be elsewhere this weekend – say Toulouse or San Sebastián – but in its 14th season the Challenge Cup seems to have acquired the buzz and crackle that worthwhile competitions need.

"Now I can hear the voices out there saying: "He would say that, wouldn't he? He's got seats to sell", but Wasps have been here before and I can tell you the level of interest is up more than a notch or two. Perhaps it's the semi-final fixtures, but I suspect the Challenge Cup, now the Amlin, was growing last season when the French started to take a real interest and then got a huge lift when Toulon beat the then English league leaders, Saracens, at Stade Mayol in October. With Toulon marching towards the top of the French league, it gave the competition street cred."

Scotland wing Thom Evans is on the road to recovery © Getty Images

David Ferguson looks at the pitfalls of returning from a serious injury in the wake of Thom Evans' recovery in The Scotsman.

"His injury and that suffered by Barry Stewart, the former Scotland prop, were quite different. That has to be made clear and Stewart is not of a mind to offer advice to a fellow injured pro, but Stewart's story provides an illustration of the difficulties in coming back and also a sense of hope for players who do suffer serious injury and face the reality of a life without the sport they crave.

"Stewart is now 34 and works in his native Edinburgh as a trainee investment manager with Brewin Dolphin, the company that sponsors the Scottish Schools Cup competitions and the capital's touch rugby leagues. Nearly a decade ago, just four caps and four years into life as a professional he suffered a spinal injury that forced the SRU to call time on his career.

"But the words of a neurosurgeon at the time, who insisted the injury did not make Stewart any more or less likely to suffer a serious accident on the field of play than any team-mate, persuaded him that the union was wrong; that he could play on. He left Scotland, paid for his own insurance initially, and enjoyed a further seven years as a professional prop in the Guinness Premiership and Europe with Sale Sharks and Northampton."

Ever wanted to read a rugby player's views on the British General Election? Well, thanks to former England hooker Brian Moore in The Daily Telegraph, you can.

"Add to this the position sport plays in the voters’ psyche and the vicarious popularity a sporting success brings a government and you would expect politicians to recognise the unique position of sport; but no, it remains lumped with the others in Whitehall, fighting for every inch of territory.

"A look at the party election manifestos shows how much regard the politicians really have for sport.

"The Labour manifesto is 78 pages long and out of 30,755 words there were 550 dealing with sport; 1.8 per cent. The Conservative Party equivalent is 131 pages in total, containing 28,850 words of which are 123 words on sport; 0.43 per cent. The Liberal Democrats manifesto has 21,600 words, with 96 words on sport; 0.44 per cent."

Ronan O'Gara will be looking to John Hayes for advice this weekend as Munster take on Biarritz. Read Hugh Farrelly's take on their leadership conundrum in The Irish Independent.

"Leadership is not about making speeches; leadership is defined by results."

"The words of the late Peter Drucker were destined for business ears, but could be accurately applied to Munster and their captain Ronan O'Gara ahead of Sunday's Heineken Cup semi-final assignment in San Sebastian.

"Biarritz will be boosted by the confirmation they will not be required to deal with the totemic presence of Paul O'Connell, who, as expected, was ruled out with a groin injury yesterday. However, in O'Gara, Munster have a leader who goes into Sunday's showdown with a clarity of thought and focus, augmenting a pragmatic grasp of the task-in-hand."

Greg Growden can't get his head around the decision to fine Matt Giteau for his comments about referee Steve Walsh in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"SANZAR got it right in deciding that Steve Walsh shouldn't referee Saturday night's Brumbies-Reds match but were wrong in forcing Matt Giteau to front its judiciary committee last night on a code of conduct charge.

"Giteau was fined $5000 for making comments to a journalist about Walsh's dreadful refereeing last weekend - comments many thought were perfectly justified, considering the despair the Brumbies felt after several of his decisions spoiled their chances of winning in Sydney.

"Giteau was asked legitimate questions by a reporter on Monday, and he gave honest answers."

Stephen Jones takes a look at Wasps' need for a new stadium in the wake of their successful Twickenham experiment in The Times.

"Wasps are really under pressure now. Not because of their defeat to Bath in an outstanding match at Twickenham last weekend (although they will be bitterly upset at the manner of it) but the size of the attendance that day.

"More than 60,000 went to Twickenham to take part in an outstanding occasion that even some diehard Wasps fans of my acquaintance admitted they thoroughly enjoyed. The feasting in the car park and the high quality of entertainment before and after the game must have compensated in some way for the bitter feeling of defeat.

"The match proved that there are a huge number of potential Wasps supporters out there. The number of those dressed in Wasps garb at Twickenham was around two or three times the amount they could cram in to their own stadium in High Wycombe."

The Reds - Australia's darlings © Getty Images

Spiro Zavos finds it hard to love the Waratahs as the rest of Australia gets behind the Reds in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Lovemarks is a marketing idea developed by Kevin Roberts, chief executive worldwide of Saatchi and Saatchi, and also the president of Rugby America, the USA rugby union, to turn brands into commercial powerhouses. The essence of a Lovemarks brand is that it commands respect and love. A passionate loyalty is created from this combination of results and a high emotional identification that goes beyond reason. This loyalty, in turn, provides the driving force for the brand's success.

"Australia had a provincial Lovemarks side, the Brumbies, in the heady days of their two Super tournament wins. The passion of Brumbies fans for their team and the team's response to that love made them all but unbeatable in Canberra. Any journalist knew, too, that criticising the team's iconic players, especially George Gregan, or the team itself, was a dangerous occupation. This slightly manic aspect of the loyalty was off-putting. But while it lasted it gave a sort of in-your-face energy to the Brumbies that made them Australia's most successful Super rugby side."

Hugh Farrelly talks to Connacht's Niva Ta'auso prior to their European Challenge Cup showdown with Toulon at the Sportsground in The Irish Independent.

"The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain but in Galway it tends to drop on the Sportsground. There's a different quality to the rain over there, it's the "wet rain" comedian Peter Kay talks about, the sort that seeps into your soul. It certainly takes some adjusting to.

"Oh ... the first two months after I arrived, it was just raining, raining, I couldn't believe it," Niva Ta'auso recalls with a chuckle."I'm a sun boy big time and I remember saying: 'Oh my gosh, what am I doing here?'. But you get used to it; well, you have to."

"The burly midfielder from Samoa via New Zealand was happy with the weather on Monday when he sat down for a chat. The sun was out in earnest and the Sportsground a hive of activity as preparations continue for Friday night's Challenge Cup semi-final showdown with Top 14 pace-setters Toulon."

Tony Roche builds up Wasps' meeting with Cardiff Blues as a clash between England and Wales in The Independent.

"When it comes to flying the flag, no club does it better than Wasps.

"A 60,000 Twickenham crowd created a fabulous atmosphere at the club's superbly organised St George's Day game last weekend during which the England banner was everywhere to be seen – unlike English clubs in Europe this weekend.

"The Heineken Cup, which Wasps have won twice, contains no English representatives in the semi-finals this weekend for the first time since 2003. Wasps are the nation's sole remaining European competitor and they face Cardiff Blues on Saturday in the Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final at Adams Park."

Robert Kitson talks salaray caps with Wasps owner Steve Hayes in The Guardian.

"English rugby union is facing a crackdown on breaches of the salary cap, with administrators considering sanctions to match those which have seen an Australian rugby league club stripped of two championship titles. It is believed that one high-profile Guinness Premiership club could be charged next month amid concerns of widespread abuses.

"The London Wasps owner, Steve Hayes, is among those who allege the salary cap rules are being cynically exploited by certain individuals, whom Hayes accuses of defrauding the rest of the league and jeopardising the health of the professional game. Hayes says it would not surprise him if a well-known Premiership team were to be investigated.

"I've no hard evidence, just common sense," he told the Guardian. "You look at what's happening and what one club have been doing. I think they're going to have a challenge."

Worcester ponder their relegation © Getty Images

Worcester have slipped out of the Guinness Premiership, not that Peter Bills cares too much. Read his latest for the The Independent.

"Worcester's catastrophic relegation from the Guinness Premiership proves two points.

"Men who invent heating boilers are not necessarily the best qualified to run rugby clubs and you cannot ignore warning signals before your eyes. Worcester have been guilty on both counts and pay the price. Frankly, they're no great loss to the Premiership.

"Worcester have been in the top flight of English rugby for the past six years and for most of that time they've done little except scuff along in a perennial relegation battle. The last three seasons, out of 12 teams in the league, they've finished 11th, 10th and 11th. And even the season before that, 2005/6, although they finished 8th in the table, they were only one win better off than Bristol, who ended up 11th of 12."

Will Robbie Deans pick his first Wallabies team of the season on form or reputation? Greg Growden takes a look at his options in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"For Wallabies coach Robbie Deans a huge question is looming. Does he pick his first Test team in June on form or reputation?

"If form is the prime guide, then Deans will find himself in the difficult position of deciding whether his captain Rocky Elsom, chief playmaker Matt Giteau and his other key go-to man Berrick Barnes are worthy of holding their Test spots. He would also have to ignore his fervent youth policy by selecting the Wallabies' oldest second-rower Nathan Sharpe, who has been easily the best Australian lock this season.

"Luckily for Deans there is still a month to go for several players to lift their levels of performance, but if not he will find himself in a precarious position, and will have to make some brutal decisions that will affect the balance and direction of the Australian team."

Mick Cleary moots the possibility of the RFU introducing lifetime bans for eye-gougers in The Daily Telegraph.

"An appeal hearing against a 78-week suspension handed down to Whitehaven's Callum Jennings is to be heard in Coventry, the original disciplinary panel on March 16 ruling that Jennings had been guilty of ''reckless'' play when handing-off Aspatria's Alan Hedworth, who subsequently lost the sight in his eye and will never play rugby again.

"There is also concern about the number of incidents of foul play that have led to police inquiries and possible criminal investigation. There are 14 such cases outstanding at the moment. The RFU believes that there may be more such cases that are as yet unknown to them.

"One of those investigations involves a cup tie between Kent rivals Gravesend and Maidstone in January, which resulted in Gravesend No 8 Clarence Harding, 26, losing the sight in his right eye after going to ground to present the ball to his team-mates."

David Hands assesses the pros and cons of England taking Steve Bortwick to Australia this summer in The Times.

"Saracens, by their sustained success in the Guinness Premiership, have made certain that they will see their captain again before the season is over.

"Then it is up to England to decide whether Steve Borthwick, whose run of 20 successive games as England captain ended last month because of injury, should take up the leader’s baton again in Australia in June.

"Borthwick withdrew from the final game of the RBS Six Nations Championship, on March 20 against France, with a form of tendinitis in his left knee and has not played since. He has not required surgery but has undergone a demanding period of rehabilitation in an attempt to cure the problem that has affected him, off and on, over the past year."

Could the Waratahs spring a late surprise? © Getty Images

Gavin Rich takes a look at the Waratahs' place in the Super 14 standings heading into the final weeks on Supersport.

"While the Stormers and Crusaders tripped up this past weekend, the Waratahs came back from their bye week to see off a concerted but ultimately in vain Brumbies challenge in Sydney. They didn’t pick up a bonus point, but the win was enough to move them to within one point of the three teams jammed together in places two to four.

"The Stormers are second thanks to the lucky bonus point they picked up when the TMO in Brisbane ruled no try to what looked a perfectly legitimate score from Reds captain Will Genia.

"But they are only there thanks to a superior points differential, which means it is an insignificant advantage as the Cape team head into a tough three match sequence featuring matches against the Crusaders, Sharks and Bulls."

David Kelly charts the rise of Munster's Heineken Cup successes against the backdrop of their visits to France, in The Irish Independent.

"It started with a hiss. Since Castres punctured their European bubble in the first season of the competition to deny them a semi-final slot, Munster have won more than they have lost on French soil. Twice they have denied heavily-fancied, super-rich French aristocrats at the final hurdle of the greatest club competition in the world. And yet without the remarkably poignant journey that had hitherto brought them so far and no further, one wonders if the joy upon reaching the final destination would ever have tasted as sweet.

"When Munster started their European adventure in 1995, in the frantic aftermath of post-amateurism -- where else but in Thomond Park with a win -- they were paid just 600 'punts' for each of their fledgling adventures in Europe. In the dreary Stade Antoine Beguere, Mazamet, one November afternoon, Munster kick-started their foreign odyssey amidst a sound and fury not even the most caustic of Munster Senior Cup rivalries could have prepared them for."

In a week where rugby league's reputation took a hit, Rugby Heaven's Greg Growden believes the Waratahs missed a chance to boost union's image in their match against the Brumbies.

"All it needed was for the Waratahs and Brumbies to confirm that the code had revitalised itself and it would have been the perfect rah-rah weekend. Instead rugby's night of nights became a nightmare. After enduring that drivel, you must wonder what the broadcasters now think of local derbies. They may even ask SANZAR for a refund.

"It was a dreadful affair made more infuriating by endless scrum resets, and not helped by being played at an oversized stadium with zilch atmosphere and plenty of open spaces. The Waratahs, oblivious to the fact that playing in front of their biggest crowd of the season meant they should at least attempt to be interesting to watch, went through their usual ''bore everyone to death'' routine by kicking virtually everything to oblivion. The Brumbies, as expected of a team suffering from internal dramas, were a rabble. Many of the 40,000 present must have wondered why they'd bothered."

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, former England international Brian Moore doesn't believe expanding the Premiership is in the best interests of the national team.

"Although the business aspects of the plan can be rationalised, the one thing that this proposal cannot claim is that it is in the wider interests of the English national team. The best way of preparing players to compete at international level is for them to play an agreed number of games in the most competitive environment possible, thereby reducing the gap in standards between club and international rugby. Additionally, the most effective way of developing nascent talent is by distilling it into a limited number of teams.

"If you had a blank sheet of paper and could draw up the best possible structure for non-international rugby it would never include the present arrangement. It is clear from the present Guinness Premiership that there is simply not enough talent in England to fill 12 squads, never mind 14."

Are Munster on course for a third Heineken Cup title? © Getty Images

Paul Rees foresees and Munster-Toulouse Heineken Cup final, a fitting mark for the 15-year celebrations, in The Observer.

"Leicester may disagree, but Toulouse and Munster have been the dominant teams in the 15 years of the Heineken Cup and they are on course to meet in next month's final at the Stade de France.

"The sides will both play their 109th matches in the tournament next weekend – more than anyone else. Toulouse host Leinster at Le Stadium in the first of the semi-finals and Munster face Biarritz at Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastián the following afternoon.

"Between them they have taken part in nine of the 14 finals and seven of the last eight, Munster beating Toulouse 16-13 in the 2008 final in Cardiff. If Munster are a model of functionality, adept at attrition and prospering from the controlling influence of Ronan O'Gara at fly-half, Toulouse have been the tournament's aristocrats, overdosing on excess and taking self-indulgence to extremes."

Gregor Paul is worried that New Zealand's cupboard may be bare post Rugby World Cup in The New Zealand Herald.

"In a perverse way, it was fortunate for New Zealand rugby that the 2007 World Cup campaign was such a major disaster.Crashing out in the quarterfinal left the senior All Blacks angry and determined to make amends.

"Had the All Blacks made the final, given it everything and come up short, it's unlikely so many key players would have signed on for another crack in 2011. But the horror of Cardiff was too strong to ignore. Those involved couldn't walk away from New Zealand like that.

"The New Zealand Rugby Union had an inkling those demons could be exploited. Having seen seven of the 2007 World Cup squad head offshore after the tournament, the national body had to move fast in 2008 to stop others from disappearing."

Brendan Fanning salutes the difficult birth of the Heineken Cup final as a stand-alone event in The Sunday Independent.

"It was 2003 and still the early days of the Heineken Cup as a stand-alone affair, where its organisers had taken a leap of faith and nailed down where the final would be played before they had nailed down who would actually play in it. And they needed some local involvement to give the thing a kick-start. Some reassurance if you like.

"With the way the draw had panned out, giving Leinster a home run from the quarters to the final, that reassurance was at hand. Then they went and lost to Perpignan in the semi-final. Oh dear.

"Everyone was shell-shocked afterwards. Not so distraught however that we couldn't mine some black humour from the situation. On the basis that one man's catastrophe is another man's opportunity -- and how we have seen that reinforced over the last eight days -- the prospect of a junket to the South of France presented itself. Perpignan versus Toulouse in a Lansdowne Road final? Now there was a gig that needed selling."

Worcester are on the brink of Premiership relegation, but Chris Latham fights on. Paul Ackford talks to the former Wallaby in The Sunday Telegraph.

"It's an image that resonates strongly, underlining the grounding sanity of club rugby that Latham, Worcester's full-back for two years following a glittering nine-year spell with the Wallabies, and Phil Vickery, returning from another horrendous injury, can share a moment of reflection and mirth in the closing stages of a match where Worcester's continued existence in the Premiership was at issue. Yet there is also a poignancy, an acknowledgement that distinguished careers are coming to an end, and that the brief encounter had more to do with past exploits than future prospects.

"Is there an element of raging against the dying of the light for Latham? I watched him in training this week and there is still that sense of urgency and control from him as he bellows instructions to colleagues less gifted in the reading of situations. But there is also no doubt that, at 34, in the hurly-burly of a young man's game, his mind is issuing orders his body can't quite follow."

Stephen Jones salutes rugby's flyers, and in particular Biarritz's Takudzwa Ngwenya, in The Sunday Times.

"You can measure raw pace with a stopwatch or an electronic timer. Without such accuracy, your personal impression and even your sense of joy will do. When Jeremy Guscott took a pass from Stuart Barnes in the 1993 England v Scotland match at Twickenham and devastated the visitors’ defence with a diagonal run before putting in Rory Underwood at the corner, I swear it was the fastest I had seen a rugby player move.

"Had Guscott decided to dedicate himself to athletics, he could have been a contender. “I only did the sprint training so that the big forwards wouldn’t catch me,” he says.

"Who were the fastest men he knew? He chooses David Trick, a Bath and England colleague who ran a searing 10.4sec for the 100m when still a schoolboy, and Martin Offiah, the dual-code wing. “Offiah was seriously quick. Seriously. It was like trying to tackle a ghost.”

Saracens have turned their season around © Getty Images

Former England coach Brian Ashton salutes the second coming of Brendan Venter's Saracens in The Independent

"A lot of things were said about Saracens during their long unbeaten run in the Premiership before Christmas, few of them positive or polite.

"Brendan Venter's team may have picked up results – always important in a results-driven business – but they were roundly criticised for playing a conservative, kick-based game described by some as "anti-rugby". If I was less than thrilled by some of the things I saw from them then, I'm happy to report that I've found their recent change of approach inspiring.

"It is no easy thing to stage a successful relaunch two-thirds of the way through a season, especially one as fundamental as this. I can do nothing but applaud Brendan in developing a fresh style that is confrontational in many different ways, rather than simply the most obvious way, and I cannot help but wonder how influential Andy Farrell is being behind the scenes."

Tony Ward is looking forward to a thrilling end to the Magners League season at the top and bottom of the table in The Irish Independent.

"The Magners League is set for a fascinating finale. Ahead of last night's matches, all but three teams -- Ulster, Connacht and Llanelli Scarlets -- were still in with a chance of making the inaugural play-offs, with two rounds of the regular season remaining.

"Not for the first time, Leinster and Munster are strong title contenders, yet it is the battle at the basement, specifically between Connacht and Ulster, that is capturing the imagination. The sub-plot is the possibility of a maiden place at the top table of European rugby for the men from the west.

"For the competition's organisers, Celtic Rugby, the Ulster-Connacht tussle has provided an unexpected bonus on top of the excitement generated by the race for the play-offs -- a format which brings the Magners League in line with most other professional rugby tournaments around the world."

Will Greenwood takes a look at Bath and Wasps as the 'annoyingly good' sides prepare to face off at Twickenham in The Daily Telegraph.

"And that is why Bath annoy me. They just have to try to be different. But, confusingly, it's also the reason why I find myself cheering them on. I can't help loving their cavalier, devil-may-care ways. When games are tight and they are under pressure, they still want to have a go. I think the irritation comes from the knowledge that I would have loved to play for them. They have talent and a head coach who has imagination, wit, nerve and verve.

"And yet their insistence on playing it one way so often finds them almost losing games they could have won twice over, which I also happen to find incredibly annoying. I told you I was confused. But this afternoon Bath are in good company because if there is one thing that their opponents Wasps do, it's get right under my skin.

"I really don't know how they do it. They have been rubbish for large chunks of this year and yet here they are going head to head with Bath for a slot in the last four and a play-off place. How do they do that? How do they always manage to time a run and get their players back ready for a final surge just as the rest of us are getting ready for British Summer Time? It winds me up."

Wynne Gray believes that territory will be king at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in The New Zealand Herald.

"Uncover the crystal ball. Remove the scarf from the gypsy's friend and let us look into the future. Give us a glimpse of next year's World Cup, not the frothy bits we will see in pool play, but the serious stuff once the quarter-finals begin.

"While we are enjoying the style differences during this season's Super 14, from the freewheeling Blues and Reds to the more controlled game-plans of the Crusaders and Stormers, we should also get a fair dose of entertainment during the Tri-Nations series.

"Changes to interpretations at the breakdowns and cleaning up several other areas have reduced the amount of kicking and created a better spectacle. Well, they have on this side of the equator; stodgy matches are still played in tougher conditions up north."

Robert Kitson evaluates the merits of relegation in the Guinness Premiership prior to Leeds' meeting with Worcester in The Guardian.

"No wonder Gary Hetherington, Leeds Carnegie's chief executive, sounds tense. Tomorrow's game against Worcester is, he says, the biggest in the club's history, with huge implications for the sport in England. Avoiding relegation from the Guinness Premiership will be worth £1m to his club, possibly more. Worcester, five points adrift at the bottom heading into the penultimate weekend, can sense their own best-laid plans going horribly pear‑shaped. "It's like the Christians and the Lions," mutters Hetherington. "There's a macabre fascination about it."

"But hang on. Not everything is quite what it seems in the Premiership's annual macho game of chicken. There are some juicy conspiracy theories floating around and the juiciest goes like this: if Worcester finish bottom and Exeter Chiefs win the inaugural Championship play-off final, it would leave two of Premier Rugby's senior shareholders (Worcester and Bristol) outside the magic circle. Some predict that would precipitate a rapid rethink and give birth to a 14-team Premiership, possibly split into two conferences. Fanciful? Not according to informed sources close to the debate.

"Whatever unfolds, the whole sacred concept of relegation has rarely looked less secure. Traditionally, we have all been reared on the integrity of the Rugby Football Union pyramid, or at least the possibility that any ordinary Joe from Rotherham to Old Reigatians can dream the dream if he unearths a kindly millionaire backer. According to Hetherington, such romantic ideals are increasingly Jurassic. "The current system is so debilitating for clubs," he argues. "With the spectre of relegation hanging over you, it becomes impossible to get ahead in terms of your support base and player retention."

Can Rocky Elsom inspire the Brumbies? © Getty Images

Former Australia fullback Matt Burke previews the weekend's massive derby between the Brumbies and Waratahs in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"You couldn't ask more from a local derby than tomorrow night's clash between the Waratahs and the Brumbies at ANZ Stadium. Fifth playing sixth, match-ups all over the park, a few injuries, some form concerns and a lead-up week in which both teams have played ducks and drakes.

"Despite all the success the Brumbies have enjoyed in Super rugby, they will still claim to be the little brother getting a raw deal and therefore proclaim underdog status. The reality is that they have been the benchmark a lot of other franchises have tried to emulate. The innovation in their plays prompted a revision of tactics and a new attacking style.

"A successful recruitment drive in the off-season and all the big-name players now on their roster have led to the Brumbies being dubbed the Real Madrid of rugby. The most interesting observation is that they have benefited not so much from the elusiveness of their backs this season but the muscle in the forwards, and keeping the play quite tight. The Reds have been the team that have thrown the ball around and the Tahs have tried to follow suit, but not so much the Brumbies."

Hugh Farrelly takes a look at the impact made by Mick O'Driscoll in place of the iconic Paul O'Connell as Munster saw off Northampton in The Irish Independent.

"How do you replace an icon? Ask Mick O'Driscoll. The build-up to the recent Heineken Cup quarter-final against Northampton was a head-wrecking exercise for the 31-year-old Munster second-row.

"Paul O'Connell had not played since Ireland's anti-climactic finale against Scotland at the end of March and the media frenzy centred on whether the Munster's captain's groin injury would allow him to face the Saints.

"Northampton were coming to Thomond Park bullish after a run of victories across the water and spoke confidently -- and imprudently -- of how the Limerick ground held 'no fears' for them after their January visit for the pool game they felt they should have won."

Brendan Gallagher comes over all patriotic on the occasion of St. George's Day in The Daily Telegraph.

"We are spoiled rotten in this country, often without realising or appreciating it. If you violently disagree and want to afford top dog status to another nation, let's be hearing from you in but first consider what English sport and competitors have given us - and continue to give.

"England is a packed Twickenham and whiskey nips on frosty afternoons and singing Abide with Me at Wembley. It is a Bobby Charlton piledriver, a Wally Hammond cover drive and Lawrence Dallaglio's tears as the national anthem plays."

Stuart Barnes previews Leeds' mammoth Guinness Premiership relegation showdown with Worcester in The Times.

"Neil Back is one win away from what he said would be the greatest achievement of his career if he manages to keep Leeds in the top flight. Such has been their 2010 that Leeds will be free from all relegation concerns a week ahead of schedule if they win on Sunday.

"Worcester must have been preparing for something akin to a shootout this weekend but Leeds' sensational away win at London Irish means Worcester have to win both their games and hope Bath beat Leeds if they are to overtake them.

"It is a tall order. Leeds have been a superbly drilled unit that has played at or near its best when Back has demanded the highest level."

Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal welcomes Jonny Wilkinson to the club last summer © Getty Images

Mourad Boudjellal will celebrate his 50th birthday in June and the rugby club he owns, RC Toulon, is attempting to give him a rather special gift. Peter Bills writes in the Irish Independent

"He's 5ft very little, is the proprietor and publisher of 'Soleil Productions', a comic-book business, and as far as I know, has never played rugby seriously in his life.He's a funny chap, too -- he hovers down on the touchline during matches in a nervous manner and he is never far away from a camera lens.

"...under Boudjallel's ownership, Toulon have done an awful lot more. Off the field, they have galvanised a region once famed for its rugby prowess. Racing Nice, along the Mediterranean coast, were French Championship runners-up in 1983 before disappearing into anonymity -- to an extraordinary extent.

"Last weekend, Toulon moved their home fixture against reigning champions Perpignan from their 13,700-capacity Felix Mayol stadium in the heart of Toulon, to the 60,000-capacity Stade Velodrome in Marseille. 58,250 turned up, a triumph for Toulon-born Boudjallel and what he has achieved at the French naval port town. He's done it chiefly by opening his cheque book very wide indeed. Some of the game's finest players have been lured by the riches on offer."

A major drop in Waratahs home crowds and a sponsorship slump led to the NSW Rugby Union reporting close to a half-million-dollar loss for last year. Greg Growden writes in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"It is not surprising that match-day proceeds have plummeted considering that Waratahs home crowds have fallen dramatically. In 2008, the average Waratahs home attendance was 27,191, but 12 months later it was only 23,872.

The crowd figure has fallen further this season, with an average of 18,366 attending the four home games of the season so far. The NSWRU hopes the crowd at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night when the Waratahs play the Brumbies will dramatically improve that figure. After that match, the NSWRU has only one more home match - against the Hurricanes at the Sydney Football Stadium on May 14 - to bolster its match-day proceeds.

NSWRU chief Jim L'Estrange said last night that 2009 ''was a very tough year for business, and sporting organisations were not immune''.

Worcester owner Cecil Duckworth has pledged to continue his multi-million pound backing of the club even if they are relegated from the Guinness Premiership.Mick Cleary writes in the Daily Telegraph.

"Worcester are almost certain to go down if they lose to Leeds at Headingley on Sunday, after six years in the English game's top flight.

"Duckworth acknowledged that mistakes might have been made three years ago, when former coach John Brain was sacked, and that a full review of resources would have to take place if the worst came to pass. The former Gloucester director of rugby, Dean Ryan, has been linked to Worcester. "I've not spoken to Dean," Duckworth said. "He's a very able person and does live fairly locally. That's the press getting two and two to equal five."

"The man who has overseen Worcester's rise through the ranks from level eight status at a personal cost in the region of £20 million insisted relegation would be just "a hiccup" in the long-term project to establish the club as a leading entity."

Lawrence Dallaglio has said that it is time that St George’s Day is celebrated with pride and that patriotism should not solely be the preserve of the Celtic nations. Mark Souster writes in The Times.

"A survey this week indicated that the English are the least likely people in Europe to celebrate their nationality, in public at least, because of political correctness and a fear of being accused of racism. For Dallaglio, the former England captain, this is a nonsense that should be corrected.

"He hopes that London Wasps’ inaugural St George’s Day match against Bath at Twickenham, being held a day late on Saturday, will be an occasion to bang the drum for England. Almost 60,000 tickets have been sold, with at least £1 from each going to Help for Heroes, the Armed Forces charity.

"So many other Bank Holidays and national days are marked in this country and not necessarily the one we should be celebrating,” Dallaglio, now a club director, said yesterday. “St George’s Day has been associated with jingoism and politics, which it should not be. That doesn’t happen in any of the Celtic countries. I have never had a problem celebrating my Englishness, on and off the pitch."

After a humiliating couple of weeks on and off the pitch, Craig Chalmers has to live with personal regrets as he prepares to return to centre stage by leading Melrose to Murrayfield on Saturday for the Scottish Hydro Cup final. David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"It is a chance to make headlines for the right reasons: his side will become the first in Scottish rugby history to feature in three successive cup finals and have the opportunity to become only the third club in cup history, following Glasgow Hawks and Boroughmuir, to win the trophy three times.

They face up to final newcomers Ayr, who Chalmers rates as favourites by dint of them still being in the hunt for a rare league and cup double, but though confident, the chastened coach is clearly just pleased to have the opportunity to help play a part in atoning for an outburst which saw him arrested, detained overnight and fined £60 after he was refused entry to a Melrose Sevens party by door stewards. He has admitted that the past fortnight have been a couple of the toughest weeks of his life.

He told The Scotsman: "The position I put myself in two weeks ago was unforgivable and I hugely regret the embarrassment I've caused to my family, the club, Melrose supporters and the SRU. I have important roles as a husband, father, a club coach, where I demand high standards of my players on and off the pitch, as an ambassador for the club and as a coach with Scotland Under-20s, and these things mean everything to me."

Wasps, one of the great names in world rugby and among the most successful Premiership teams of the professional era, have been threatened with a winding-up order from the tax authorities over unpaid sums totalling more than £1m – a quarter of their officially sanctioned playing budget. Chris Hewett writes in The Independent.

"While Mark Rigby, the former Wasps flanker and captain who now serves as executive chairman, insisted yesterday that there was "no question" of the club going to the wall, this development will send a chill wind blowing through the English game. The Londoners, twice European champions and winners of the domestic title on four occasions between 2003 and 2008, may not be the wealthiest of the Premiership's elite sides, but together with Leicester they are comfortably the most respected.

"They are not alone in having an uncomfortable time of it with HMRC. A number of clubs have become entangled in complex issues surrounding image rights agreements with leading players. Only last month, Newcastle were in negotiations over exactly how much they owed in respect of commercial arrangements involving some of their biggest box-office attractions: the England outside-half Jonny Wilkinson, the New Zealand prop Carl Hayman, the Australian full-back Matthew Burke and his fellow Wallaby, the back-row forward Owen Finegan. Wilkinson, Burke and Finegan are no longer at Kingston Park, while Hayman is due to leave for the mega-rich French club Toulon at the end of the season, but tax liabilities have a nasty way of lingering even after a player departs."

Wales centre Gavin Henson has signalled his intention to return the game next season © Getty Images

Should Gavin Henson return to rugby next season, the Western Mail's Blair Wood believes the question on everyone’s lips will be whether or not his body and mind remain strong enough to play the game at the top level.

"Comebacks in any sport are never a guaranteed success. But, when it comes to the unique physical demands of rugby, it is very much a sink or swim scenario.

"No man knows that more than former Wales international Leigh Davies. The big-hitting centre walked away from rugby to spend a year travelling the world only to discover upon his return that the sport had moved on without him and there was no way he could make up for lost time.

"When Davies quit he had 21 Wales caps to his name and had just captained the Scarlets to the Celtic League title. When he returned, having signed to play alongside Henson at the Ospreys, his body couldn’t take the hits, his mind couldn’t deal with the pressure and he left after a year."

Whichever "teenage greenhorn" wears the Brumbies No.7 jersey in Saturday's must-win game against the Waratahs - Michael Hooper or Colby Faingaa - he can count on a brutal encounter with NSW captain Phil Waugh. Rupert Guinness writes in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"In Christchurch on April 10, Waugh showed against the Crusaders - and particularly All Blacks captain and openside breakaway Richie McCaw - that his quest to regain the Wallabies No.7 jersey is far from finished.

"The Western Force's David Pocock might still be seen as the first-choice contender for the Wallabies No.7 strip after Smith's retirement, but Waugh has never relinquished his dream of making the position his own again."

Glasgow's bid for their first real success and proof that they have become a Magners League heavyweight now comes down to two games, the first of which could be a bigger mental test than physical after Leinster named a second-string team for Friday night's trip to Firhill. David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"After beating Ulster, Glasgow sit fourth in the league on 42 points, one behind the Ospreys and Munster, who meet each other on Saturday night at Thomond Park. Should Glasgow and Edinburgh win, the latter at home to Ulster on Sunday, both Scottish sides will have control of their own destiny in the last weekend.

"The key to making the last four for Alastair Kellock, the Glasgow skipper, lies in the improved consistency which has lifted his side into the top four. "The results speak for themselves," the skipper said of a record this season of six wins in eight home games after previous seasons of following big wins with demoralising defeats. "It's a difficult thing to get tagged with, being unable to back-up games (wins], but we've matured as a squad, got smarter, realised that every Monday you pitch up it doesn't matter anymore what you've done at the weekend.

"It (consistency] has also come from keeping the bulk of the squad together, getting to know the guys. I remember saying a while back that consistency may be a difficult thing to find but the teams that are continually pushing to the ends of the tournaments, or at the top of the league, are the consistent ones."

Writing in The Guardian, Rob Kitson highlights the fact that a change in refereeing interpretation appears to have re-energised the Guinness Premiership season.

"Another week, another giant leap for the popularity of club rugby union. Hard on the heels of Saracens attracting more fans to Wembley than attended last weekend's derby between Manchester City and Manchester United, Wasps confirmed yesterday that they are expecting a crowd in excess of 60,000 for their St George's Day celebratory game against Bath at Twickenham on Saturday.

"With the weather set fair and tickets still available, it is even possible the final figure will be close to 70,000, a number eclipsed for a regular league fixture only by Harlequins' record-breaking gate of 76,716 for last December's Big Game. The difference between now and then is that the paying public can expect a more free-flowing spectacle following the change in refereeing interpretation which has re-energised the Guinness Premiership season.

"It is less than a month since the emphasis at the breakdown was tweaked in favour of the attacking side, but the Wasps coach Shaun Edwards hailed the initiative yesterday as the best thing to happen to the sport in ages. "I think they were very brave to say, 'We've got a problem,' " said Edwards. "We needed the game to open up again and it's now being refereed as it was two to three years ago. I really admire the people at the top for being man enough to say: 'We need to make a change.' Thank God they have, because all the top teams want to play rugby. We're in the entertainment business, as well as trying to win things."

Bourgoin celebrate their stunning victory over Toulouse at Stade Gerland in Lyon © Getty Images

Writing in The Independent, Peter Bills heaps praise on those clubs brave enough to chance their arm with showpiece games at big stadiums.

"Bourgoin, one of the least fashionable of the French Top 14 clubs who have struggled desperately against relegation all season, have a capacity of just 8,160 at their tiny Stade Pierre Rajon.

"Last Saturday, they met Stade Toulouse and moved the fixture to the Stade Gerland in Lyon, home of the soccer Champions League semi-finalists Olympique Lyonnais. In an instant, even a sell-out 8,160 was transformed into a 30,000 crowd.

"By any measure or means, these are extraordinary figures. What they reveal is a clear desire among a healthy percentage of the sports viewing population in both England and France to pay to see good quality rugby matches in top notch stadiums. As far as I'm aware, Bourgoin haven't sold out their crumbling old stadium once this season. Yet the minute they move to the major commercial hub of Lyon, they draw 30,000."

Writing in the Irish Independent, Tony Ward insists that Connacht have been forced to operate on an unfair playing field for too long.

"The province is operating on a one-year contractual agreement with the union. What chance with that? With such insecurity, how can they ever have any semblance of continuity in quality going forward?

"...There is money to help Connacht, and the westerners deserve it. John Muldoon typifies what Connacht rugby is all about. The captain is proud to earn his living representing western people -- neighbours, friends and family. It is an identity special, if not unique, to Irish rugby.

"But I struggle to define Connacht as of now. I could latch on to 'development province' but in truth I don't really know what that means nor, I suspect, do the IRFU. It sounds technically cool but is in reality a kop-out, buying time until a decision has to be made either to do Connacht properly or not at all."

Spiro Zavos heaps praise on the Reds following their impressive Super 14 victory over the Bulls - read his thoughts in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"An aphorism taken from The Art of War, a textbook of tactics and theories on how to wage war successfully written by Sun Tzu, a fourth-century BC military strategist, reads: "All battles are won before they are fought." On Saturday, the Queensland Reds coach Ewen McKenzie produced a game plan to defeat the frontrunning Bulls straight out of the Sun Tzu manual.

"The Bulls have bullied their way to the top of the Super 14 table. They rely on lineout steals by Victor Matfield to prevent sides mounting pressure on them inside their own half. They drive and maul from lineouts to force penalties. Their goal-kicker, Morne Steyn, consistently belts over penalties and conversions from all parts of the field. They kick a lot of high balls to force penalty shots or handling errors which their big forwards, Pierre Spies particularly, exploit with hard-shouldered, barging assaults.

"Until last Saturday, only the Blues had been able to crack this predictable but winning Bulls method. They did it by smashing the Bulls in the forwards. But with a relatively young pack containing no Test players, this tactic was not open to the Reds. Instead, they adopted a high-tempo, ball-in-hand method that involved running the Bulls into the ground. Kick-offs were received and then run out from the 22. High balls were caught and run back. Kicks were kept to a minimum - just 15 in the match."

Former Wallabies skipper John Eales was appointed to the ARU Board last week © Getty Images

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, former Wallabies captain and new Australian Rugby Union Board member John Eales sets out his stall.

"A general consensus has rugby in the middle of a great big "U" at the moment – no, we are not talking of any particular peccadilloes of those living far east of Byron Bay but rather the rut it has found itself in of late.

"...Rugby does have its challenges at the moment, some urgent and the rest simply pressing. A snapshot from any of my "advisers" reels off: player contracting and third-party agreements, factional fighting, greedy players, poor administration and the quality of the product, among a plethora of other issues, both real and imagined.

"If you were to prioritise, however, after a season when even the die-hards were disillusioned, the quality of the on-field product had to be a priority and both anecdotally and tangibly the entertainment renaissance has begun."

You'd have to say it would be a strange side if you were picking an All Black team right now according to Richard Loe in the New Zealand Herald.

"It's not long until the June tests and, while that won't be worrying the All Black selectors overmuch when you take into account the greater scheme of things, the rest of us are looking a bit sideways at our overall rugby form.

We know Super 14 form mostly doesn't translate into international form but there are still some worrying signs so far this year - particularly the Chiefs' disgraceful exhibition against the Stormers on Friday.

If we took the no injuries/form criteria, I believe the All Black team right now would look something like this: Andrew Hore, Owen Franks, Wyatt Crockett, Brad Thorn, Chris Jack, Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw, Kieran Read, Alby Mathewson, Dan Carter, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Zac Guildford, Rudi Wulf, Cory Jane. Substitutes: Keven Mealamu, Neemia Tialata, Jeremy Thrush, Adam Thomson, Brendon Leonard, Steven Donald, Isaia Toeava."

The financial status of the Rugby Football Union altered radically during the stewardship of chief executive Francis Baron - writing in the Daily Telegraph, Brian Moore reflects on his tenure.

"From an operating deficit of £10 million when he arrived in 1998, the RFU last year announced a turnover of £119 million with a profit of £9 million. The business also has a balance sheet that shows a healthy value of £150 million. It would be wrong and churlish to deny Baron credit for this success, however it is telling that there are those within the RFU who would like to and there will be few tears shed when he departs. Why is this so?

"Even accounting for the general antipathy for those that earn a lot of money and wield executive power, there are other reasons. Baron's RFU roadshow, which sought to take the organisation's vision to the masses, was undermined because it simply confirmed the suspicion of many of the attenders that Baron was insufferably self-satisfied. Those holding this view point to the £500,000 statue illustrating the five core values of the RFU which will adorn the South Stand area at Twickenham and which they say is an Ozymandias-like tribute to Baron."

The 37-year-old former England and Wasps rubgy captain reveals he has a particular interest in the business of Italian food in an interview with the Sunday Times.

"How much did you earn last year? I earn money from different revenue streams but my income is really not as much as people might think. To be honest, I don’t know the final sum — let’s just say that it’s six figures but I’m working on seven figures.

"Last autumn, my father and I launched our own range of pasta sauces. It’s a competitive market at a competitive time and I think we will see the benefits but not for a little while yet. Although Sacla is a very well-established business, the actual brand is a start-up and needs time, energy, money and effort. [The premium pasta sauce market is worth about £80m. Dallaglio and his father receive half the profits from their range.]

"...Do you own a property? Yes, I own two — our house in Richmond and one in Portugal, in the Algarve. We bought the Algarve property — which has four bedrooms, a garden and a pool — in 2003 and, depending on the exchange rate, it’s probably worth between £500,000 and £1m. It’s a holiday home rather than somewhere that provides rental income.

"We bought the five-bedroom Richmond house in 2001 and I’m getting it valued shortly. I would say it’s probably worth somewhere between £2m and £3m. The first home I owned was a houseboat in Twickenham, for which I paid about £12,000. I lived there for four years and rented the spare room out to one of my fellow rugby players — we fitted in somehow."

Bath's players limber up at what will be their new training base at Farleigh House © Getty Images

According to David Flatman in the Independent on Sunday, all the Bath boys are big kids again after new owner Bruce Craig introduced the players to a fantasyland of a new home.

"If we, the Bath Rugby players, could design the ideal owner for our beloved club, he would be a West Country boy, a Bath fan, a rugby fanatic and, of course, in possession of a few quid that he did not mind throwing at the badge. He would enjoy daydreaming about what this club could be, and would do whatever it took to make his visions come to life. I am not sure if one of the team secretly wrote in to Jim'll Fix It, but it turns out not only does this bloke exist, he happens to have turned up and bought the lot.

"The whole mystery tour began at the Rec early on Wednesday morning when we were ushered on to our team coaches with no clue as to our destination. Rumours were flying up and down the aisle (I convinced the Academy players that we were on our way to a cider factory for a bonding session) but, upon arrival, we realised that however sure we were that our information was accurate, we had been wrong.

"We pulled into Farleigh House in silence; the place is like something from a Jane Austen novel. The hush was quickly replaced by gasps and, inevitably, more "definite" rumours from under the breath of David Barnes. We did wonder if it was just a day trip to Luke Watson's new country pile but we were swiftly corrected. Before I could even pour a coffee or raid the exceptionally well-furnished biscuit tray, I, along with other senior players, was ushered into a room containing two men: Nick Blofeld, our CEO, and an infinitely better coiffured individual. Bruce Craig introduced himself as our new owner and told us that this place, with a bit of digging here and there, was now the home of Bath Rugby. The schoolyard levels of exuberance and sheer volume were a memory and the reaction was, unusually, complete silence. I do hope Bruce was not perturbed by this response to his newsflash; we were all, to a man, stunned."

Maori rugby's centenary has coincided with claims of cheating and influenced results. The New Zealand Herald's Michael Brown reports on a new allegation and on how Maori have been central characters in New Zealand rugby.

"Billy Bush is adamant he was unfairly targeted in a decision that cost the All Blacks victory against South Africa in 1976 - because he was Maori.

"It was in the last minute of the fourth and final test at the end of the long tour of the Republic when South African referee Gert Bezuidenhout blasted on his whistle and awarded a penalty for the home side for an infringement in the lineout. Bezuidenhout identified Bush as the culprit.

"The big prop was incredulous but his protestations mattered little as Gerald Bosch kicked the penalty to hand South Africa a 15-14 victory and a 3-1 series win.

He feels now he was pinpointed because he had been deliberately provocative throughout the tour, trying to get up the nose of the establishment who clearly resented the presence of a brown player in apartheid South Africa."

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Phil Lutton reflects on the Reds' stunning Super 14 victory over the Bulls.

"Big Queensland prop Laurie Weeks could barely catch his breath as he trudged off after 40 minutes of the kind of rugby that makes you tired just watching. He gasped a few words for the sideline TV interview that said all you needed to know about the mindset of Ewen McKenzie's renovated Reds.

"We can take them," Weeks said. It's the kind of confidence even the most ardent fans thought had vacated Ballymore years ago, or moved to Sydney with Berrick Barnes.

"Not any more. After being the punchline of rugby gags for a decade, Queensland and their audacious brand of football are making the most unlikely of charges at the Super 14 finals. Who is going to stop them?"

Stepping out of the shadow of Jonny Wilkinson is a daunting task for Leicester outside-half Toby Flood, and he must prove he has the game-management skills to take England over the line according to Paul Ackford in the Sunday Telegraph.

"Toby Flood speaks rather quickly, the words coming out in a rush. And why not? At 24 he is England's outside-half, he is chasing his first championship with Leicester and on Sunday afternoon he is returning to his old stamping ground at Newcastle, a club where he grew up alongside Jonny Wilkinson, Jamie Noon, Mathew Tait and the rest, and where Leicester last won a Premiership fixture in 2004. He has a lot to be excited about.

"But, and here's the thing, it isn't good to be too excited at this point in the season with the play-offs looming and Test matches to negotiate shortly with England against the Wallabies in Perth and Sydney. Rob Andrew, Flood's long-time mentor at Newcastle, says so. And Flood himself knows so. Excitement has its place, but when you're charged with controlling team affairs, and when you're trying to make the jump from a highly competent international footballer to a world-class operator, other qualities are more highly prized. Like getting the job done."

Writing in the Sunday Times, Stephen Jones believes we witnessed the death of international rugby last weekend.

"Can rugby’s world shift so profoundly from its familiar axis? Perhaps not, but an important process already in train can now be confirmed. International rugby has ceased to be the biggest game in town. The implications are huge. In terms of the intensity alone, it was extraordinary. The matches between Biarritz and the Ospreys, between Leinster and Clermont Auvergne, were thunderous, each won by one point as desperate last-second drops at goal faded wide. In 90 minutes against Munster, the young Northampton side matured as much as they would normally in a season.

"But if all eight quarter-finals in the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Cup were battles, they also snapped and crackled, there was an attacking devil to them. The grass down the tramlines out wide was well trodden. The brilliance of the extraordinary goal by Tottenham’s Danny Rose against Arsenal had its rugby equivalent in the 90-metre wonder try by Takudzwa Ngwenya, the American who plays on the wing for Biarritz.

"...We should ask exactly what the international game could offer to try and reclaim some of its old authority. Not much, except to lay bare the reasons for the decline and to butcher yet again the goose laying the golden egg."

The Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison reflects on Edinburgh and Glasgow's failure to attract big numbers through the turnstiles.

"It is easy to blame the SRU for every evil in the world short of the bubonic plague but they have to shoulder at least some of the blame for poor attendances that are due to a lack of imagination as much as anything. The pro-team chief executives are in charge of their own marketing but one wonders why? Where is the expertise, where is "Firework Phil" Anderton when you need him?

"Murrayfield's head of marketing is Ruchi Aggarwal who argues for a two-pronged approach whereby "energy" is put into persuading those fans that are already "rugby-engaged" (ie club fans, members, volunteers etc) while the tougher, non-traditional supporters are targeted with money. She obviously hasn't visited Goldenacre or Myreside recently because there are no club fans, at least not in Edinburgh, and far fewer club members than there were ten or 15 years ago. Every adult male rugby player in the country could buy a ticket for Edinburgh's next home match and the crowd would still be less than two-thirds of Leinster's average gate.

"The best-supported teams in Europe have attracted crowds of up to 75,000 by appealing to people outside of the traditional rugby market which is blindingly obvious because historically speaking club rugby generated a fraction of those numbers. Amongst others, Aggarwal should be targeting middle-aged football fans who are fed up with junior learning another four-letter word every weekend when the pair of them could be enjoying a beer, a hotdog and some rugby at Murrayfield."

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples has led calls for an apology to the Maori players from the rugby union © Getty Images

In an editorial, the New Zealand Herald asks what would be achieved by the NZRU apologising for the exclusion of Maori players from All Black tours to the republic in 1928, 1949 and 1960 on racial grounds.

"Saying sorry has become very much a 21st century feel-good phenomenon. Rugby has not been immune. Individual players, notably Tana Umaga and Norm Hewitt, have offered public apologies, surely at the union's behest, for unacceptable off-field behaviour. In the way of modern practice, these, however, were more about damage control than anything else.

"If an apology is to be appropriate, it should offer a step towards understanding and reconciliation. Those who feel they should be on the receiving end should find it a cathartic experience that enables them to put misfortune behind them. Neither pertains to the excluded Maori rugby players. Everybody already accepts this was a disgrace. The appeasing of the apartheid regime and its racist policies is a stain that will never be expunged from the union's history. But Maori rugby, for its part, has surely long consigned the injustice to history, and proceeded to fashion an impressive record in international encounters."

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley talks to Connacht captain John Muldoon who views the Challenge Cup as the best route to their Holy Grail, qualifying for the Heineken Cup.

"At this stage of the season, Connacht are normally counting the days to summer while retaining, at best, an outside mathematical challenge to qualify for the Heineken Cup for the first time ever. Now though, they still have three routes into Europe’s blue-riband competition.

"They can still qualify through the Magners League by dint of finishing above Ulster, whom they trailed by four points going into this weekend’s matches; by winning the Amlin Challenge Cup, or can do so with Ulster should either Leinster or Munster gain an additional place for Ireland by winning the Heineken Cup.

"None of this would have seemed possible when Connacht lost limply by 30-6 to Ulster at the Sportsground last September. They’ve had a few disappointments over the years but the way John Muldoon recalls it, that was a particularly low ebb."

Three games to go and four teams are in a right mess – Worcester worst of all. Forget the big-name signings, the amazing stadium, the packed houses, relegation waits for no club according to Will Greenwood in the Daily Telegraph.

"There is no room for errors. You get it wrong, and for one club it is bye bye. I have been relegated so I know that right now life is miserable. Sadly it is a self-induced misery because if the teams had not been so bad on such a consistent basis they would not be in the mess they are right now.

"Harlequins were rubbish, and we deserved to go down. The table does not lie. Injuries can contribute, so can players leaving, but 22 games is plenty of time to find some form. If you deserve to stay up, then you do.

"Relegation is normally down to poor signings, lack of focus, lack of desire, or too much indiscipline. An inability to stick to a game-plan goes a long way towards opening the trap door as well. Get the fear of the drop and all of a sudden teams start playing the "mustn't lose" game-plan, as opposed to the "let's go win this" strategy."

Writing in The Scotsman, Allan Massie reflects on Edinburgh's decision to retain the services of fly-half Phil Godman.

"The idea that it's 'time for a change' is in the air, and this may account for the somewhat downbeat response of a number of Edinburgh supporters to the report Phil Godman has signed a new two-year contract.

"Godman has been at Edinburgh for six years now, and has been the club's first-choice fly-half for most of the time. He was Scotland's preferred fly-half last autumn before losing his place to the rejuvenated Dan Parks after the opening Six Nations game against France. He had done generally well for Edinburgh and the club's steady improvement has owed a deal to him. Yet a good many people think that he has gone as far as he can, though he himself believes his best years are still ahead of him.

"He may well be right. It would certainly be silly to discount the possibility. Players can improve in the second half of their careers."

Pat Sanderson tells The Independent's Chris Hewett that bottom-of-the-table Worcester can still rescue a punishing season – starting with victory over Wasps.

"It may be tough at the top, but it's a fair bit tougher at the bottom.

"Ask Pat Sanderson, the one-time England back-row forward and occasional national captain, who in recent weeks has discovered the joys of playing high-level rugby while poking his tongue clean through a hole where part of his cheek had once been and experienced the pleasures of "triple stitching", a surgical technique that does what it says on the tin. "I cracked heads with Dale Rasmussen and the cut went right down to my skull," he reports, with a degree of gruesome relish. "I needed stitches on stitches ... on stitches. Still, I gave up on my face ages ago."

"Some people think he should give up on Worcester as well, but they might as well whistle at the moon."

Dan Carter's form has been mixed since his return to New Zealand © Getty Images

Dan Carter sets his own high standards, and despite some good performances since his return to Super 14, Rugby Heaven's Richard Knowler says he is still yet to reach the old heights.

"Despite surpassing several notable milestones over the last month – he has become the highest pointscorer in Super history and overtaken Andrew Mehrtens' record as New Zealand's top scorer – more than a few concerned onlookers have been left scratching their chins when assessing Carter's form.

"By his own admission he turned in a rotter against the Hurricanes on Good Friday, yet his performances have been no worse than any other No.10 in New Zealand. None of the efforts from Stephen Donald, Stephen Brett, Mike Delany, Willie Ripia, Aaron Cruden, Colin Slade, Matthew Berquist and Michael Hobbs suggest the All Black coaches are likely to go losing their heads.

"If anything, Carter's form has been as good, or better, than any of those challenging for his All Blacks spot. But because of his reputation, and the magical acts that he has performed over the years, all eyes will always turn to Carter when a big play is needed. Whether it is a short grubber, a crucial tackle, match-winning kick or that trademark run to the line where he somehow uses his powerful hips to shrug off a defender, he is always operating under a spotlight few others have to cope with."

The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly has been getting up early to watch some Super 14 rugby and he doesn't like what he sees.

"Watching the Super 14 this season has required frequent use of the fast-forward button (God bless Sky-plus) and numerous cans of Red Bull to keep eyelids from drooping. With the new tackle interpretations, ruck turnovers have become a relic of the past in the Super 14, the best a defending side can hope for is that the tackled player lacks support and is forced to concede the penalty for holding on.

"Teams rarely commit more than three players to the breakdown -- the tackler by necessity and one or two others attempting to move in on the ball -- hampered by the fact that the referee is poised to penalise the slightest hint of over-enthusiasm. "Tackle assist, must release," was one explanation recently offered for penalising a player who had not made the primary hit but was deemed to be too involved in it to legally contest afterwards. It means 12 to 13 players filling the pitch to resist the next offensive wave, so the attacking team, confident that the ball will come back, goes again, and again, until they get a score or make a mistake.

"In a recent Super 14 game, the Queensland Reds scored four tries against the Sharks but were undone by the South Africans' use of the maul which the Aussies (quelle suprise) could not handle. The maul is part of what rugby union once was. The 'you have a go then we'll have a go' recycling dross of the Super 14 is dragging the game to a recessionary place we really do not want to go. It's called rugby league."

The takeover of Bath and the mooted departure of Worcester owner Cecil Duckworth has Shaun Edwards considering the merits of the current Premiership system, in The Guardian.

"It makes you wonder about English rugby's priorities – whether we are right in our dedication to promotion and relegation. In the past I have come down on the pro side of the argument, if only marginally. I understand the English fascination with failure – the tall poppy syndrome. For instance, where else would attention have been so concentrated on a football club like Newcastle, when a great man like Alan Shearer was doing his high-wire act, wobbling, without a safety net.

"It has always seemed right to reward the kind of industry that Duckworth put in to Worcester on their way up. The drop also produced rugby that was never dull. Look at the table today and a third of the clubs are still dodging the bullet, so with the battle for the play-off places going on at the top there will rarely be a game with nothing on it.

"However, the bottom line is whether the Premiership will be a better place next season if Worcester, Leeds, Sale or Newcastle go down and are replaced by Bristol, Exeter or any of the other eight clubs battling it out in the Championship play-offs. I know Bristol were once one of the greats and that Exeter have invested heavily, but the Premiership feels right as it is."

Bath's current home at The Rec must be re-developed if the team are to stay within the city centre © Getty Images

Multi-millionaire owner Bruce Craig has grand plans for one of rugby's great clubs - Bath. Chris Hewett writes for The Independent.

"No one expected Bath, still one of the great names in world rugby despite falling a long way short of world-class standards over the last decade, to find themselves a new owner before building themselves a new stadium, but yesterday, the France-based multi-millionaire businessman Bruce Craig materialised as if out of nowhere to buy the club lock, stock and barrel, thereby bringing to a sudden end the 14-year stewardship of Andrew Brownsword, one of the original union entrepreneurs who changed the face of the club game in England.

"Unlike Brownsword, a self-confessed rugby novice who bought the club in 1996 because he felt it represented the best of the city he loved, Craig has a strong union background. Born in neighbouring Bristol, he was a good enough as a schoolboy player to be a final triallist at England Under-19s level and went on to perform at a high standard in Paris with Metro – now known as Racing-Metro 92, who are challenging hard for a place in next season's Heineken Cup.

"In his other life, he was making serious money on the distribution side of the international pharmaceuticals industry, and in January he and his fellow shareholders sold their business for the not inconsiderable sum of £975m. A tiny fraction of that figure would transform Bath's fortunes and re-establish them as one of Europe's biggest hitters, alongside Leicester and Toulouse, Leinster and Munster."

Supersport's Brendan Nel believes the Blue Bulls pulled of a massive coup this past week when they extended the contracts of two of the hottest prospects in South African rugby.

"The press release filtered through almost unnoticed – in fact two of them – as they last week announced the signature of lock Flip van der Merwe until the end of the 2012 season and this week added the signature of Mthunzi “Fudge” Mabeta to that list – the latter also committing himself until 2012.

"Now I can see the cynics point out that the two have chosen a dead end street as the Bulls already have three Springbok locks in Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Danie Rossouw. So why would any up and coming lock commit himself to a province where he has virtually no guarantee of good game time in the next year?

"I posed that question to Van der Merwe just before he left with the team to New Zealand and before he had signed on again for a further two years. In his deep booming voice, the gentle giant had a simple answer: “I want to become the best lock I can and where better to do that than under the best locks in the world. I’m learning so much from them that I can only benefit from it.”

Writing in the Irish Independent, Peter Bills believes European Rugby Cup officials need to think bigger when it comes to promoting the Heineken Cup.

"It's an absolute nonsense that the two Heineken Cup semi-finals will be staged in Toulouse and San Sebastian. Toulouse v Leinster will be in the French club's backyard and Biarritz v Munster, in the Real Sociedad soccer stadium just across the border in the Spanish coastal city of San Sebastian.

"A weekend out in Toulouse and San Sebastian for rugby fans? What on earth could be wrong with that, you may think. Well, what is wrong is exactly what was wrong several years ago. ERC is still not thinking big enough for this fantastic tournament.

"...In truth, 2010 won't be remembered as a classic for the Six Nations. But it almost certainly will be for the Heineken Cup, cementing its increasing reputation as one of the best rugby tournaments in the world.

So why the gripe at ERC? Simply this. Once again, they have missed a golden opportunity to showcase their tournament to a vastly wider audience."

The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly talks to the Leinster fly-half Shaun Berne as he prepares to steer his province through a crucial part of the season.

"An early cameo from Shaun Berne's career south of the equator illustrates perfectly just why his forthcoming responsibilities as Leinster's primary place-kicker in the Heineken Cup inflict tranquillity and terror into supporters' hearts in equal measure.

"It is 2003 and the Waratahs are facing down the mighty Crusaders, the New Zealand side that had dished out a 96-19 humiliation to the Sydney side en route to the Super 14 title a year before. With regular kickers Matt Burke and Mat Rogers off injured, Berne has missed four chances to push his side into a commanding position. Seconds remain. 31-31. The Crusaders slip offside.

"That the crime is committed centimetres inside the Australians' half barely registers with Berne. As the Sydney faithful and Crusaders bench join in watching nervously behind their hands, the son of a Belfast man tonks over the three-pointer.

"He is engulfed by team-mates and acclaimed by the crowd. How swiftly his previously errant attempts are forgotten. It is always thus in the lonely life of the place-kicker, for whom the distance between hero and zero can be a matter of mere millimetres."

Wasps prop Phil Vickery is set to make his comeback from injury this weekend © Getty Images

Former England captain Phil Vickery talks to Brendan Gallagher of The Telegraph about his five-month lay-off and his hopes of a return to the internationa fold.

"Phil Vickery used to be the most superstitious bloke born west of the Tamar – which is saying something – but for a good while now Cornwall's finest has declined to salute solitary magpies, pointedly walks under ladders and steadfastly refuses to touch wood when discussing his future.

"'As far as injuries are concerned bad luck has haunted me so I stopped that superstitious stuff a few years ago,' Vickery admitted. 'Let's be honest, it wasn't working so I just leave it to fate now. Whatever will be will be, and over a long career things tend to even themselves out.'

"The England World Cup winner and proud Lion is poised to return from his third career-threatening injury – two back, one neck – in the past eight years. As long as nothing untowards happens at training this week, Vickery will play some part in Wasps' visit to Worcester on Saturday after five months on the sidelines."

The New Zealand Herald's Mark Geenty talks to Hurricanes fly-half Aaron Cruden about an eventful few days.

"It was a rollercoaster Super 14 bye week for Aaron Cruden. He had his locks shorn over a losing Big Mac bet, but today was a beaming recipient of the Hurricanes' No 10 rugby jersey with their season on the line in Canberra.

"One of New Zealand rugby's rising stars usurped Willie Ripia for Friday's match against the in-form Brumbies for just his second Super 14 start, as they look to rectify a four-match winless streak.

"He will form a fresh halves duo with Tyson Keats, with Piri Weepu granted bereavement leave after his grandfather's death, while Manawatu loose forward Nick Crosswell gains the No 7 jersey in the absences of the ill Karl Lowe and Scott Waldrom, whose wife is due to give birth.

"Cruden returned to Wellington sporting a shiny pate after boldly wagering a mate he couldn't devour a whole family meal under the golden arches; including drinks and fries."

Hugh Farrelly of the Irish Independent salutes the role Leinster captain Leo Cullen has played in the province's transition from nearly men to giants of the European game.

"It was a Musgrave Park night the locals would describe as "manky" - swirling wind, driving rain and the type of cold that forms ice on the fringes of laptop screens. Friday, November 30, 2007, did not get a lot of airplay when the feeding frenzy began before the recent Good Friday showdown between Munster and Leinster, nor indeed did it ahead of last year's Heineken Cup, Croke Park semi-final between the same combatants.

"However, when charting the development of Leinster from talented underachievers to their status as one of the most psychologically secure teams in Europe - with the trophy to prove it - that manky Magners League night in Cork stands tall.

"Leinster had not won at Musgrave Park for more than 20 years and - given their established reputation as a dry-ground, running team - a comfortable home victory was predicted, particularly as Munster fielded a pack including the names of Horan, Hayes, Flannery, O'Callaghan, Leamy and Wallace.

"But it was the Leinster grapplers who proved more effective as Michael Cheika's men secured a seminal 10-3 victory. And chief among them was second-row Leo Cullen, at the heart of every collision up front, grabbing team-mates to tighten up mauls, barking orders at fringe defenders and generally revelling in the old-style rugby combat in what was soon to become the ELV era."

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Spiro Zavos hails the character-building nature of sport and its propensity for offering men and women opportunities at redemption.

"There has been a lively debate in education circles about the merits of public schools avoiding labelling children as failures in school reports. False praise, it is argued, gives students an unrealistic impression of their abilities.

"In all the discussion the point is never made by educationists that competitive sport is one of the best ways to ground students, and to offer them redemption if they run into trouble in their lives.

"Educationists ignore the millions of people who have become better people because they have learnt from the pressures of competitive sport the great life lesson, in the words of Rudyard Kipling, "to treat those twin imposters (Triumph and Disaster) just the same.'"

In his weekly column in the Irish Independent, Tony Ward salutes the performance of Munster fly-half Ronan O'Gara in Saturday's Heineken Cup win over Northampton, arguing that he is currently winning his battle with Leinster's Jonathan Sexton for the Ireland No.10 jersey.

"Leadership in his case is not about getting involved in forward scuffles but in providing sensible and effective game-management. O'Gara was superb, producing his most complete 80 minutes of the season. On current form, he is the better of two very fine game-running out-halves -- were an Ireland team being picked right now, he would be a cert for re-selection.

"Jonathan Sexton's arrival as a very real alternative has provided the Munster maestro with just the type of challenge he needs at this watershed stage in his illustrious career. Against Northampton he was sublime. He is not a natural leader a la O'Connell or, in my view, Jerry Flannery, but when it comes to doing the right things under pressure, his example is inspirational."

Writing on the official Heineken Cup website, Peter Jackson takes a look back at four epic European encounters.

"At the denouement of the best weekend the Heineken Cup has ever seen, a thunderous sound accompanied Toulouse on their lap of honour. The chant from a raucous choir of more than 30,000 could be heard all over the city: 'Ils sont ou les Parisians?' Where are the Parisians?

"Stade Francais, twice beaten finalists, were nowhere to be seen after being counted out of the tournament and the same taunting question will be asked by the Toulousain faithful when the 24 qualifiers line up on the starting grid next season.

"When it comes to the big European occasions, nobody does it better than Toulouse. At the end of a three-day event featuring colossal matches in Dublin, San Sebastian and Limerick, the most decorated club in Heineken history responded by trumping the lot, as if sensing the need to remind everyone else that the competition matters more in Toulouse than anywhere else."

The Western Mail's Simon Roberts finds much to admire about Toulon after taking in Saturday's European Challenge Cup clash with the Scarlets at the Stade Felix Mayol.

"The Scarlets didn’t just lose to a rugby side here, but to the sport’s latest phenomenon - one which harbours ambition of European domination.

"U2’s City of Blinding Lights blared out of the stadium’s speakers at the final whistle and there isn’t a tune more apt for the blind ambition of Toulon’s millionaire president Mourad Boudjellal in assembling an astonishing array of talent on the southern tip of France.

"George Gregan, Tana Umaga and now Jonny Wilkinson have all worn the red and black of Toulon and Carl Hayman, the former All Black prop, will do the same next season.

"Toulon are more like a Premiership soccer side than a traditional rugby team, sprinkled with genuine stardust."

Writing on Heaven's Game, former Wallaby coach Bob Dwyer dissects Leinster's Heineken Cup clash with Clermont Auvergne.

"The Heineken European Championship is the premier club competition in world rugby; indeed it should be the blue-print for club rugby the world over.

"Traditional club tribalism is magnified with the excitement of international flavor. The hordes of travelling fans bring their ‘foreign’ cultures and the host city buzzes with the anticipation of the event.

"With this prestige, however, comes pressure and this was never more obvious than at the Royal Dublin Society grounds on Friday evening for the quarter-final clash between the champions, Leinster, and the excellent Clermont-Auvergne, from the heart of France."

The clash between Leinster and Clermont was high on drama, had massive hits and an insane Brian O’Driscoll offload for Jamie Heaslip’s first try, Bob Casey writes in the Irish Times.

"There been 52 quarter-finals in the Heineken Cup before the weekend and 39 were won by the home side. Keeping with the average of one away winner per season it rose to 43 from 56. It got me thinking why is it so difficult to win on the road? Sure, it is just another pitch.

"ASM Clermont Auvergne have arguably the best squad in Europe yet they have never returned home with a British or Irish scalp. They have played 23 away games in this competition, winning only six.

"It could be something to do with the mind-numbing journey their players and coaching staff embarked upon last Thursday morning ahead of Friday’s game at the RDS."

Writing in the Sunday Independent, George Hook argues that belief was the determining factor in Munster's Heineken Cup quarter-final win over Northampton Saints on Saturday afternoon.

"This Munster win was a victory no more or less than a triumph of experience over a talented team that simply did not know how to win a game that they could have and will feel should have won. Northampton were capable of playing the game at a high tempo aided by a skilful offloading game with astute change of angle.

"Once again, despite not playing to their highest standards, Munster just rolled with the punches and waited for the opportunity. Dylan Hartley, the Northampton captain, was disconsolate after the game and when asked the simple question, "why did you not win?", he was honest enough to admit that he had no idea why his players did not deliver on their undoubted advantages.

"Jonny Sexton may have been the hero of Friday night but he must have marvelled at the game management of Ronan O'Gara. The Munster out-half has his detractors, but he remains the best tactical brain in world rugby."

Danny Cipriani is still hopeful of returning to England colours before the 2011 Rugby World Cup © Getty Images

England's most charismatic rugby player is heading Down Under to ply his trade, and taking his pooch with him, because he doesn't feel wanted by Johnno and Co. The Independent on Sunday's Hugh Godwin speaks to Danny Cipriani.

"England's coaches have let it be known they have a problem with his attitude. Is he terminal trouble or just a little temperamental? On Wasps' list of club fines, Cipriani tends to be near the top for stuff like missing a pre-match walk-through or not mopping the weights-room floor. Yet logic says he would not have survived seven years at this club without the overall dedication of a serious sportsman.

"...Of course it may simply be that Cipriani hasn't got it: the aptitude, that is, not the message. We love his daring flat passes and fleet of foot, honed in athletics track sessions with Margot Wells, but also recall the charged-down kicks as England's fly-half. Johnson's attack coach, Brian Smith, has him down as a full-back, if anything. Cipriani insists he is still available to tour with England this summer, and play in the autumn, and go to the 2011 World Cup – if they want him. The eight-month stints with the Rebels (with time off for Christmas) in 2011 and 2012 clash only with the Six Nations. Perhaps it has all been a calculated gamble, and "Johnno" and "Cips" will kiss and make up. Perhaps not. "It's to do with making you feel wanted," says Cipriani. "If it was up to me, I'd be giving players confidence, not knocking them down."

The poor old game of rugby has been under siege in the past year so it's good to see it making a comeback with the new rule interpretations - according to Richard Loe in the New Zealand Herald.

"It's particularly satisfying to see that the Northern Hemisphere's leading competition - the Guinness Premiership - has admitted it needs to make changes after a long, awful period of boring rugby up there. This first raised its head a month or so ago when the prospect loomed of the north adopting the same law changes and improving the game there.

"The head of the IRB referees, Paddy O'Brien, shot back that the same rules were in force in the Northern Hemisphere. Well, maybe, Paddy - but the interpretations were bloody different, weren't they? You could see it with a glance at just about any Northern Hemisphere match - and a glance was about all you could stand.

"It was static, boring rugby; a contest for possession, sure, but very little done with that possession other than to kick. After admitting tries are down 40 per cent, the Premiership will use the same interpretations as the Super 14 - and good on them."

As scrum after scrum is reset, experts agree that the rules regarding scrums and 'the hit' are complex and unworkable as teams try to gain advantage. Lives could be at risk. Paul Ackford writes in the Sunday Telegraph.

"Phil Keith-Roach, who was responsible for England’s scrummage during their successful 2003 World Cup campaign and who now coaches Sale, believes that the problem of collapsed scrums at the elite level is now so serious that “lives are at risk” unless the International Rugby Board acts swiftly to address the dangers.

"Collapsed scrums, euphemistically and inaccurately labelled resets, have blighted a number of recent matches, including England’s encounter with Scotland, where it took nearly three minutes before the ball was back in play at one scrum because of the number of collapses. But Keith-Roach’s concerns go far beyond a distorted and tedious spectacle.

“The IRB are diabolical,” he said. “They say they are interested in player welfare but I think they are putting people’s lives at risk. If we continue to have unnecessary forces on engagement someone is going to break their neck. The doctors who operated on Trevor Woodman and Phil Vickery [the props who started for England in the final of the 2003 World Cup] say that you can build all the musculature you like in the gym but you cannot increase the strength of the disc. They also tell you that an ordinary person can break a neck by having 100kg hit them at an inappropriate angle. Well, something like 1,000kg goes through a tighthead at scrum time. It’s only got to go marginally wrong and something terrible happens.”

Defeat to Biarritz in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals was heartbreaking for the Ospreys, but also a harsh lesson in what happens when you don’t take your chances. Delme Parfitt writes in the Wales on Sunday.

"It was an astonishingly entertaining game. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many line breaks in a game of that magnitude, there was almost a sevens feel to it at times. But playing their part in what was a great spectacle will be no consolation to the Ospreys who have now gone out at this stage three years on the trot.

"Did they deserve to win? Not really. They could have won, but didn’t grasp the opportunity.

"This was definitely the one that got away and I now fear the repercussions. They have to lift themselves for a tilt at the Magners League play-offs in the final weeks of the season and that will be far from easy because after this they will be shattered physically and mentally."

The Observer's Michael Alywin reports from Munster's thrilling Heineken Cup quarter-final victory over Northampton.

"They will not admit it, but there seemed to be doubt circulating round Thomond Park before this one. There wasn't any after it. The roars were all the louder for the relief. Four tries did for Northampton, who despite contributing fully to another riveting quarter-final in this competition, could not quite summon the authority that fairly oozed from Munster's every pore.

"So Northampton return to England to tell the others all about life in the quarter-finals in this season's Heineken Cup. Alas, there will be no one to report back about life in the semis. It is going to be a ding-dong between the French and Irish, which may be a fair reflection of where things are in European rugby just now, but there will no doubt be prolonged wailing and gnashing of teeth in the Premiership, as well as repeated calls for a hike in the salary cap.

"But pronouncements of the decline of the Premiership should be treated warily, even if results have not gone the way of the English this year. Munster in Munster may represent a bridge too far for this young Northampton side, but they gave half the Ireland team enough of a run for their money to remain confident about the future."

Quins' Tom Williams paid a heavy price for his role in the fake blood scandal © Getty Images

A year on from the notorious episode of cheating, The Times' David Hands asks senior figures in rugby to assess its impact.

"Provoking anguished debates about gamesmanship, pro-fessionalism and discipline, it was one of the worst controversies that English rugby union has known. It sent the game into a convulsion that reached its climax when one of the sport’s most respected figures, Dean Richards, was suspended from any involvement in rugby union for three years.

"The episode that became known as Bloodgate started on April 12, 2009, when Harlequins played Leinster in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup. By the time it had concluded two medical practitioners working for the club had been suspended, Richards had lost his job as director of rugby at the Twickenham Stoop and Charles Jillings had resigned as chairman.

"But was that an end to the affair or are the effects still being felt at Harlequins and across the sport in England? Could the use of a fake-blood capsule happen again? A year on, senior figures in the game discuss the long-term consequences of Bloodgate, including the new code of practice among Guinness Premiership clubs. Has rugby union learnt from its most notorious incident of cheating?"

Writing in the Irish Independent, Vincent Hogan reflects on Leinster's dramatic Heineken Cup quarter-final victory over Clermont Auvergne.

"Quite a night in the old horse arena where those one-time 'Ladyboys' of Europe brandished enough stubble to sand furniture.

"Leinster fought the wonderful fight in a bear-pit atmosphere, not even a hat-trick of tries from French wing, Julien Malzieu, sufficient to derail their defence of the realm. Seldom has the Heineken Cup decanted whiter heat. Seldom has a winning team dug deeper to survive.

"The night ended to shrieks of terror, Brock James slipping into the pocket for Clermont Auvergne and waiting for delivery from a glacial-slow ruck. Eventually, the ball arrived and his drop-goal attempt set off sure and straight, before lurching drunkenly off-target.

"Leinster, wheezing like escapees from a mine shaft, fell proudly over the line."

The Irish Times', John O’Sullivan reflects on a fraught night for Leinster which tested the nerves of the home fans.

"It wasn't a night for the faint-hearted, an understatement that the Leinster supporters only fully appreciated on the final whistle. Victory was measured in millimetres. The European champions survived but it was a massively uncomfortable experience for their supporters and one suspects, for the management team.

"Ecstatic scenes at the final whistle were as much about relief and, while victory will largely eradicate the palpitations of the previous 80 plus minutes, it shouldn’t camouflage a night when, had Clermont a place-kicker, they would have managed a famous win.

"That’s not to denigrate the courage and at times breathtaking quality of the Leinster performance but they made it so hard for themselves. Ill-discipline, a creaking scrum in the second half and the concession of two soft tries almost cost them."

The Western Mail's Carolyn Hitt argues that is time that Welsh legend Cliff Morgan joined rugby's knights.

"The great man of rugby, broadcasting and charitable largesse turned 80 this week.

"It is a fitting milestone to reflect on why he deserves to hear those three little words “Arise Sir Cliff”. (And if you want to add your voice to the campaign it’s easy to download a nomination form on the honours page of www.direct.gov.uk).

"It all started with the rugby, of course, as the fly-half from Trebanog darted and dazzled for Cardiff, Wales and the British Lions, leaving defenders grasping thin air and supporters gasping in admiration at his audacity. Yet even when Mr Magic – as the late John Billot described him – was weaving his spell on the field he transcended the boundaries of his sport.

"The match programmes of his era hailed him as “the greatest personality in British rugby today”. And as rugby and television collided for the first time, Cliff became the sport’s first great entertainer."

Writing in The Indepdendnet, Brian Ashton reflects on his own Heineken Cup experiences.

"The last time I was involved in a major European club occasion, I took Bath to San Sebastian for a Heineken Cup semi-final with Biarritz.

"We travelled with bags of expectation, but fell short. There were reasons, looking back: at that point in 2006, Bath were on a transitional shift from the extremely limited style of rugby they had played over the previous three or four years to something more ambitious. But the fact remains that when it came to the crunch, we – and I include myself in this – failed to summon the courage to play the kind of challenging game required to win a match of that magnitude.

"Nothing has changed. Now rugby has reached the knockout stage of this season's Heineken Cup – the "real deal" time of the season, where there are no second chances – it strikes me that many leading sides still talk about playing challenging rugby in the days leading up to a game, and still find reasons not to do it once they find themselves on the field. The question that interests me is this: to what extent is the gap between intention and delivery determined by what happens in the days before the match?"

Leading the class of 2010: Berrick Barnes © Getty Images

Former Waratahs skipper Matt Burke believes that it's time to look beyond their 96-19 loss to the Crusaders as the class of 2010 prepare to visit Christchurch in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Much is said about history. We look at the past for direction and detail on how we lived our lives. We keep records on how we achieved our goals. Whether that be on the battle grounds or on the sporting fields, records are kept on who won or who lost. People love to look back and get stuck on reminiscing about old times, good or bad.

"History certainly has its place, but I am more interested in the future. The past is done. It's the spent arrow, you can't get it back, so prepare yourself as well as you can to write a piece of you own history. Your destiny.

"I speak of the game in 2002 when yours truly was the Waratahs captain in a game against the Crusaders. The game got away from us a little. Actually, that doesn't emphasise the point enough. Let's just say the losing margin was substantial - plus 10. Anyhow, the point being that, the Waratahs were a totally different team, culture, even generation to the one that is running around today. So I question why every time the Waratahs play in Christchurch, the spectre of the 96-19 loss is raised."

Vincent Hogan salutes Munster's Kiwi flyer, Doug Howlett, prior to their Heineken Cup showdown with Northampton in The Irish Independent.

"Picked by Graham Henry to play for his province while still in Auckland Grammar School; head prefect and captain of the school athletics team; a sub-11 seconds 100 metres sprinter; scorer of two tries on his All Blacks debut; scorer of a hat-trick on his first time out in Super 12; the founder of an 'Outreach Foundation' for under-privileged kids.

And, suddenly, his mortified face was being beamed across the world, mouthing words of apology for criminal damage drunkenly inflicted on a car. So, that day of introductions in Cork pretty much leaked all formality in an instant. Anthony Horgan remembers. "There's nothing held back in a Munster squad and we were straight into him. He was absolutely hammered.

"And you could see straight away from his reaction that he was sound. Some people could be a bit bitter about that, but he just took it all on the chin."

Following their win over the Bulls, Inga Tuigamala takes a look at the buoyant Blues in The New Zealand Herald.

"I've got to give a big thumbs up here to Pat Lam and his team for what they achieved against the Bulls last week. I saw Pat during the week and he certainly had a smile - he believes a lot of hard work since last year is starting to come to fruition.

"The major advance is that the players are understanding the gameplan and executing it at the right moments. We also see the Blues are far more hungry on defence. I thought their defence was absolutely superb against the Bulls - it was like watching the great Blues teams of the '90s.

"It was a must-win game for the Blues and everything came right on the night. As spectators, we don't see the enormous effort that goes into sports teams and such is the nature of sport that the hard work is not always evident from the stands. But over time, good planning will come through and Blues supporters will be hoping, and growing confident, that we are finally seeing consistent evidence of this."

Shaun Edwards believes that Northampton's performance against Munster could provide some answers for England fans in The Guardian.

"Some time today Jim Mallinder will end the speculation and show how he intends his Northampton to go about beating Munster at Thomond Park tomorrow – a game not just about the Heineken Cup, but also about how a few England and potential England careers are progressing. One cat already seems to be out of the bag.

"The big argument has been about who Mallinder starts at outside-half and if you believe his captain Dylan Hartley then it's been settled in Stephen Myler's favour. In a less-than-subtle aside on Wednesday Hartley more or less anointed Myler by saying he felt the 25-year-old controlled the game better than Shane Geraghty.

"No diplomatic niceties there, but then again that's the manner of the team. All over the park they have abrasive specimens."

Stuart Barnes previews Leinster's Heineken Cup quarter-final showdown with Clermont Auvergne in The Times.

"Champions Leinster think they are ready for this quarter-final test. Last weekend saw them beat Munster at Thomond Park, minus one Brian O’Driscoll. As morale boosters go, this was fuel-injected.

"Meanwhile, in France, the stellar-named team from the Auvergne were slipping to a 19-10 defeat in an ugly match in Paris against a Stade Francais team who were as unappealing on the eye as their garish shirts but good enough to beat Clermont with a basic territorial kicking game.

"Clermont may have supplied over a third of the French Grand Slam team but they have the questions to answer come kick off on Friday night. Or do they?"

Leinster captain Brian O'Driscoll delights in his side's Heineken Cup triumph last season © Getty Images

A swift glance at the sheer quality of players in this weekend's Heineken Cup fixtures shows this season as special according to Rob Kitson in The Guardian.

"Will this be a vintage Heineken Cup season? Despite – or maybe because of – the relative lack of English representation in the last eight, the answer is potentially yes. None of this year's quarter-finalists have fluked their way through to the knockout stages and you could stitch together a fantastic XV from those involved. Take, for example, the assorted midfields: Brian O'Driscoll, Yannick Jauzion, Mathieu Bastareaud, Jean de Villiers, Gordon D'Arcy and James Hook are all players either gifted or influential enough to grace any era.

"Sometimes – and heaven knows it is easy to do – we forget how good some of these guys are. And, crucially, just how swiftly the game changes. Last week a panel of notables unveiled the shortlist for an ERC European Dream Team, drawn from players who have decorated the European club game in the past 15 years. It was a decent list (see below), as you would expect.

"But what struck me looking down the candidates was the absence of virtually anyone under the age of 30. Barely a dozen of the 60 players mentioned will be involved this weekend. Could it be that the judges, who included Lawrence Dallaglio, Ieuan Evans, Fabien Galthié and Michael Lynagh, were swayed more by sepia-tinted memories of the great men they played and drank with, rather than the up-to-the-minute evidence of their own eyes? Or was the game – ahem – simply better back then?"

Brian O'Driscoll has said he would be willing to consider a move away from Ireland -- but only after his contract expires following the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The Irish Independent's David Kelly reports.

"I don't rule anything out," said O'Driscoll, who in the past has been courted by clubs, notably Biarritz.

With current Leinster coach Michael Cheika due to hook up with Stade Francais from next season, speculation has inevitably linked the pair to a reunion at some time.

"I did have a big interest in moving," he says of his past links with a move abroad. "I was a bit dismayed about Leinster going through three coaches in three years and I wondered were Leinster going anywhere, but Michael Cheika gave us that stability.

"But that doesn't mean you have to stay in one club for your whole career. If the situation arose, I'd certainly be open to the idea of it."

The Waratahs deserve to be on top of the Super 14 ladder after eight rounds and certainly don't owe their fortune to good luck, says Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder.The Sydney Morning Herald's Rupert Guinness talks to the former All Blacks skipper.

''They are having a great season,'' Blackadder said. ''They really deserve to be No.1 on the table. They have played some exceptional rugby. There is no way the Waratahs are a lucky side. Of all the teams, they obviously have a lot of self-belief, and a good game plan.

''You don't get to No.1 on the ladder - not quite three-quarters of the way through the competition - by being lucky. It just doesn't happen.''

"Blackadder agreed the Waratahs had developed the ability to play the full 80 minutes, whereas in past seasons they had a tendency to fade and let winning opportunities slide.

"When asked what other elements of their game had improved, he said: ''They do the simple basics really well. They have a good scrum and lineout. They seem to be the master of ball retention. They're scoring a lot of tries. They have some real good game-breakers. We have a lot of respect and are cautious of what they can do. They [also] have a really good kicking game.''

The Sunday Times' Stephen Jones previews the Heineken Cup quarter-finals as Northampton make the daunting trip to Munster.

"You could not call it the moment of truth because this burgeoning Northampton side still have lots of improvement to make. But it is an indication of their progress that they go to Thomond Park, Limerick on Saturday with a place in the semi-finals of the Heineken European Cup at stake. However, they will be up against one of the greatest cup-fighting teams in the history of the European event.

"All eyes will be glued to the action. A tranche of young players at Northampton have been exciting the Saints supporters over the last two years, if not the England selectors. On Saturday, against the full fury of Munster, on and off the field, we will learn so much about Courtney Laws, Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Steve Myler and also about Dylan Hartley.

"Indeed, we will learn far more in one afternoon than from a whole season watching players in the England development structure with all its weaknesses. If some or all of these young men thrive in the hostile atmosphere then, almost en bloc, they will deserve a starting place in the England team in Australia in June."

Writing in the Western Mail, Delme Parfitt insists it’s now or never for Wales’ most high-profile team - the Ospreys.

"For most of the season I’ve been backing the Welsh outfit believing this would be the year they would eventually break though the quarter-finals and get to the semis at least. But my faith in the Ospreys has been tested from the start. Their second-half displays against Leicester and Clermont in which they capitulated were worrying, but they got what they needed in the end. Then Clermont tore them apart in France in January, but I remained steadfast.

"The Ospreys, at their strongest, boast a side made up by a majority of Lions and should be able to do something special. They have even discovered an effective position for Hook to show his class. Why then has my optimism all but evaporated?

"Well, defeat against the Dragons is part of it because it wasn’t losing so much as being completely outplayed. A battling win in dreadful conditions against the Scarlets was neither here nor there. It showed the region had a pulse, but that doesn’t mean it’s in rude health."

Former All Black George Nepia is one of those Maori players to have missed out on international recognition between 1928 and 1960 © Getty Images

The New Zealand Rugby Union has been criticised for refusing to apologise for not selecting Maori players in All Blacks squads that toured South Africa between 1928 and 1960. The New Zealand Herald's Chris Rattue says it is about time they did.

"Here goes. On behalf of whoever would like to join this movement, I apologise to the Maori people and the rugby players involved for the disgraceful injustice visited upon them a few moons ago.

"The New Zealand Rugby Union may continue to refuse to apologise for the racist selection policies between 1928 and 1960, when they selected three white-only All Black touring teams to protect their precious footy matches by appeasing South Africa's apartheid system. That doesn't mean the rest of us can't make it clear we would like to do whatever is necessary to try to right a terrible wrong committed by the rugby union, and our society as a whole.

"This apology is not a gimmick, or another way of bashing an NZRU administration for which I have little respect. The apology is heartfelt and sincere, and something I have called on the rugby union to do previously."

Revived Munster lock Paul O'Connell is in bullish mood as his side aim to live up to their own high standards in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals this weekend. The Irish Indepdendent's David Kelly reports.

"Such is Paul O'Connell's exalted status in the global game, it seems that teams can apparently be undermined whether with or without his presence.

With: Against Scotland in Ireland's miserable Triple Crown challenge, the charge from former gilded members of the international fraternity was that O'Connell assumed too much responsibility and his performance suffered as a result.

"He was overly fatigued by the mental and physical travails of non-stop rugby, we were told, and presented himself too often for crash ball and attacked his targets with a lot less intensity than usual. After the often unbearable mental pressures wrought by assuming the Lions captaincy, so soon after Ireland's Grand Slam triumph, not to mention his captaincy of the Magners League-winning squad, O'Connell's often caricatured super-human powers were now facing inevitable diminution.

"Without: As Munster succumbed to a chastening home defeat to Leinster last weekend, we were suddenly demanded to accept that the opposite had now become the case. Munster missed their captain's dynamism, his decision-making and overall leadership. From dispensable to indispensable within a month? Little wonder he threatened to scoff at the underlying motive behind the question."

Writing in the Western Mail, Keith Fairbank reflects on Pontypool RFC's current plight.

"For a generation of rugby fans, the names Price, Faulkner and Windsor immediately evoke memories of one of the most famous units in the sport’s history: the fearsome Pontypool front row. But the club that once provided the famous Wales and Lions trio has fallen on hard times – prompting fears for the future of one of Welsh rugby’s most illustrious clubs.

"Within 20 years, Pontypool RFC has gone from being one of Wales’ mightiest teams to the brink of extinction. Now supporters are worried about the prospects of one of the country’s sporting institutions.

The team stand one place off the bottom of the Premiership – a year after dodging relegation to the second tier on the last day of the season. But while the club look likely to survive this year, prominent supporters are eager to secure the club’s long-term future – and with it a crucial cog in the heritage of a community."

The success of Magners League sides is the envy of the English league according to The Independent's Chris Hewett.

"The number of close games in the Guinness Premiership is greater than in any of the world's other major leagues: far greater, according to recent statistics compiled by the people who run the tournament. Winning margins are smaller, points are harder to score, tries are significantly more difficult to come by and crowds, seduced by the brutal competitiveness of it all, are on the increase, to the extent that gates in top-flight English rugby are fast closing in on Super 14 levels, much to the puzzlement of the southern hemisphere supremacists who consider rugby in this neck of the woods to border on the medieval.

So everything in the garden is rosy, right? Wrong. For the first time since they first banded together in 2001, the Celts are the ones ahead of the game in these islands. There is now clear blue water between the Magners League and the Premiership, and the evidence is to be found in the one competition that involves everyone: the Heineken Cup. When the quarter-finals are played this weekend – the most eagerly-awaited weekend of the season for the union connoisseur – three Celtic sides, two Irish and one Welsh, will be involved. The English? They have Northampton, and no-one else. It is the country's worst performance in Europe since 1999, when, because of a mass boycott, they failed to perform at all."

Leicester are set to lose a second high-profile player to rivals Bath with Sam Vesty set to join Lewis Moody at The Rec next season. Tigers chief executive Peter Wheeler is resigned to the loss and says the Guinness Premiership salary cap constraints hinder player retention - he talks to Paul Rees in The Guardian.

"Leicester fans have expressed concern at the loss of two players who have spent their senior careers with the club and have questioned whether the Tigers have been financially constrained by building the £14m Caterpillar Stand, which was opened earlier this season.

"The new stand was a big commitment and it will take time for it to come to its potential," the Leicester chief executive, Peter Wheeler, said. "We are pleased with how our gates have picked up but we are not selling out every week, as we did before. It will not be too long before we do. We can only spend on wages what the cap allows and that also goes for our academy. We are not the only club that feels the cap is more trouble than it is worth. It is costly to police and administering it takes a lot of time. The benefits of it are not definable apart from an evenly based league in which any one team can beat any other on a given day.

"We also have to think about Europe. England only has one team in this weekend's Heineken Cup quarter-finals and while that is not a concern as a one-off, it would be if it happened again next season. Having a cap makes it more difficult to hold on to players and while you would like to keep someone like Lewis Moody for all his career, the cap means they can often get better wages elsewhere."

There's a big weekend ahead for Leinster and Munster © PA

Gerry Thornley looks ahead to an interesting weekend in Europe for the Irish provinces, and wonders if the bar has been set too high, in The Irish Times.

"So, make or break time again. Three wins out of five in the Six Nations, and just two defeats in eight Tests, along with three Irish quarter-finalists in Europe and two contenders for the Magners League play-offs cannot be deemed a bad season. But, because the bar has been set so high – last season especially – were Irish interest in Europe to end this weekend it might seem an anti-climactic end to a disappointing campaign.

"That will apply to the players as well as the supporters. Victories this weekend would go some way to soothing the disappointment of the defeat to Scotland, especially. This would even help sustain interest in the intriguing run-in to the league (including Connacht’s hard chase of Ulster for the automatic Heineken Cup place) if Leinster, Munster and Connacht could sustain their involvement in the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup for another three weeks.

"Helpfully, all three secured home advantage, and much has been made of the preponderance of home wins at this stage of the Heineken Cup, with 39 of 52 quarter-finals being won by the home side. However, while there were only two away wins in the first five years of this format (ie, 18 home wins to two away wins) in the last eight seasons there have been 11 away wins – including at least one each year."

According to Greg Growden, in The Sydney Morning Herald, it's the strenght of the Waratahs' bench that has helped them secure top spot in the Super 14.

"The ability to finish off games in the final quarter of matches by using their bench as a strike weapon has given the Waratahs their best chance in years at the Super 14 title.

"The Waratahs are sitting on top of the ladder and a key reason they find themselves there has been the dramatic improvement in the overall strength of the playing squad. This season, not only have the Waratahs coped comfortably with injury setbacks, they have also picked up the tempo of matches by using quality replacements in the final minutes.

"Most weeks there have been Wallabies sitting on the Waratahs bench waiting to make their mark on games. Never was this more crucial than in the opening round, when the Waratahs' back-up was considerably better than that of Queensland's, enabling the visitors to take control in Brisbane in the latter stages to run out 30-28 winners."

Wynne Gray salutes the Blues' front-row following their win over the Bulls in The New Zealand Herald.

"Rugby sages bang on about the foundations for any rugby victory being set up front, even in the modern game and the age of spread defences where jersey numbers are irrelevant.

"While the Blues deserve widespread collective praise for lowering the frontrunning Bulls on Saturday, special mention needs to be made of their entire Otahuhu club front row.

"When John Afoa retired early with a damaged back, replacement tighthead prop Tevita Mailau joined captain Keven Mealamu and Charlie Faumuina for the scrummaging battle."

Tony Ward salutes Michael Cheika's achievement in guiding Leinster to their latest win over Munster in The Irish Independent.

"Hands up those who saw this one coming -- but count me out. Back in October, an astonishing 30 points separated the teams at the death; last Friday, the difference was just a single point.

"But, trust me, for Munster this latest defeat -- the third on the bounce to their great rivals -- was even more crushing than that suffered at the RDS. And, for Leinster to win at Thomond Park in such a manner would have been even more satisfying than that Dublin 4 romp.

"For Michael Cheika and Leinster, this was a massive achievement. The challenge now, and it is significant, is to bring everyone involved back to reality and focus on what lies ahead at the RDS on Friday.In contrast to Leinster, Clermont Auvergne were poor in defeat to Stade Francais in Paris last Saturday. Collective confidence added to home comfort ought to put the reigning Heineken Cup champions clearly in pole position, but rugby doesn't work like that."

David Hill is mobbed by his force team-mates after his winning drop-goal against the Stormers © Getty Images

Gavin Rich reviews a bad week for South Africa's Super 14 franchises after losses for the Bulls, Stormers and Cheetahs on Supersport.

"Okay, so there goes the theme of my previous column, leaving a whole lot of Easter egg all over my face. Maybe one day a South African team will go overseas in the Super 14 and win all four or five matches. But it won’t be happening this year. That dream was ended just seven days after the members of the top two South African teams, the Bulls and the Stormers, opened the overseas leg with the Bulls playing the Western Force in Perth.

"The Bulls managed to scrape home in Perth, but the Stormers were made to pay for their lethargy and their continued inability to come out on the right side of Stuart Dickinson’s whistle when they visited the same venue six days later.

"Then on Easter Saturday came the big implosion, with the previously unbeaten Bulls getting smashed by the Blues. I had predicted a Bulls defeat in my preview to the weekend’s fixtures – but by less than five points."

With the Heineken Cup quarter-finals only a week away, Brendan Fanning evaluates Leinster's win over Munster in The Irish Independent.

"I t was not long at all after the game in January when it dawned on Northampton Saints that they had left something important behind them in Thomond Park. Not the valuables bag under a bench in the dressing-room, rather something more important - out on the pitch. In the history of European competition in Limerick, the home side have only lost once, and to opposition from England's midlands as it happens. Saints, Leicester's neighbours and keenest rivals, had a glorious opportunity to make that a unique English double. The problem was that they hadn't believed.

"Afterwards, their coach Jim Mallinder was positive in his comments about how his team had taken the game to Munster, but he knew they should have taken it away from them as well. And then, when the mist had cleared on the pool stages and Saints had been drawn away to Munster in the quarter-final, the overwhelming feeling was of satisfaction. A chance to go one better.

"With that in mind, Munster needed to send out a message on Good Friday that they were on the right track for next weekend. Jerry Flannery was back, even if Paul O'Connell and Keith Earls were absent, and the atmosphere was at fever pitch. In these circumstances, they needed their out-half to be clear and focused and, with five from five shots on goal, Ronan O'Gara was in the groove. It looked like a personal crusade to win back his Ireland shirt."

Berrick Barnes took the Man of the Match award as the Waratahs beat the Cheetahs at the weekend, but he's in no mood to crow abaout it when talking to Ruper Guinness in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"If Berrick Barnes is feeling any satisfaction over his man-of-the-match performance against the Cheetahs on Saturday, he is keeping it close to his chest. To most who watched the match, Barnes's performance indicated a return of confidence after a forgettable few weeks.

''Maybe they couldn't find anyone else to give it [man of the match] to,'' he quipped. ''It's more like a lucky-dip prize. So there you go.''

"Typically, Barnes went to great lengths to deflect credit to others for the Waratahs' 40-17 victory over the Cheetahs, which propelled them to first place on the Super 14 table."

Chris Rattue challenges the Blues to follow up their win over the Bulls with more of the same or better in The New Zealand Herald.

"Here's the wee challenge for the Blues.The concept is quite simple, even if largely foreign to this mad mob over most of the past decade.

"Take what you did so impressively against the Bulls on Saturday and (trumpets, lights, firecrackers) ... DO IT AGAIN THIS WEEK. It's a novel idea, playing really well two weeks in a row. The Blues could even flirt with the bizarre and actually improve on the performance when they take on the Stormers at Eden Park on Saturday.

"No doubt everyone is in a chipper mood in the Blues camp right now, having handed the champion Bulls their first defeat of the season. From what you hear, the Blues are pretty chipper anyway, win, lose or draw."

England boss Martin Johnson has vowed to walk away if he feels he is not up to the job © Getty Images

England manager Martin Johnson talks to the Mail on Sunday's Ian Stafford about Martin Sir Clive Woodward's possible return, the critics who deride England and putting his reputation on the line.

"When Martin Johnson cycles through the countryside around his Leicestershire home, he often stops at the top of a low ridge. There he gets off and thoughtfully surveys the peaceful rural scene.

In his mind’s eye, England’s rugby manager imagines the carnage and chaos witnessed at this spot outside the village of Naseby — across the county border in Northamptonshire — more than three and a half centuries ago, when the rout of the Royalists by Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army signalled the beginning of the end for the king, Charles I, and the first English civil war.

Johnson, a keen student of history, is aware that in the aftermath of a disappointing Six Nations campaign for his England team, both he and his players have been accused of being too often the Roundheads, and not the Cavaliers.

‘Maybe,’ he acknowledged last week. ‘But, remember, Cromwell won the war.’ Johnson may accompany his quip with a wry smile, but the demands of attempting to rebuild England’s rugby fortunes upon the colossus who led his country to World Cup glory seven years ago have been immense."

Shamed Harlequins are still drained one year on from Bloodgate affair - Paul Ackford writes in the Sunday Telegraph.

"In the ensuing months Bloodgate has never fully gone away, from the club or from the rugby world in general.

“The shadow cast was darker and longer than we anticipated,” [chairman Malcom] Wall admitted. “I was in New Zealand in January and picked up some of the rugby magazines which had published their end-of-season reviews. There were pages and pages on the subject, and it was the same in the Australian media.

"I also met up with Richie Riddell, a New Zealander who had played for Quins in the amateur era. He had flown from Auckland to Melbourne for the horse racing and he and his mates were wearing Quins blazers. When they got to Melbourne they were asked if they had anything to declare, and the customs officer specifically inquired whether they were carrying any blood capsules."

Northampton boss Jim Mallinder reveals to the Sunday Times' Stephen Jones that his goal is to coach England.

Frankly, Mallinder is doing a towering job. He picked up the club in the second division, after incoherence over too many years had condemned them to relegation. They burst back into the Guinness Premiership with a perfect season and confirmed their status last season. They have already won the first trophy of this season, [the LV Anglo-Welsh Cup, ]they are near the top of the division and on Saturday they play in the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup, away to Munster in Limerick. Such is the promise of this burgeoning, fiery team, that this is not by any means an impossible mission.

He has also brought to the fore a raft of English dazzle — Ben Foden, Courtney Lawes, Chris Ashton, Shane Geraghty and others. He is unquestionably the leading English-born contender to coach the national side and, if timings are correct, he could well coach England sooner rather than later. It is a monumental career revival."

The Herald on Sunday's Gregor Paul looks back on the first half of the Super 14 season.

"In a truly strange mix, the Blues have over-achieved in terms of performance but under-achieved in terms of results.

"Tactically they have taken risks but have been smart. Is it mad to run the ball from inside their own 22 when they do it so well? Against the Brumbies and Waratahs, the Blues frequently made it deep into opposition territory by keeping the ball alive. The high tempo game is working well for them. It is a strategy that is aligned not only to the individual strengths of the players, but also to the law interpretations.

"Unlike in previous seasons, their lack of competition points is not a consequence of pursuing a vague and disjointed game plan or, as they did for periods under David Nucifora, one that is not quite right for them. The problem has been loose execution when it really matters. A Stephen Brett intercept in the first game gave the Hurricanes a soft run to the tape."

Tipped to be England captain until he broke his shoulder a year ago, Tom Rees could once again be the missing piece of Martin Johnson's jigsaw. Chris Hewett writes in The Independent.

" Wasps lost at Franklin's Gardens, it was not in the way many people expected them to lose against the form side in the country. Thanks in large part to Rees' contribution, not only as a back-row hunter-gatherer but also as a quick thinking and decisive leader, they pressed the Midlanders to within an inch of their lives and announced themselves as strong play-off candidates into the bargain.

"It left me pretty sore," Rees confesses, "but I expected that. The thing that did surprise me was playing the full 80 minutes, although the penny dropped when I saw Serge Betsen come on to replace Joe Worsley instead of me. When I got home, I barely moved from the sofa. I raised myself once to answer the door, thinking it was the pizza delivery man. It turned out to be the drug-test people." Oh, the glamour of top-flight rugby: an afternoon spent mixing it with an opponent as intimidating as the wild-eyed Neil Best, followed by an evening peeing into a pot."

The Ospreys are the only team in the competition left flying the Wales flag but winger Shane Williams insists his side have reached the quarters on merit and want to go further. Read his thoughts in The Observer.

"Playing in the latter stages of the Heineken Cup comes down to a state of mind. Teams such as Munster, Toulouse, Leicester and Leinster know what it takes to succeed at a stage in the tournament when every team has real quality.

This is the third successive year the Ospreys have qualified for the quarter-finals. We lost at Saracens the first time having turned them over in the EDF Energy Cup not long before and 12 months ago we were beaten out of sight in Munster.

We have to put those painful memories to profitable use against Biarritz in San Sebastián on Saturday. They may not have pulled up many trees in the Top 14 this season and they may not be playing on their home ground, but they defeated Toulouse in Spain last Saturday and they have players of genuine class throughout their side."

Australia's Liam Gill injects some pace into an attack during the recent Hong Kong 7s tournament © Getty Images

A Super 14 injury crisis has created welcome opportunities for a host of young Australian players and writing on Rugby Heaven, Greg Growden is already looking forward to 2015.

"Australian rugby is going through a dramatic regeneration phase, with the young pups taking over the game. Partly caused by necessity due to extensive injury lists among the four Australian Super 14 provinces, especially the Western Force, a number of teenagers and new faces have appeared in the tournament this year.

"Not that long ago, it was a rarity to see a kid just out of school in the Super 14. This year it has been the norm. And in the background, the Australian Sevens team keeps producing vibrant talent, including 17-year-old Queensland breakaway Liam Gill, who was this week signed by the Reds.

"Australian Rugby Union officials say the new breed will have a presence in next year's World Cup in New Zealand. However, it is at the 2015 tournament that the next generation could really make the Wallabies a dominant force."

The Irish provincial model should be a template for Italy and Argentina in the coming years, writes Tony Ward in The Irish Independent.

"For Italian and Argentinian rugby, this is their NAMA -- a watershed. Both countries are attempting to set in place a professional structure to keep the best emerging talent at home and to attract those who have already flown the coop back to where the heart is.

"Think back to the early days of professionalism: all the early signs pointed to rugby in this country following the path of soccer, with the vast majority of our elite plying their trade abroad. Some did emigrate and some are still away, but the number is minuscule, thanks in the main to the way in which Philip Browne and the IRFU have gone about their business.

"We all like to trot out the line that, on any given day, any one of the Six Nations can beat any other but, in the case of the Italians, is that really true? They have never beaten Ireland, France or England in the competition. However, on the back of entrance into the Magners League next season, the seeds for future Six Nations competitiveness are being sown. The arrival of Treviso and the new Aironi Region (a renamed Viadana) cannot come quickly enough."

In a wide ranging interview with Gerry Thornley of the Irish Times, the now retired IRFU director of fitness Dr. Liam Hennessy outlines what went wrong at Ireland's disastrous 2007 World Cup.

“I think simply the Genesis report states the boys couldn’t have been in better shape. That’s not me saying it. That’s an independent body saying it. They did their homework to find that out. We had a 52-week countdown plan where all the guys, all our guys, were involved in making sure the guys were in the best possible shape. There was great harmony in how it worked. Then Eddie (O’Sullivan) who is in my book an outstanding coach, Eddie did put his hands up and by his own admission said he got it wrong on that front."

"By this Hennessy means in terms of match preparation and actual pitch work. “I suppose there was a panic . . . here were a couple of moments I would imagine of realisation that ‘Oh we ain’t ready, rugby wise, for the game’. We’ve gone through it ad nauseam, and it was a huge stressful time for everybody. I know the guys in terms of strength, power, speed, everything they were way up there,” he says, pointing his hand above his head and suggesting their physical endurance for the rest of that season and since underlines the point.

"So they were over-trained, or in Hennessy’s terminology, over-practised.

“I mean, look, it’s a lesson for everybody. You can’t fatten the pig before the fair. You can’t cram in all those hours of extra work on the pitch technically. You can’t keep doing that through the tournament. That only goes one way, down in terms of performance. So that over-concentration on ‘let’s get this right’, ‘let’s do more on the pitch to make up for what’s not being done and to make up for the lack of performances’. So that’s what I mean by mistakes being made and lessons learned.”

After joining an exclusive club featuring Englishmen to have played Super Rugby, Andy Goode tells Mike Greeneaway in The Independent. that he is loving life in the southern hemisphere and would recommend the experience.

"Having left Brive at the end of February, the English No 10 is midway though a peculiar spell at Durban's Super 14 team the Sharks. Today, after five away matches, he plays his first home game. At the end of next month, he comes back to England, to join Worcester. But for now, he is enjoying a rare experience in South Africa indeed, and after becoming an irregular starter at Brive, and slipping behind Jonny Wilkinson and Toby Flood in the Red Rose order, he may just be hoping to revive his career, too.

"My first few days with the Sharks was daunting," he admits. "Out of the bright blue you suddenly land up amongst total strangers, although you have seen a good few of them on TV. But the Afrikaans guys were brilliant. I would walk into a room, where a group of them were playing cards and talking away in their first language and they would immediately switch to English, their second language, put an arm around me and welcome me with big smiles, and carry on without so much as a blink. I have huge respect for these South African boys and their humility.

"When we got back from tour to Durban, John Smit, the World Cup-winning captain, invited me to dinner at his home with his family and said: 'Welcome, you are one of us.'"

Wayne Barnes will be back in the middle of it this summer © Getty Images

Wynne Gray is eagerley anticipating Wayne Barnes' refereeing appearance on New Zealand soil in The New Zealand Herald.

"At last the wait is over. The dream team is coming to a town near you.Come June 12 when the All Blacks open their domestic campaign in New Plymouth, Wayne Barnes will be in charge. Yep that's right, Wayne Barnes, he of the pale complexion, questionable eyesight and unerring silence after the 2007 World Cup quarter-final in Cardiff.

"Barnes reffed an All Black test against Scotland a year later and has run touch for their games in this part of the world. But, despite vigorous references from International Rugby Board referees' boss Paddy O'Brien, Barnes has not whistled his Acme Thunderer in an All Black test here.

"O'Brien reckoned Barnes was "the brightest star we have on our books" after the World Cup but those stellar qualities were sheltered from twinkling in New Zealand."

Inga Tuigamala believes the Super 14 decision to dispense with neutral referees has come at a cost and should be reversed, in his New Zealand Herald column.

"Rugby should turn the clock back to ensure a more legitimate future. I'm talking about referees, and the use of the neutral system. The Super 14 has abandoned the use of neutral referees, presumably to save costs. But the competition should do a u-turn, and use neutral referees and touch judges.

I have a fair deal of sympathy for Blues coach Pat Lam, who claimed that the inexperienced Garratt Williamson from New Zealand was unduly influenced by his two Australian touch judges in the Waratahs' favour in Sydney last week.

"Referees and touch judges are having an enormous influence on the outcome of games - overly so unfortunately. It would be far better if the players were the only ones who settled the outcomes, but the way things are going, it is doubly important to ensure that referees have the best chance of doing an even-handed job."

Hugh Farrelly believes CJ van der Linde's stint at Leinster was one that came at great cost to Leinster and Ireland's long term planning in The Irish Independent.

"With only four professional outlets in Irish rugby, two overseas props on a province's books is one too many and in the final pool games of the Heineken Cup and Challenge Cup in January, we had the situation where, of the eight propping slots available, four were filled by non-Irish-qualified players (BJ Botha, Van der Linde, Wian du Preez and Robbie Morris).

"The Leinster team for tonight's Magners League clash with Munster emphasises the point -- Wright and Van der Linde starting, Healy on the bench, no Mike Ross. One overseas prop per province is permissible, two is self-destructive from an Ireland point of view and must cause considerable mirth in the southern hemisphere as their players benefit (financially and psychologically) at the expense of would-be World Cup challengers.

"Rocky Elsom unquestionably brought Irish rugby forward during his time with Leinster; Van der Linde has, and continues to, hinder its progress."

Shaun Edwards argues against raising the Guinness Premiership's salary cap, arguing it would be a backwards step and would reduce competitiveness in his Guardian column.

"Without the salary cap, rugby could easily have gone down the football route where success often depends on the depth of the owner's pockets. I'm not saying that clubs have not bought their way to silverware – Sale's owner, Brian Kennedy, admitted only recently that their present difficulties are in part the consequence of buying big to become champions – but playing budgets have not been ridiculously out of kilter.

"OK, I know there are clubs who want the ceiling raised, but equally there are plenty of clubs who can't afford to spend the £4m allowed. The result is a league in which, on their day, any side can beat any other. Look at the table. This is the sharp end of the season and seven points cover the bottom five clubs, while six sides have a realistic shot at the play-offs. Between now and the end of the season almost every game will be significant, which suggests a league in good health."

Robbie Deans was unflustered by the result © Getty Images

Glenn Jackson reviews a bizarre day down under as an inexperienced league team beat the cream of the union crop in The Sydney Morning Herald.

" Their coach refused to learn the rules and the players trained with soccer balls, but somehow Keebra Park High, the best rugby league school in the country, did what many at the Australian Rugby Union must have considered unthinkable and beat them at their own game.

The Gold Coast school yesterday defeated the cream of young rugby talent across NSW, Queensland and ACT to win the ARU Schools Sevens, as the battle between the codes took a bizarre turn. The very fact they were invited to compete - after winning the Queensland section of the tournament earlier this year - must have many believing the decision should have been thrown in the ''what-were-we-thinking?'' basket."

Inga Tuigamala calls for a return to neutral refereeing in the Super 14 following Blues coach Pat Lam's issues in Sydney in The New Zealand Herald.

"Rugby should turn the clock back to ensure a more legitimate future. I'm talking about referees, and the use of the neutral system. The Super 14 has abandoned the use of neutral referees, presumably to save costs. But the competition should do a u-turn, and use neutral referees and touch judges.

"I have a fair deal of sympathy for Blues coach Pat Lam, who claimed that the inexperienced Garratt Williamson from New Zealand was unduly influenced by his two Australian touch judges in the Waratahs' favour in Sydney last week.

"Referees and touch judges are having an enormous influence on the outcome of games - overly so unfortunately. It would be far better if the players were the only ones who settled the outcomes, but the way things are going, it is doubly important to ensure that referees have the best chance of doing an even-handed job."

David Kelly takes a look at the continued confusion caused by refereeing interpretations of the tackle area in The Irish Independent.

"Rugby's tackle law may not necessarily be an ass, but it's certainly giving more and more of the hard-pressed spectators, coaches and players a significant pain there.

"It is difficult to forget the furore that erupted during the Six Nations, when the normally mild-mannered Irish coach Declan Kidney publicly expressed a rage many others felt privately at IRB referees manager Paddy O'Brien for implementing a new tackle law interpretation during week five of the championship.

"Munster coach Tony McGahan is one of the more cerebral coaches in the game but even he has had inordinate difficulty in maintaining contact with the accelerating developments regarding the interpretation of the new tackle law."

Stephen Jones salutes the elder statesmen of the game in The Times.

"Two Leicester front rowers have been in the news this week. Julian White, the prop, aged 36, has signed a new contract with the club. Mefin Davies, the hooker who is all of 38 this year, is leaving – for a brand new contract at the Ospreys.

"The Ospreys lost heavily to the Newport Gwent Dragons last weekend. In a desperate attempt to drag the match back in the second half, they threw on Filo Tiatia, who is 39. Gareth Thomas, until recently of Cardiff Blues, has found not only a new club at 36, but a new sport – rugby league, for the Crusaders.

"Meanwhile, back at Leicester, White and Davies could find themselves up against Bath’s Danny Grewcock (38) and Duncan Bell (a mere 36) if chosen for Saturday’s game.

"There is always talk about the rigours of the modern game, the intensity, the size of the hits, the demands on players. If I had a pound for every time someone, somewhere in the past 15 years said that careers will get shorter and shorter, then I would be incredibly rich. I am sure I have written it a few times myself."