Matt Stevens is targeting a place in England's World Cup squad © Getty Images

Matt Stevens will be a foremost contender for a place in England's World Cup squad after the Saracens prop completed the rehaibilitation of his reputation with a call up for the Churchill Cup, writes Chris Hewett in the Independent

"Prop forwards generally move in pedestrian ways, their wonders to perform, but Matt Stevens has a reputation for doing things differently. His re-emergence as an international-class tight forward – the first stage of his career ended abruptly when his "recreational" dabblings with cocaine turned into a serious habit – continued at a sprinter's pace yesterday when he was named in the second-string England Saxons squad for the annual Churchill Cup tournament, which begins this weekend.

"He must now be regarded as a live contender for World Cup selection. The South African-born scrummager is only a few weeks into his comeback with Saracens, and as recently as February, he would have been grateful for a few run-ons with the first team. As it turned out, he cemented his place in the starting line-up almost immediately and helped the club to a first English championship title at Twickenham on Saturday."

The Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary believes that England must attempt to replicate Saracens' warrior spirit when Martin Johnson's men travel to New Zealand for the World Cup later this year.

"Nigel Wray has made a few blunders along the way to a first Premiership title, as he commendably admits, but the genial Saracens chairman hit the mark when saying late on Saturday evening that successful rugby was essentially about “character”.

"Of course you need the turbocharged feet of a Schalk Brits, the precocious aplomb of an Owen Farrell and the shaggy-haired destructive energy of a Jacques Burger. But skill alone will take you only so far. Saracens played for each other and a sense of team on Saturday afternoon. In four months’ time in New Zealand, Martin Johnson will be hoping to replicate such virtues and achievements."

Writing in the Irish Times, Gerry Thornley believes Irish rugby is in rude health ahead of the World Cup after the exploits of Leinster and Munster this season.

"As World Cup cycles go, the 2010-11 season took to three the number of Heineken Cups and Magners Leagues won by Leinster and Munster in that timespan, to augment the Grand Slam of 2009. But for a lack of tactical ruthlessness and belief at home to France, and being the victims of the worst officiating decision of the season in Cardiff, the season might even have emulated two years ago.

"Of course, Ireland were reasonably well set in 2007 as well, and we all know what happened, while as the All Blacks’ 24 years of hurt underline, what happens in between World Cups counts for far less than the last four months or so. Still, Irish rugby looks in reasonably rude health"

Dylan Cleaver in the New Zealand Herald argues the Crusaders' Super Rugby campaign this season is not faltering as the figures would suggest.

"Since 1998 they have picked up the title seven times, finished runners-up twice and failed to make the semifinals only once.

"So this season's bald figures - nine wins and a draw from 14 matches and a tenuous fourth on the ladder - would suggest, even taking into account the competition's reformatting, a fairly ho-hum campaign by their standards.

"Far from it.If anything, what the Crusaders have done in 2011 under Todd Blackadder surpasses anything they have achieved before, with the exception of their unbeaten 2002."

A young England side threw lost 38-32 to the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday © Getty Images

Writing in the Daily Mail Chris Foy suggests that England manager Martin Johnson will have gained few positives from the non-cap clash with the Barbarians on Sunday.

"Martin Johnson's early smile gave way to a trademark frown at Twickenham as an experimental England side gave up six tries, collected injuries and threw away a 17-point lead.

"The off-duty national manager was hoping to watch some fringe candidates stake a claim to a spot in the World Cup squad. Instead, Johnson saw Ugo Monye going off with a knee-ligament strain, while the likes of Charlie Hodgson and James Simpson-Daniel succumbed to costly lapses after starting well."

Few of England's players on display at Twickenham on Sunday have a realistic chance of making it into Martin Johnson's World Cup squad, according to Robert Kitson in the Guardian.

"When England fly out to New Zealand for the World Cup in three months' time it seems unlikely their squad will contain more then three or four of the players who wore the red rose on Sunday. This starting XV had an average age of 23 and, in that context, defeat by a vastly more seasoned Barbarians side was as significant a World Cup pointer as the pool stages of the Middlesex Sevens.

"England have a Churchill Cup title to defend next month and they will have to do so without Harlequins' Ugo Monye and Joe Marler, who suffered a strained knee and concussion respectively in the second half. Matt Banahan suffered a bang on the shin but he lasted the full 80 minutes and should have made a full recovery by the time England's 44-strong World Cup training squad gathers on 19 June.

"Aside from Banahan, who made a decent fist of it at inside‑centre before Monye's injury forced a reshuffle, the other players to catch the eye were the captain, Luke Narraway, his Gloucester colleague James Simpson‑Daniel and the Exeter flanker Tom Johnson. London Irish's young back-row Jamie Gibson did his prospects no harm after appearing as a replacement but it was not enough to prevent the Barbarians securing a second victory in this fixture since 2005."

Hugh Farrelly writes in the Irish Independent that Munster's Magners League triumph on Saturday against Leinster completed a successful season for Irish rugby.

"Not a bad way to round off a long, tiring but, ultimately, extremely positive season for Irish rugby.

"Irish provinces won both the Magners League and Heineken Cup -- throw in Ulster's resurgence plus Connacht making the elite European competition for the first time and the 2010/11 season must be marked down as a successful campaign.

"When you consider that Ireland had the ability to win the Six Nations, were it not for a touch of self-doubt against France and an inexcusable lapse of officialdom in Wales, the signs are extremely encouraging ahead of the World Cup, now just over three months away."

Welsh rugby legend Jonathan Davies analyses Welsh rugby's failings this season with the Western Mail's Simon Thomas.

Reflecting on this failure, TV pundit Jonathan Davies believes it’s all about the inability to make the big decisions on the big stage.

“It has been a disappointing season,” said the former Neath, Llanelli and Cardiff star. “Everybody involved in Welsh rugby is disappointed. On the regional side, we’ve under-performed for the majority of the season. But it was the key games that really let us down.

“In Europe, the Blues lost to Northampton twice, which was where they blew up. As for the Ospreys, Toulon away was a game they should have won. That was down to poor game management, while they over-emphasised the scrum against Munster when they should have scored more points; and then they go to London Irish and lose.

“The Scarlets started well, but didn’t have enough forward power at the time, while the Dragons were never really in contention. So that was the Heineken Cup over with.”

Former Australia internationals Nick Farr-Jones and John Eales are confident the Wallabies can win a third World Cup in New Zealand later this year, reports Wynne Gray in the New Zealand Herald.

"A hub of World Cup-winning knowledge lives in Sydney.

"David Kirk, the first skipper to hold aloft the Webb Ellis Cup, has worked there for some time, Nick Farr-Jones was raised in the city while John Eales has shifted south from Brisbane.

"The Wallaby winners like the way Robbie Deans' management and style is flowing through the side, they can see a third Webb Ellis Cup in the ARU's trophy room later this season."

Saracens celebrate victory in the Aviva Premiership Final at Twickenham © Getty Images

Saracens' triumph over Leicester Tigers in the Aviva Premiership Final at Twickenham on Saturday was down to the unique team spirit forged in recent seasons, according to the Independent on Sunday's David Hands.

"That last minute must have seemed an eternity for Saracens. The clock was approaching the 80th minute when Leicester won a line-out 10 metres from the Saracens line and set in motion the series of drives which stood as a metaphor for the entire Aviva Premiership final.

"More than 30 times a Leicester body forced itself inches forward, down the narrowest of channels, before, finally, they went wide and won a penalty which gavethem a second chance for redemption. All match, the team that has dominated the Premiership this decade – this was their seventh successive final – had failed to find the open space in which to set their runners free.

The final minute turned itself into eight and still Saracens held, before winning the penalty that gave them the title. This is what Nigel Wray, their original benefactor who is still hugely committed to the club after 15 years, invested his millions for – before the starry days of Michael Lynagh, Philippe Sella, FrancoisPienaar and co gave way to the hard-bitten earthiness and community spirit that Brendan Venter coached into the squad before he stood down as the director of rugby midway through this season."

In The Observer Michael Aylwin heaps on the praise as he hails Saracens' historic achievement.

"An entire season of 135 games came down to a tryline stand just a few minutes before 5pm on this grey Saturday afternoon. So too did the consummation of a rugby club's story that began 135 years ago. For the first time in that long history, which began so humbly and remained humble for the next 120 years or so, Saracens are the best team in England. And no one could possibly complain at the end, so heroic had they been as they defended the encroaching Leicester tide."

Writing in the Irish Independent Neil Francis says that Munster's superior desire helped them overcome European Champions Leinster in the Magners League Grand Final.

"Normally in matches like this there are no winners, just survivors. The truth is always and only in the action, and in this pulsating match Munster proved that when they really, really absolutely have to, they can pull one out of the bag.

"They were the better team on the day, dominant in the first half, sharp, precise and alert. Their pack had a voracious appetite at the breakdown and they were just that little bit more controlled and composed in the red zone.

"More importantly they scored precious tries, something they had been singularly unable to achieve in seven matches, but when you are like a dog without a bone, sometimes that hunger takes you to the edge. Munster had that edge and in scoring those two tries they also managed to keep Leinster tryless."

Paul Ackford argues in the Sunday Telegraph that the investigation into Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill ahead of the Aviva Premiership final was flawed.

"On Monday Judge Jeff Blackett, the Rugby Football Union’s disciplinary officer, published his report into the conduct of Leicester coaches Richard Cockerill and Matt O’Connor during the Premiership semi-final between Leicester and Northampton.

"Within minutes of Blackett’s judgment appearing on email, a colleague who had attended the match and reported on the behaviour of the two coaches, sent me a text message to say that he had not been approached by the RFU either by text, email or phone for his version of what had happened.

"This week I contacted other rugby journalists from the Observer, the Guardian, the News of the World and the Daily Mail who had written about the incidents either on the Sunday or Monday. None had heard from the RFU."

South African great Joost van der Westhuizen was enjoying a life of fatherhood, golf and retirement before he was told he could have motor neurone disease, Aislinn Laing reports for the Sunday Telegraph.

"He was one of the greatest rugby players ever, renowned for his powerful tackles and for being the most capped South African of all time. He and his beautiful pop-star wife were dubbed the Posh and Becks of the southern hemisphere, a glamorous couple who - with their two young children - for many years epitomised the best of his sport and their country.

"But now Joost van der Westhuizen has been told that, aged just 40 and only eight years since he retired from the sport, he is probably suffering from motor neurone disease. If his diagnosis is confirmed, then within a few months he will probably lose the ability to walk - and within a few years, he could be dead.

"My neurosystem is just giving up," he said. "The doctors don't know what causes it. It's not a virus, it's not stress, it's not social life, they just don't know what it is. What they can't understand is that most of their patients are fit people, sports people."

Former Australia coach Bob Dwyer, in the Sydney Morning Herald, is adamant that Western Force wonderkid James O'Connor should take centre stage for the Wallabies

"James O'Connor would be a sure-fire hit for Australia at No.12, according to former Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer. He says the combination of best mates O'Connor and Quade Cooper in the Australian playmaking roles would form one of the deadliest attacking pairings in world rugby.

"Incumbent Wallabies coach Robbie Deans revealed to The Sun-Herald this month that the Force star and Wallabies winger was seriously being considered as an option at inside-centre. And Dwyer said national selectors would be mad not to give O'Connor his chance ahead of Matt Giteau and Berrick Barnes.

''James O'Connor is a fantastic player. He'd kill them at No.12 for the Wallabies,'' Dwyer said.
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''With Quade Cooper and O'Connor together, as long as Cooper continues his improvement in using other people, I think they'll be extremely dangerous together. Cooper is a much, much better player than he was and O'Connor is a very good player. They'll have great confidence in each other, too.'

Leicester and Saracens will lock horns in the Aviva Premiership final for the second year in succession © Getty Images

Saracens and Leicester have history - both on and off the pitch - which should make today's match compelling viewing, according to Chris Hewett of The Independent.

"There is undoubtedly a "bit going on" between these two clubs. Saracens may have abandoned the agitprop approach to rugby relations that made them the talk of the town last season - by comparison, they have been positively conciliatory this time round - but Edward Griffiths, their chief executive, could not resist summoning the spirit of the spiky 2009-10 campaign by revealing that Leicester had felt "unable" to write a letter in support of Venter when he was being carpeted by the governing body for his own alleged transgressions. 'If the roles had been reversed,' Griffiths said, a day after Cockerill had been given the all-clear, 'we would certainly have written such a letter.'

"All things considered, then, the temperature ahead of today's winner-takes-all contest is just about right. Both teams feel they have points to prove: Leicester are not at all amused at their failure to beat Saracens during the regular season, either home or away, while their opponents are bristling at criticism of their style of rugby."

Donal Lenihan of the Irish Examiner mulls over where the eagerly-awaited Magners League Grand Final showdown between provincial rivals Munster and Leinster will be won and lost.

"Leinster know exactly what to expect when playing against Munster and have their defence structured accordingly. It is no coincidence, therefore, that Munster have now gone six games on the trot against them without scoring a single try.

"To win today, Munster have to break that sequence and therefore need to change the manner with which they structure their phase attack. Munster need to pull a rabbit out of the hat and throw something different at Leinster in order to prevail."

In his weekly column in The Independent, former England boss Brian Ashton hails Jonathan Sexton's performance in last weekend's Heineken Cup final.

"After another punishing season of Premiership activity, I am quite willing to believe that fatigue played its part, especially as Leinster had been able to rest one or two individuals in the run-up. Even so, the Dubliners' metamorphosis was remarkable.

"Technically speaking, their first-half performance resembled that of an indifferent school side – the Under-14 B team sounds about right – yet after the break they were their formidable, overwhelming-on-all-fronts selves.

"Much has been made of Brian O'Driscoll's influence, but they now have something else working in their favour, off the field as well as on it: the Jonny Sexton factor. The outside-half is fast maturing into a genuine commander – certainly, Northampton could not live with the breadth and variation at the heart of his game – and, given the outstanding performances we have seen from him in recent high-profile matches, Ireland's forthcoming World Cup campaign should be very interesting indeed."

Things began badly for the Leinster coach in his new posting, but the former headmaster never wavered from his lesson plan, writes Gerry Thornley of the Irish Times.

"One of the few drawbacks of living in Clermont-Ferrand was that the golf courses would be closed due to snow in the mountainous Auvergne. Hence, prior to arriving in Dublin last summer, Joe Schmidt warned his wife, Kellie, that he would be playing golf once a week. Since arriving last June, he has played the sum total of nine holes in one visit to Killeen Castle.

"Schmidt can well understand why Vern Cotter is not of a mind to leave Clermont Auvergne, where Cotter drives into the countryside for some shooting. Even though 65,000 people congregated at the Place de Jaude for the Sunday homecoming with the cherished Bouclier de Brennus last June, the town of Clermont-Ferrand has a population of 140,000, and Schmidt too loved the surrounding countryside.

"He’d go into his office on a Sunday morning (he’d already have looked at next week’s opposition a little) and review the previous day’s game as well as look ahead to next week’s. He’d try to be finished by lunchtime, to leave the rest of his day for Kellie and their four young children - Abby, Tim, Ella and Luke.

"Wednesday was a day off, so the morning would be taken up with a French lesson and then go for one of those lunches that only the French do, before sharing in his kids’ sporting activities in the afternoon.

"'I really enjoyed that about French life, just because they take the time to do things, you know?'"

Wasps-bound Gloucester fly-half Nicky Robinson is handed the No.10 shirt in Shaun Edwards' Premiership Team of the Year © Getty Images

Writing in The Guardian, Wasps coach Shaun Edwards selects his Premiership Team of the Year.

"15 Alex Goode Saracens - His all-round game has improved and he's an international of the future without doubt, but for now he epitomises what Saracens are – a level-headed bunch who play an almost scientific game.

"...10 Nicky Robinson Gloucester - And not just because he'll be a Wasp next season. His boot and brain were at the centre of the Gloucester challenge that almost got them to the final. He knows his way around a rugby pitch and has the happy knack of all good support players in that he gets in at the beginning and end of attacks.

"...8 Phil Dowson Northampton - A really clever guy who thinks the team's way through games, much as an alternative captain should. Five tries also suggests he knows where to be at the right time."

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans believes there is no point even contemplating about an alternative Test captain as he is adamant Rocky Elsom will play in the opening international against Samoa in Sydney on July 17. The Sydney Morning Herald's Greg Growden reports.

"Speculation that David Pocock, James Horwill or Will Genia will be handed the Test skipper's reins has intensified after Elsom discovered this week his ankle injury sustained during the Brumbies match against the Force in Perth last Saturday night was serious. After playing his first match for the Brumbies this season, Elsom underwent an MRI scan that revealed he was suffering from syndesmosis, or a high ankle sprain.

"Deans said yesterday that although Elsom was likely to be sidelined for six weeks, he anticipated his skipper would be part of the Wallabies squad for the start of their long international season, which culminates with the World Cup in September-October.

"'It's syndesmosis but it is not as sinister as they often are, which is evident from the fact that Rocky finished the game,'' Deans said.

"Deans said there was no point discussing an alternative captain but at least conceded that among the Wallabies leadership group there were several options."

Leinster's Shane Jennings can confirm World Cup claims in white heat of Magners showdown, writes the Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly.

"There were many reasons for Leinster's staggering, unanswered 27 points that threw the Heineken Cup final on its head, but Jennings' ferocious leadership and ability to provide quick ruck ball were high among them.

"Since damaging his knee earlier this year, he has been used off the bench behind the extra height of Kevin McLaughlin in the big matches, but Jennings' influence has been huge -- playing a crucial role in the semi-final against Toulouse and in Cardiff.

"His coach and captain are in no doubt about his worth to the team. "Jenno brings that real edge to us. It was very tough on him not starting. He's as hungry as any player that I've come across, he demands certain standards from everyone and he's had a massive role to play. We've had a pretty close relationship living in England together and Jenno is a competitor of the highest order," said Cullen yesterday.

"Jenno, he had eight weeks off with a knee (injury) where he couldn't do a lot of running," said Schmidt. "He's added to us every time he's taken to the field and I'm sure he will again on Saturday."

The new format of Super Rugby is not so super from the perspective of South African teams - Sport24's Stephen Nell writes.

"That is the view of Stormers chief executive and WP Rugby (Pty) Ltd managing director Rob Wagner, who has written to SANZAR about the issue.And, in an interview with Sport24, Sharks and Springbok hooker Bismarck du Plessis has raised some points on how South African teams are being disadvantaged.

"...“That inequality in the tournament definitely needs attention because as things stand now, the playing field is definitely not level for all the teams,” said Du Plessis.

“It’s much easier for a team like the Reds to play the Rebels and Force twice than it is for us to play in tough derby matches every week."

The Independent's Chris Hewett reflects on the decision to allow Premiership clubs a 'marquee' signing as of the 2012-13 season.

"The richest clubs in English rugby – Leicester, Saracens, Bath and Northampton – have not succeeded in freeing themselves from their economic chains by abolishing the salary cap, despite a determined attempt to turn the Premiership into a paradise for free-market fundamentalists. They have not even managed to raise the cap to a level where they might match the spending power of the French. The Big Four are celebrating one victory, however, and it could have a major impact.

"From the end of next season, each of the 12 elite teams will be able to employ one player over and above the salary cap of £4.26m – a significant move in favour of those clubs able and willing to splash a serious amount of cash. If, for instance, Bath persuade the stellar All Black outside-half Dan Carter to take a sabbatical from New Zealand rugby and play a season at the Recreation Ground in return for a wage of the seven-figure variety, there will be nothing to stop them completing the deal."

Reds coach Ewen McKenzie has a healthy relationship with the media © Getty Images

Reds coach Ewen McKenzie offers an insight into his relationship with the media in his latest column for the Sydney Morning Herald.

"People often ask what it’s like to deal with the media.While I generally enjoy the interaction with the media, I fully understand that like a pet snake; it has a great capacity to bite you if not dealt with in the right manner. I’ve found that if you work with the journalists then you find the bite is almost never too toxic and you are able to recovery quickly from your wounds.

"As a coach, it’s imperative you grasp both the essential role the media play in the business of sport and the different requirements of every journalist and their broadcast medium. You deal directly with some journalists and others not at all, so it’s important to be pushing the correct messages at every opportunity you get."

The Heineken Cup has been ticked off, next up is Munster in Saturday’s Magners League final and then all Leo Cullen has to worry about are his nuptials next week, as he tells the Irish Times Gavin Cummiskey.

"The scrum resurrection is already ingrained in Irish sporting history. But it was dealt with so quickly at half-time, when the pack gathered around scrum coach Greg Feek’s laptop, that Leinster were “ready to go back out nearly five minutes early”.

“Once the talking was done, which was literally a couple of minutes, we were ready to go. We were waiting at the door just dying to get back out there. I was starting to go, in the tunnel, when we said, ‘hold on, hold on’ as the teams were supposed to come out together but we just went on. That was the feeling – we just needed to get out there.”

"Of course, the real challenge now is to summon up enough energy to wrestle the Magners trophy from Munster’s grasp.

"Another 40 minutes worth reviewing is their second-half display in Limerick on April 2nd."

Writingi n the New Zealand Herald, Mel Gunasekera reports how the game is growing in Sri Lanka.

"It's a long way off rugby's beaten track, but steamy, jungle-clad Sri Lanka is a little-known haven for the sport in Asia, with even school matches attracting television audiences of millions.

"In a country better known for its cricket, tea exports and bitter civil war, Sri Lanka has quietly nurtured a large playing population with an aspirational bent which makes rugby a daily feature on both the sport and society pages.

"President Mahinda Rajapakse, whose three sons play - including one who is a flanker for the national team - regularly attends games with his family, putting them firmly in the media and political spotlight.

"This year, Sri Lanka broke through into the elite Asian Five Nations tournament for the first time, raising hopes of further national successes."

The Daily Telegraph's Brendan Gallagher previews Willie Mason's rugby union bow for the Barbarians against England.

"It could be that union is about to be hit by another Sonny Bill Williams - we will know soon enough.

Mason, New Zealand born but with Tongan ancestry and a little Samoan for that matter, is guaranteed some game-time off the bench on Sunday, when we will get a taste of what might lie ahead for the man Toulon have signed to galvanise their midfield next season.

"I haven't been this excited about a game for a while," says Mason who, starred for Tonga in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup before switching to Australia and winning 24 Test caps, scoring seven tries in the process.

"I'm way out of my comfort zone. I have thrown myself in at the deep end and I just can't wait to get out there and do it. I've played in plenty of big games before, it's not like I'm someone who doesn't know how to catch a ball, run, or tackle, which are the basics of rugby."

The Independent's Chris Hewett reflects on the vote of confidence handed to RFU chief executive John Steele by the union's management board.

"If John Steele, the embattled Rugby Football Union chief executive, walked into yesterday's management board meeting at Twickenham wondering what would be left of his job by the end of it, he emerged with his position strengthened. The man at the centre of the governing body's latest pratfall over the return – or rather, the non-return – of Sir Clive Woodward was given what amounted to full backing by the man who had staked so much of his authority on bringing the World Cup-winning coach back to the English game: the RFU chairman Martyn Thomas.

""This has been a testing time," Thomas admitted, six days after Woodward ruled himself out of the running for the recently created role of performance director following a knicker-twisting series of U-turns over the precise job description, accompanied by furious arguments, emergency meetings and, as ever with this particular organisation, enough leaks to make Julian Assange scream for mercy."

The Millennium Stadium could host as many as eight matches at the 2015 Rugby World Cup according to the Western Mail.

"It’s anticipated that the 74,500-capacity Cardiff venue will stage the majority of matches in Wales’ group, plus a showpiece quarter-final.

"Wales have also received the green light to have home advantage if they face a fellow Tier One side, such as New Zealand, South Africa, Australia or France.

"...David Pickering said: “We will be working extremely hard to surpass what we did in 2007, when we staged four matches.

“Rugby is not immune from these difficult economic times we are living in. It’s very important that Rugby World Cup maximises revenue streams. That would be a strong argument for putting a number of games in high-capacity venues like the Millennium Stadium.

“It’s down to RWC to make a decision on what matches come to Wales and how many. But we would hope to work with them and the Welsh Assembly to get a significant number of games in Cardiff, hopefully more than in 2007.”

Should Rocky Elsom still be Wallabies skipper? © Getty Images

Paul Cully advises against counting Rocky Elsom out prior to the Rugby World Cup in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Those prematurely writing the obituaries for Rocky Elsom's Wallabies captaincy - and perhaps his place in the team - after his latest injury setback had better be careful what they wish for.

"The big No.6 will miss the rest of the Super Rugby season after sustaining an ankle injury in his comeback game against the Force on Saturday night, raising concerns about his place in World Cup considerations.
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"But it wasn't just his remarkably effective return - grouchy, combative - from a long-term hamstring injury that highlighted his worth, but its timing. As the Super season moves to the business end - and the weather closes in - we're getting a much better indication of what the coming international campaigns will bring - and the trend is moving towards tough, uncompromising and defence-dominated rugby."

Gerry Thornley meets the European Player of the Year, Sean O'Brien, and runs through some pretty impressive stats in The Irish Times.

"In starting all nine of Leinster’s Heineken Cup games, O’Brien played the first four at number six, the next two at eight and the three knockout games at seven, scoring four tries and picking up three man-of-the-match awards, and even before his storming performance in the final, he led the Opta rankings as the tournament’s top-performing attacking and defensive player.

"O’Brien had made more carries (115) than any other player, as well as more metres than any other forward. The 24-year-old had also beaten 19 defenders, a competition high by any back or forward, before taking that into the 20s in the final, prior to which only Joe Worsley (90) had made more tackles than O’Brien (84)."

David Kelly talks to Leinster's Fergus McFadden as he plots a domestic and European double in The Irish Independent.

"It didn't take long for Leinster's thoughts to drift last Saturday. In fact, they hadn't even left Welsh soil when the prospect of a salivating, wounded, envious Munster intruded momentarily upon their exhilarating celebrations.

"No it wasn't mentioned in the dressing-room," recalls Fergus McFadden when asked did the 'M' word pass anybody's lips. "We just wanted to enjoy the moment."

"His colleagues may have coldly calculated their route back from the precipice of defeat, but some emotions were allowed to run riot. For a while, at least."

Robert Kitson questions how much rugby fans should accept as 'part of the game' in The Guardian.

"It emerged this week that Richard Cockerill and Ryan Giggs have something in common besides a jaundiced opinion of the media. In their spare time both practise yoga; Cockerill is a fan of Bikram Yoga, which usually takes place in a heated room thus allowing muscles to stretch that little bit more. The aim is to relax and refresh body and mind which, at this stage of the rugby season, is probably something we all need.

"Cockerill certainly looks well on it but there continue to be moments when the serene yogic mask slips. He is still bitterly aggrieved at being accused of swearing at match officials during Leicester's semi-final against Northampton. The Rugby Football Union's disciplinary officer, Judge Jeff Blackett, this week found comments made by Cockerill and his head coach Matt O'Connor to be "not particularly attractive" but decided not to impose any punishment because of a lack of evidence. Cockerill – "They might put me in a box but I'm not sure it'll be the royal box" – is free to attend this weekend's Premiership final against Saracens at Twickenham."

Australia are set to fight against lost Tri-Nations revenue © Getty Images

Greg Growden reports on Australia's attempt to recoup some of the losses attributed to the staging of the Rugby World Cup in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Australia will start a high-level campaign this week to retrieve some of the $16 million lost due to the staging of this year's World Cup.

"Australian Rugby Union officials will push their case for better compensation at an International Rugby Board meeting in London, and even call for the World Cup to be staged later in the year so major rugby nations do not suffer losses every four years when the tournament is staged.

"The ARU recently revealed the 10 tier-one nations would forfeit about $75 million due to the closure of the June and November Test windows this season. In its annual report, the ARU predicted it would lose about $16m in net revenue."

Peter Bills offers the idea of England switching Northampton fullback Ben Foden to outside-centre in The Independent.

"The outstanding Heineken Cup final in Cardiff at the weekend may not have provided great news for English rugby.

"Northampton’s complete second half implosion underlined the impression they have been giving for the last two seasons: good, sometimes very good but against the very best opposition, not quite good enough.

"Much the same has applied to the national team. Given England’s failure against Ireland in Dublin at the end of the 6 Nations and now Northampton’s demise in the Heineken final at the hands of Irish province Leinster, it is probably a wondrous turn of fate that England has been paired with Scotland in their World Cup group, not Ireland."

David Kelly plots the developments that have created the Leinster that we know today in The Irish Independent.

"It has taken only a decade but Leinster have constructed an empire. Two Heineken Cup wins in three years -- it could easily have been a hat-trick but for injury last season -- frank their status as the kings of Europe.

"Good teams win Europe's premier competition once. Great teams win it twice -- and more. When Toulouse lifted their second crown on Irish soil in 2003, many within Irish rugby were already meekly accepting that theirs would be a supporting act for the so-called giants of European rugby.

"Instead, Munster forged a path that Ireland and Leinster have followed. Seemingly insurmountable obstacles, whether French budgets that soar beyond €20m, or the vastly superior playing numbers boasted by England, have been spectacularly vaulted."

Mick Cleary reflects on Leinster's Heineken Cup triumph and the 'level playing field' debate in The Daily Telegraph.

"A game too far? No, half a game too far. But the drop-off was immediate and telling. We all rushed to acclaim this as the greatest of all Heineken Cup finals.

"Yes, we did have the rolling back of the stone by Leinster as they rose from the seeming dead. And, yes, in the all-consuming play of fly-half Jonathan Sexton we had an individual performance to rank with the finest that there has been.

"But the contest, which has appeared to be Northampton’s by half-time, was over by the hour mark. There was little drama in the eventual outcome, no late shifts in the scoreboard, no real uncertainty. The turn-around was that swift, that emphatic and that decisive."

Leinster celebrate their latest Heineken Cup success © Getty Images

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley reflects on Leinster's Heineken Cup triumph over Northampton at the Millennium Stadium.

"Never mind rugby, this was an epic comeback in any sporting context and if anybody in the Leinster machine recorded their ten-minute interval crisis management, they could release it and make a mint. Greg Feek having taken the pack through a DVD of their first-half scrum problems on his laptop, Jonny Sexton, sporting anorak that he is, had the presence of mind to cite Liverpool’s comeback from 3-0 down to Milan in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul during his animated rallying call.

"Brian O’Driscoll described him as like a man possessed during the interval, and thereafter Sexton played like one too. Those of us hailing him as the best outhalf in Europe had been given the most compelling proof on the most perfect of stages.

"Thus, this was the best final, best final comeback and the best individual performance in a final all wrapped up in one game. But for Sexton’s performance, on any anything resembling a normal day, Seán O’Brien would have walked off with the bubbly, though starting with the lap of honour, that was not in short supply."

The New Zealand Herald's Chris Rattue believes Dan Carter's lucrative new contract was money well spent by the New Zealand Rugby Union.

"He had to be kept in New Zealand rugby, even if the lack of evenhandedness in the NZRU's treatment of players sticks in the craw on a number of levels.

"The union plays favourites with a golden few without offering any degree of flexibility to other players, many of whom have been faithful servants - to use the old parlance - to the game.

"By controlling every last cent of the player contract money, the NZRU also denies individual franchises the chance to do innovative deals that suit them rather than the almighty overlords. This central office dictatorship has squashed the tribalism out of New Zealand rugby, diluting the very emotions vital to making sport meaningful in the first place. Maybe that is why the grandstands are often near empty.

"Okay, so the NZRU did what they had to do under the current circumstances. But the circumstances are at least partly of their own making. And special deals to keep Carter and Richie McCaw allow the strong to get stronger while franchises with players not deemed upper class get no extra help to retain anyone they prize."

In his column for the Irish Independent, George Hook hails Leinster's match-winner Jonathan Sexton.

"Much will be made of the half-time discussion in the dressing-room that supposedly changed the course of the match. The reality was that Jonny Sexton had assumed leadership of the side long before the break. As his dejected colleagues gathered behind the posts after conceding another soft try, it was the fly-half that took control.

"Like O'Driscoll, Sexton leads by example. On Saturday, the future captaincy of Ireland moved from No 8 to No 10. Joe Schmidt had a dream team to work with, a group awash with individuals that can stand up and be counted in a crisis."

The Irish Independent's David Kelly plots Leinster's path to Heineken Cup glory.

"...Meet Joe Schmidt - He admitted once again the other day that he feared the sack after a horrendous opening month. Once he began to understand the unique tenor of Irish rugby, he was unstoppable in providing direction and inspiration to his willing cohort of intelligent players. His calm assuredness at half-time in what was hitherto a disastrous final was key.

"Drico inks it - Last February, O'Driscoll's decision to extend his IRFU contract was one of the crucial junctures in stabilising the Leinster unit, ensuring that both Jamie Heaslip and Jonathan Sexton would echo their talisman's significant endorsement of the new coaching regime. Ending the issue after the completion of the pool stages ensured that idle speculation would not detract from the side's unswerving focus."

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, former Wallabies skipper John Eales defends the Super Rugby format.

"Certainly, the new Super Rugby system is not perfect but it is the most interesting since its inception. The most conspicuous flaw is that each team doesn't play every other team in the pool matches, as each side will skip one team in each of the other conferences. Significantly, in both the NRL and the AFL competitions, although teams do play each other at least once, they play only some teams twice. So occasionally, even in these mature competitions, one's season may sway on the luck of the draw.

"This may not be ideal in any system, however Super rugby maintains its integrity through the finals system where, if a team happens to slip through an easier conference, they should be accounted for in the play-offs. Despite this anomaly, regardless of conference, it is hard to argue that this isn't the most difficult Super competition to win so far.

"Certainly it is now a more robust product and can raise its head less shyly against the more established behemoths of the NRL and AFL. In fact its international flavour gives it a viable point of difference."

Daily Telegraph columnist Brian Moore believes that one "masterful" scrum was enough to break Northampton's spirit in the Heineken Cup Final.

"The Leinster pack shoved Tonga’uiha et al nearly 10 yards and the weapon that had subjugated Leinster was rendered obsolete; the effect on the morale of the whole Northampton team was devastating.

"This reversal of fortunes was caused not by altered front-row tactics, but because Northampton’s back row assumed Leinster would settle for static ball and their flankers stood up to see from where might come the attack. In the first half, all eight of their pack had committed to driving, but with an early score conceded and the tide of momentum threatening to build against them, they assumed wrongly. Whoever called the hold-and-drive at that scrum for Leinster deserves enormous credit because it was a tactical masterstroke.

"From then on, Leinster cut Northampton to shreds and the East Midlands side lacked the experience to halt the tide. After nearly 18 minutes, during which Northampton had almost no possession and Leinster had scored 17 points to take the lead, fly-half Stephen Myler kicked the ball back to Leinster. The rest, as they say, is history."

Writing in the Scotland on Sunday, Iain Morrison previews next weekend's Magners League Grand Final showdown between Munster and Leinster.

"The worm had turned, the axis of power had shifted from south to north, the "ladyboys" of Dublin were in the ascendant and whichever Munster wit coined that phrase was hoping like hell that no one recalled it now. Munster have won just one of their last six matches against their old rivals and, throughout those 480 minutes of rugby, the men in red have failed to breach Leinster's try line once.

"It is only fitting that these two teams meet in Saturday's Magners League final because they are the best two sides in the competition by an embarrassing margin, head, shoulders and torso above the rest. The Ospreys have the money but want for organisation, mental fortitude and a winning culture. The Blues fall short at the highest level and Ulster are still working their way back to the top. The rest are also-rans, bit-part players, scenery shifters rather than main characters."

Former Springboks scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen has vowed to fight his "death sentence" having been provisionally diagnosed with motor neuron disease. He talks to Gavin Prins in Rapport.

"The doctor who examined him, has given him three years to live.

The moment he heard the news, it felt as if his whole life came tumbling down, says Joost.

"The stress that I have endured over the last two years is nothing compared to this," says the man who went through personal hell for almost the whole of 2009.

Joost is only a shadow of the fit, muscular and self-assured sportsman of just a couple of months ago.

He struggles to talk about his illness without bursting into tears.

During the interview, he excused himself and went to cry in the kitchen.

His two children are his biggest worry.

"The first thing I did was to check if my policies are in order for my kids," says Joost.

He is hoping that a visit to a second neurologist will bring better news.

Shortly before his interview with Rapport, he cut himself with his razor because his hands are shaking too much.

The thought that he actually could die has not really sunk in yet.

"The wind has been knocked out of my sails. I stared at the doctor in disbelief."

He struggles to utter the word "death". All he could say was that "I might only have three years left…"

Writing in The Independent, Chris Hewett reflects on the impact made by a 'half-fit' Brian O'Driscoll during Leinster's amazing Heineken Cup triumph over Northampton.

""Old age takes away from us what we have inherited and gives us what we have earned." If Brian O'Driscoll, the one indisputably great player in modern-day European rugby, had done nothing else during the course of the finest Heineken Cup final in a decade – in the event, he did pretty much everything, ranging from the dramatically good to the desperately poor via the profoundly indifferent – he proved the truth of that maxim. There were any number of reasons why Northampton lost themselves in storm-tossed seas after reaching the mid-point of the contest with the harbour in clear view, but O'Driscoll was the rock on which they foundered."

Tactical changes introduced at half-time laid the foundation for Leinster's Heineken Cup victory but the Irish side's experience was also critical, according to The Guardian's Paul Rees.

"Northampton defied their stereotype from the off. When James Downey received the ball after 30 seconds, Leinster would have expected him to run at Gordon D'Arcy. Instead, he stepped away from his opposite number. The Saints were physical but they opted less for pick-and-go and more for pace and width. Ben Foden was influential and Stephen Myler played with his head up, running past Sean O'Brien to create his side's second try. Leinster were sucked into a game for which they were not prepared. Their back row was based on bulk rather than pace and they were turned over six times in the first 35 minutes. Shane Jennings's introduction at openside flanker helped to plug turnovers and O'Brien, hapless at No7, became hugely influential on the blind side. Northampton had their platform kicked away and Leinster, keeping hold of the ball, dictated the pace."

Northampton can only imagine what would have happened if Leinster talisman Brian O’Driscoll had been at his “finest”, according to the Daily Express' Steve Bale.

"Northampton saw less than the best of Brian O’Driscoll in the Heineken Cup final but this peerless player - through force of personality as much as his boundless prowess - is good enough even on one leg.

"Ireland fly-half Jonathan Sexton was the obvious Leinster match-winner and, with his two tries and 28 points – and rousing half-time revivalism – a meritorious man of the match.

"But would it have happened, would Northampton have disintegrated from their 22-6 interval lead to this defeat, without O’Driscoll metaphorically taking hold of the game and reshaping it in his own image, as is his wont? No way."

Leinster savour success while Saints suffer in defeat © Getty Images

Steve James in the Sunday Telegraph delivers his verdict on Leinster's thrilling Heineken Cup final victory over Northampton in Cardiff.

"The scenes at the end told the story in graphic detail. Every Northampton player slumped to the ground. Many of them were in tears. The despondency was almost tangible. They were broken physically and mentally.

"There is losing, and then there is losing when you have been utterly dominant for half of the game. And Northampton had been utterly dominant. They had led 22-6 at the break. Every scrummage had been a car crash for the Irishmen. Even when Northampton’s prop Brian Mujati was sin-binned, a seven-man effort was far too much for them as they were trundled backwards for some 20m at an embarrassing rate of knots. At that stage of the first half, that Northampton could lose was thoroughly inconceivable."

Leinster have joined the list of European rugby greats after their remarkable comeback in the Heineken Cup final against Northampton on Saturday, according to Peter Bills in the Irish Independent

"To win the Heineken Cup is one thing. But to do it in less than 40 minutes is something else entirely.

"Leinster did it in Cardiff yesterday, clinching their second Heineken Cup in three years. And in doing so, they entered the pantheon of the Heineken greats, true champions whose exploits had sane men and women standing on their feet, roaring and shaking with excitement.

"This was a classic, almost certainly the greatest comeback in Heineken Cup history, especially in a final. From the depths of half-time despair at 22-6 down to the dancing delight of a compelling 33-22 victory and that champagne moment, Leinster showed themselves worthy champions.

"In footballing terms, it was Liverpool v AC Milan in the Champions League final all over again. Milan, 3-0 up at the break, were stunned and shocked that Istanbul night by Liverpool's roaring comeback in 2005. It was a similar tale at Cardiff yesterday."

The Independent on Sunday's Hugh Godwin talks to young Saracens sensation Owen Farrell ahead of next weekend's Aviva Premiership Final against Leicester.

"Green grass, a tee, the ball placed on it with the sponsors' logo and stitching just so; a kick to win a Premiership semi-final. And dad standing behind you, about 10 feet away. Extraordinary and ho-hum, wrapped up in one. Owen Farrell laughs now at the TV pictures zooming in on his face, contorted in the moment of exultation when the ball flew through the posts, more or less confirming Saracens' place at Twickenham next week. Any advice from Farrell Snr? "He just handed me the tee and said 'stay calm'. But I was telling myself to do that anyway."

Paul Rees talks with Leicester head coach Richard Cockerill about the Tigers' forthcoming Aviva Premiership Final with Saracens and their missing centre Manu Tuilagi in the Observer.

"Richard Cockerill does not hide his frustration. He wants to talk about Leicester's attempt to win a third successive Premiership title under his command, against Saracens at Twickenham on Saturday, but instead he is fielding questions about Manu Tuilagi's right hook on Chris Ashton and his own behaviour during last weekend's semi-final play-off against Northampton. Cockerill was accused of painting the air blue as he remonstrated with a referee's assessor in the Welford Road stand.

"These things took the gloss off our victory over Northampton," says Leicester's director of rugby, who once described himself as pugnacious. "It seems that certain members of the press reacted afterwards in the way they did because they were disappointed we had not been beaten. You get that when you are successful. In a sporting sense, we are there to be knocked down."

New Zealand rugby must braces itself for a renewed attack from rugby league with the National Rugby League set to increase it's salary cap and therefore purchasing power, says Paul Gregor in the New Zealand Herald.

"An old conflict rugby bosses thought they had won is set to flare again now that the NRL will almost double its salary cap on the back of a massively improved broadcast deal.

"From 2013, NRL clubs are likely to have a new budget of $7m to spend on players-almost double the $4.3m they have at the moment.

"For the first time in almost 20 years, league will have the financial clout to not only hold its best players but to also lure the biggest names in world rugby.

"Already under siege from Europe and Japan, the last thing the New Zealand Rugby Union needed was another predator in its own territory."

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald David Sygall says that the Waratahs' free-scoring victory over the Lions in Super Rugby has placated their fans for now.

"The last time the Waratahs played a South African team at the foot of the table, just over two months ago, they hit rock bottom, thumped 23-3 by the Cheetahs, after which they received resounding boos from a bitterly disappointed home crowd.

"Last night, 48 hours after packing down with 100 or so angry fans at an extraordinary honesty session in which they were labelled fragile, arrogant and mediocre, the Waratahs players put their reputations on the line against the lowly Lions. And though only 14,123 fans turned up, the Tahs did themselves and those fans proud, showing at least some of the style of play upon which the NSW rugby legend was built. Sure, they bagged five competition points to retain their place in the top six a month out from the play-offs. But more importantly, they went a long way towards winning over an audience that had rightfully wondered where the team's sense of adventure, confidence and accountability had gone this season."

Northampton skipper Dylan Harltey lines up with Leinster captain Leo Cullen ahead of the Heineken Cup final © Getty Images

Leinster head into this afternoon's Heineken Cup final in Cardiff as favourites, according to former England and Bath head coach Brian Ashton in the Independent. But he believes Northampton can draw on their underdog status.

"The most intriguing question surrounds Northampton's ability to hit the ground running, mentally as well as physically, following last weekend's bruising defeat. Have the scars healed? They were out on their feet at the end of the Leicester game and little wonder, given the enormous pressure they were forced to absorb and the huge tackling load they found themselves carrying. Add the post-match distractions preying on the minds of the players and it's clear the coaching staff have had their work cut out.

"If I'm right in my suspicion that Northampton go into their final with Leinster as slight underdogs, they can draw on it: when you're cast as outsiders, why not use it as a two-fingered, up-yours motivational tactic? But they must take a positive approach. If semi-finals are notorious for generating an all-embracing restrictive mentality, finals should always have a sense of anticipation and potential enjoyment about them. They offer an opportunity to puff out the chest and show real courage in all its facets.

"Neither Northampton nor Leinster will be found wanting for courage in the physical sense. It is mental courage that is likely to be the key factor. There will have been much talk in the rival camps of bringing everything to the table today, of not leaving ammunition locked up in the armoury. But who can translate the message into action most effectively amid the hurly-burly and the hostility?"

Hugh Farrelly offers his take on the European Cup showdown in Cardiff in the Irish Independent.

"Judgment Day. That's according to Harold Camping, a former civil engineer from California (where else?) whose Bible studies have convinced him that Armageddon is upon us today and has won over thousands of followers to the same way of thinking.

"On May 21, 2011, two events will occur," says Camping. "One will be more wonderful than can be imagined; the other more horrific than can be imagined. A great earthquake will occur, so powerful it will throw open all graves. The remains of all the believers will be glorified... the bodies of all unsaved people will be thrown out upon the ground to be shamed."

"So, there you go. Against this backdrop, the result of a rugby match, even one as important as the Heineken Cup final, appears inconsequential.

"That being said, after all they have been through to get to this point, defeat for either Leinster or Northampton this evening (kick-off 5.0) is bound to seem like the end of the world."

Quiet man Jim Mallinder could be the man to follow Martin Johnson as England's next head coach if he can lead Northampton to European glory this afternoon, says Robert Kitson in the Guardian.

"Heineken Cup-winning coaches are seldom loudmouths. If Northampton's Jim Mallinder does join the illustrious list of victors, he will fit snugly alongside such cerebral recent predecessors as Michael Cheika, Declan Kidney and Sir Ian McGeechan. Even the idiosyncratic Guy Novès sat alone on a bench for a lengthy period after Toulouse's win in Paris last year, as silent and motionless as a Rodin sculpture. As far as the outside world is concerned, Mallinder would prefer all rugby coaches to be seen, not heard.

"Considered, calm, measured. Talk to any of Mallinder's staff and the same words repeatedly crop up. Inwardly, though, he must be screaming. His Saints are a good team, unbeaten in Europe this season, but last week's Premiership semi-final defeat exacted a heavy toll. Had Manu Tuilagi been shown the red card for punching Chris Ashton, Northampton firmly believe they would now be tilting for two trophies. Instead it has fallen to Mallinder, along with his assistants Dorian West and Paul Grayson, to hoist a battered squad off the canvas."

Former England centre Will Greenwood nominates Brian O'Driscoll as the finest Irish rugby player of all time in the Daily Telegraph.

"Over the past 20 years, I have been lucky to go up against, watch or play with some special men. Horan was special, Bunce magnificent, Guscott magical, Tana the leader, Mortlock so brave, Gibbs immense, Jauzion so graceful, Bateman so underrated.

"At international level I missed out on Sella, but saw him at club games. I played a charity match against Dannie Gerber. Of the current crowd, Jaques Fourie is a match winner at the highest level, while Tindall will always be my go to man in the after life because he stood with me in 2003. Sonny Bill scares me. But, no matter what I do, I still keep trying to find the best of the best and I still keep coming back to O’Driscoll."

As European club competition comes to a thrilling climax, Simon Thomas laments a poor season for Welsh rugby on www.walesonline.co.uk

"The fact that the season is already over for Welsh rugby speaks volumes for what kind of campaign it’s been.

This should be the time of year when excitement rises over at least one of our sides appearing in a showpiece final. But come the business end of the season, our business is already done.

All we are able to provide are the venues, with this weekend’s two European finals both being held in Cardiff."

Writing on www.stuff.co.nz Richard Knowler contemplates what the future holds for All Blacks head coach after the World Cup

"What does a rugby junkie do when the roar of the crowd and the match-day highs are just a lingering memory?

"That may be a point Graham Henry ponders after he qualifies for superannuation when he turns 65 next month.

"This year the All Blacks coach has to seriously consider whether life outside the rugby bubble is really to his taste when his New Zealand Rugby Union contract expires after the World Cup. Can fishing for snapper, sampling Auckland's coffee baristas' finest beans and speaking on the celebrity circuit really substitute for the adrenaline rush of being the boss of the world's best rugby team?

"That Henry will retire after the cup seems to be widely accepted as a fait accompli. Well, if the All Blacks fail it undoubtedly will be – and he has probably booked his ticket to Nauru as an emergency escape plan.

But what if they win?"

Writing in the Western Mail Andy Howell greets Paul Tito's declaration that he would be interested in playing for Wales with bemusement and derision.

"Kiwi Paul Tito’s admission he would join Wales’ bid for World Cup glory is startling in its own right. But it also highlights why the International Rugby Board must act to prevent Test rugby turning into an even bigger farce than it already is.

"The Blues captain is a top bloke but to hear him confide he would say “yes” to an SOS call if Warren Gatland came knocking at the door is chilling."

Sir Clive Woodward's snub to the RFU dominates the morning papers in England © Getty Images

The Rugby Football Union's indecision over the appointment of a performance director and their inability to tie down Sir Clive Woodward to the role has left them looking like a laughing stock, according to Chris Foy in the Daily Mail

"Sir Clive Woodward’s decision to decline the chance of a return to the RFU is hardly surprising, but it is an utterly damning indictment of an amateurish exercise which has reduced the governing body to a laughing stock.

"How on earth could the Union hope to entice the former national coach and knight of the realm away from a once-in-a-lifetime involvement with a home Olympics when they have made such a shambolic mess of filling what was meant to be a prime post?"

Writing in the Guardian, Robert Kitson claims that the RFU have a lot of explaining to do following Woodward's withdrawal.

"Something had to give and, in the end, it was a knight's patience. Perhaps it was this week's announcement of the Olympic torch relay route that led Sir Clive Woodward to remove himself from consideration for the job of Rugby Football Union performance director. Maybe, deep down, the former England coach realised it could never be as much fun second time around. Minding his Ps and Qs in some obscure Twickenham back office has never been Woody's style.

"Most likely is that he simply got the hump with John Steele, the RFU's chief executive. Rather than dropping to their knees and praying for Woodward's return, key union officials seemed to want him to join an orderly queue and not rock the boat too much. No special treatment, we're going to treat you the same as the rest. No guarantees, even for World Cup winning coaches. Woodward did not win the Webb Ellis Cup in 2003 by signing up to the kind of organisation which puts human resources small print ahead of the bigger picture – as framed by himself. He will consider himself well out of it."

Gavin Mairs charts how the RFU's search for a performance director descended into farce in the Daily Telegraph.

"Jan 2011 - John Steele secures approval from RFU board for a radical shake-up, which includes the scrapping of Rob Andrew’s position as director of elite rugby. Steele announces a new rugby department with performance, operations and development directors to be recruited. Sir Clive Woodward installed as favourite for performance director’s position"

The New Zealand Herald's Peter Bills looks at the farcial under-use of the salary-sapping, world-class tighthead Carl Hayman at Toulon.

"The whole incredible farce of Carl Hayman's non-season at French Top 14 club Toulon is finally at an end.

"Yet the wonder - the absolute bemusement - at how the club of the Mediterranean made Hayman, widely regarded as the No. 1 tight head in world rugby when he joined the club last June, the highest paid prop in the world at a reported 625,000 euros a season yet at the same time turned him into almost a complete nonentity as a player, continues.

"According to Toulon's own statistics, Hayman incredibly made just three starts in his entire first season with the club. His other 21 appearances were as a substitute.

"Yet to spend such a huge sum of money on one player out of the club's 20.8 million euros total budget and then sit him on the bench for almost the entire season, defies belief."

The anticipation and expectation surrounding the Heineken Cup final between Northampton Saints and Leinster in Cardiff on Saturday is reaching boiling point, according to Hugh Farrelly in the Irish Independent

"Calm before the storm, breath before the plunge ... take your pick -- Leinster's final media engagement before tomorrow's date with Heineken Cup destiny was a paradoxical mix of reflective excitement.

For players and management, the days, hours and minutes before defining contests such as this clash with Northampton are the best, and worst, part of the job. The sense of anticipation wages war with worry and foreboding as the clock crawls towards kick-off and, while the Leinster contingent painted a pretty relaxed picture yesterday, the Cardiff buzz could not be entirely quelled."

Dan Carter and NZRU boss Steve Tew seal the deal © Getty Images

Wynne Gray argues that Dan Carter's new contract with the All Blacks is a bad thing for his understudies and a break from tradition in The New Zealand Herald.

"One unwritten clause for All Blacks is that no player is bigger than the game. The Rugby Union and Daniel William Carter proved that wrong yesterday with their latest four-year deal. Apparently there are all sorts of clauses which the five-eighths can activate if he wants a break from the game in New Zealand or needs to take another sporting sabbatical.

"Nothing against Carter, he's the best All Black five-eighths I've seen. He's great to watch, a superbly gifted rugby player and in my dealings, a thoroughly decent human being. His advisers and agents have undoubtedly done a fine job for their client as well."

Hugh Farrelly selects his all time Leinster Heineken Cup XV in The Irish Independent.

"The advent of the Heineken Cup coincided roughly with the dawn of professionalism in 1995 and the role of the Irish province changed irrevocably.

"Rugby has been constantly evolving in the 16 years since, to the point where the game is significantly different in style even compared to the last Heineken Cup final Leinster played in two years ago. Imagine then, the differences between rugby today and the game that confronted Ollie Campbell's Leinster team in the 1980s, Bill Mulcahy's in the 1960s or Jammie Clinch in the 1920s."

Brian Moore previews Harlequins' Amlin Challenge Cup final against Stade Francais and reminds us of two classics served up by the sides in 2008 in The Daily Telegraph.

"The first, at the Stade de France, had Can-Can girls and jousting knights in armour and was watched by 78,000 people. The second, at the Stoop, was played in torrential rain, but both saw Quins win narrowly.

"The Cardiff City football ground might rustle up a few druids and a kazoo band on Friday night when the sides contest the final of the Amlin Cup but they will do well to replicate the tension and excitement of previous encounters.

"Quins, at the moment, are maddeningly uneven. At times they are inspired, like in their first-half blitz of Munster in the semi-final, but in equal measure are likely to choose the wrong option or err at crucial points during games. Stade Francais simply have not played well for most of the season, as their 11th place in France’s Top14 shows."

Paul Rees offers another view on the plight of Leicester boss Richard Cockerill in The Guardian.

"Cockerill is as demonstrative off the field as he was as a hooker on it. He lives every kick, pass and mistake as well as every perceived indiscretion by an opponent or oversight by a match official. Like milk, he comes to the boil quickly, but just as suddenly, when the heat is switched off, he becomes calm and personable.

"The subject of where head coaches/directors of rugby and referees' assessors should sit during matches was raised at a board meeting of Premiership Rugby this week. One argument put forward was that glass boxes should be provided for the respective management teams, out of earshot of spectators and nowhere near assessors.

"It works in international rugby, and in the Super 15, although a lip reader is not often required to work out what is being said as a fist crashes on to a table. The problem is one of provision: coaches sit in or around press boxes because clubs are required under the participation criteria to provide power sockets for laptops and desktops."

Carter has committed his future to New Zealand rugby but left the door open to a return to Europe © Getty Images

All Blacks fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief today with the announcement that star first five-eighth Dan Carter has signed on for another four years with the New Zealand Rugby Union.. The New Zealand Herald reports.

"Last month the Herald on Sunday reported that Carter and All Black captain Richie McCaw had been offered four-year contracts by the NZRU to stay in New Zealand with unprecedented levels of flexibility and payment.

"According to the paper both players were offered the chance to take sabbaticals, either playing or non-playing, would be allowed to leave New Zealand at any stage of the contract and pick up around $850,000 a season.

"McCaw has yet to re-sign with the NZRU."

The Irish Times Johnny Watterson talks to Leinster's Jonathan Sexton about how much has changed since he replaced Felipe Contepomi late in the 2009 Heineken campaign.

"Brought into the Leinster team at the semi-final stage after Felipe Contepomi had spannered his knee, Sexton was the 23-year-old rookie who carried the freight of great promise but little weight of experience or guile for a European final. That they were facing Leicester, proven dogs of war around Europe, drew the image of Sexton the gladiator rising up from the bowels in the lift to the Coliseum, the gates bursting open to be faced by a guy with half an ear and swinging a spiked iron ball at his head.

"As if Hollywood had a hand here too, Sexton’s contribution was bookended by insouciantly kicking a spectacular drop goal from the halfway line as well the winning penalty. No mistakes.

"This week he remains the same unflappable figure. But in two years he has advanced aeons and is central to Leinster’s cause. Coaches and players now demand from him. They expect him to control tempo, kick territory, bang over the points, lots of points. Sexton’s dynamic with the team has drastically changed."

Shane Williams insists people have a misconception about his returning Wales team-mate Gavin Henson. The Western Mail's Simon Thomas reports.

"There seems to be a misconception among some people that he is full of himself and big-headed. Not true.

“He is quiet, most of the attention he gets is unwarranted and he prefers to keep himself to himself. After the part he played in our Grand Slam in 2005, the media interest went through the roof, fuelled by the fact his partner was Charlotte Church.

“The slightest change in his hairdo seemed to spark a feeding frenzy of press attention. Gav does pride himself on his appearance though.

“When he first came along, his fake tan, expensive hairdos and moisturisers caused a bit of a stir because we all felt they were the sorts of things women rather than men went in for. Now to some extent, we’re all at it!

“The majority of the Ospreys lads shave their legs these days, they really do, and Mike Phillips, Lee Byrne and James Hook aren’t averse to the odd session on a sun-bed. Whatever, any criticism is water off a duck’s back to Gav."

It is the quality of the experience that holds the key to James Haskell’s happiness as he weighs up his playing future.The Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary reports.

"Those who doubted the reasons behind James Haskell’s move to Paris might take heed now as he considers a stint in Super 15 rugby, a return to the Premiership or staying put with Stade Français. It is not about the money, it is about the quality of the experience.

"Haskell is back on British soil on Friday night when Stade Français take on Harlequins in the final of the Amlin Challenge Cup at Cardiff City Stadium.

"He is a better player than when he left two years ago, tougher mentally, more mature and, as shown when starting every one of England’s Six Nations matches, he brings energy and physicality to the game.

"Haskell went to France not for the big bucks but to find himself. In short, he has grown up. That was the real value in the deal."

The structure of the Super Rugby tournament is "ridiculous", advantageous to Australian teams and disadvantageous to South African sides according to the Kings' Luke Watson - Sport24's Stephen Nell reports.

"Watson believes South African teams are at a disadvantage with the tough nature of their derbies, while Australian sides have it easier in that regard.

"South Africa have the most physical teams, while Australia's teams could easily pick up points against the Melbourne Rebels and Western Force. I think they should re-look at the structure of Super Rugby. There is maybe too much rugby and it's played at pace with high impact," he said.

"You can see in the attendance figures that too much rugby is being played. It has also lost prestige because you play teams (from your country) more than once and there is no longer that feeling of 'I'm going to get you' (between local sides)."

"Watson, however, praised the immense depth of South Africa's talent pool and believes no side in the world should touch the Springboks if they pick the correct team."

Writing in The Independent, James Lawton believes it is time for the game to stop tolerating acts of gratuitous violence.

"It has to be time for rugby union to put aside the old days of physical anarchy, the rum toleration of gratuitous violence, and instead of sneering at the grotesque theatrics of their football cousins, start to put their own dishevelled house into something like order.

"If there was ever an incentive for this it was the Bloodgate affair, which provided such staggering evidence of detachment from the demands of everyday morality.

"Now rugby's legal guru, and enforcement officer, Judge Jeff Blackett has to set the punishment for the utterly unbridled behaviour of Tuilagi.

"If Blackett does indeed settle for a suspension of somewhere around two months, it may sound shockingly lenient to casual observers of right and wrong but it does indicate, when you consider past levels of toleration, a dawning awareness that an old culture is no longer viable."

Quade Cooper celebrates his early try against the Blues © Getty Images

John Eales believes that the Reds have proven their mettle as a top-level side in Super Rugby in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Rugby is typically most entertaining when equal teams are the combatants. It also helps when they bear a similar mindset. The best thing about playing the All Blacks is that they back their skills and their tactics against all comers. So do the Reds and the Blues, so when they confront each other the result is delectable.

"There is no question that playing entertaining rugby requires a positive mindset but if it were that simple Anthony Robins and Deepak Chopra types would be in everyone's roster. But it also requires both skill and speed; the former beget's the latter.

"Accuracy in the execution of your skills is the antecedent of speed hence the reason the Reds sit atop the Super rugby table. For it was such precision, particularly at the breakdown and for the most part in defence, that delivered quick and quality possession from which the Reds pressured the Blues."

Hugh Godwin offers a well-balanced verdict on Manu Tuilagi's indiscretion against Northampton in The New Zealand Herald.

"Being the youngest of six professional rugby-playing siblings, Manu Tuilagi is regarded as the baby of the union game's first family. Some baby.

"The third and most destructive of the punches landed by the teenager - he does not turn 20 until tomorrow - on the England wing Chris Ashton during last weekend's Premiership semi-final derby between Leicester and Northampton was either an unmitigated disgrace or an absolute corker, depending on the eye of the beholder, and it earned him a place in a rogue's gallery populated by the likes of Colin Meads, the notorious All Black forward who became known as "The Godfather". Now, there's an idea for a nickname. Manu, the Godbrother."

David Kelly talks to Brian O'Driscoll, who is desperate to help Leinster into the ranks of Europe's elite this weekend, in The Irish Independent.

"Brian O'Driscoll was looking forward to spending Saturday afternoon in front of the TV. But that was not necessarily how it ultimately panned out.

"Instead of wallowing languorously on the couch as his beloved Manchester United eased to a record league title triumph, Leinster's talisman had to sit bolt upright with his swollen knee swaddled for protection.

"He may have punched the air in delight when United's ascent to English football's perch was confirmed but he dared not dance a jig. Besides, as he watched Alex Ferguson immediately project his mind from this success to Barcelona, so too were O'Driscoll's thoughts already drifting elsewhere."

Robert Kitson believes that Leicester are losing friends fast with their behaviour towards officials in The Guardian.

"In many ways Leicester are the ultimate rugby club. At the weekend they qualified for their seventh straight Premiership final, a remarkable feat by anyone's standards. They generally provide more England players than most other teams put together and the towering Caterpillar Stand at Welford Road is a monument to their ceaseless ambition. They are the Manchester United of English rugby union and have the record to prove it.

"Occasionally, though, the Tigers do not make themselves the easiest team to love. Saturday displayed them at their best – the cussedness, the musketeering spirit, the crackling atmosphere – but also showcased their less attractive side. Manu Tuilagi's third punch, a crunching blow to Chris Ashton's temple which would have caused the Klitschko brothers to blink, was deeply ugly. So, too, was the constant haranguing of match officials by Leicester's coaches which may have even greater ramifications. Tuilagi's was a rush of blood by a young man who will presumably learn his lesson. In the case of Richard Cockerill and his head coach, Matt O'Connor, there are fewer mitigating excuses."

Sonny Bill Williams will make his fourth pro boxing appearance on June 5 © Getty Images

Chris Rattue questions Sonny Bill Williams' decision to return to the boxing ring mid-season in The New Zealand Herald.

"The Crusaders were running on empty in Bloemfontein yesterday morning and if they've got any sense, or any say in the matter, they'll be telling Sonny Bill Williams to forget about his June 5 boxing bout.

"After Williams failed to appear for the second half during the loss to the Cheetahs because of what is being described as a minor knee knock, you also wondered if he was now putting his sporadic boxing career ahead of rugby.

"Okay, there was some injury, but his departure was hardly an example of the do-or-die mentality we see on our television screens every day - in the ubiquitous, myth-making All Black-laden advertisements, that is."

London Irish's Bob Casey gives some insider details of the challenge posed by Northampton in The Irish Times.

"But there is so much more, not least in the ethos of the club. Director of rugby Jim Mallinder and forwards coach Dorian West champions old-school virtues: the team plays hard, celebrates with a few beers and are a tight-knit bunch. They can be a bit lippy and full of themselves – not yet backed up by silverware – and they wouldn’t win any awards for popularity. To some extents they are a product of their hinterland.

"Northampton wouldn’t be the most picturesque town – the surrounding countryside is breathtaking with stunning scenery and well-heeled enclaves – and there isn’t a vast array of amenities. Players tend to congregate together socially. Rugby is the main sport and the Saints are idolised. There is plenty of interaction with supporters down to the fact they’d be discussing what’s in a player’s trolley at the supermarket."

Hugh Farrelly previews the Heineken Cup final, where Leinster will be guarding against a bite from the underdogs, in The Irish Independent.

"It's all set up for a mugging. Northampton slip into Cardiff later this week as unfashionable underdogs, portrayed as a hard-working side with a dash of flair pitted against a superior force with stars in every position -- an easy psychological trigger for coach Jim Mallinder to press.

"Then there is the Romain Poite factor. It is hard to think of another referee better suited to Northampton's style of play, and the Saints will be delighted if the game breaks up into a pernickety procession of penalties, hindering Leinster's ability to find their flow.

"Without the squad resources of their opponents, Northampton are pretty battered after the long season, but that was the case in 2000 also, when they still found the energy to puncture Munster's European dream with a similarly-styled side based around forward muscle."

Brian Moore believes that the Heineken Cup final could be one game too far for Northampton, and that Manu Tuilagi should be banned for his attack on Chris Ashton, in The Daily Telegraph.

"It looks like a case of two bridges too far for Jim Mallinder’s troops from Franklin Gardens. In another physical battle, Northampton could not be criticised for their effort but, in the end, looked exhausted as Leicester pressured the creative life out of their game. Their minds may be willing when they face Leinster in next Saturday’s Heineken Cup final but there has to be a doubt as to whether their bodies will respond to the physical challenge that the Irish forwards will undoubtedly issue.

"It would be a shame to see Northampton emerge from this season with nothing other than a few plaudits for their attempts to excite, but sport, as life, is not fair and it is probable that they will have to settle for this rather than silverware. It may not be the same for their East Midland’s neighbours and conquerors Leicester, who have the all-round game to cope with the attrition of Saracens, who beat Gloucester in the other semi-final."

Chris Ashton is held back by his team-mates following the clash with Manu Tuilagi © Getty Images

Ian Stafford, writing in the Mail on Sunday, is in no doubt that Leicester's Manu Tuilagi should have seen red for his disgraceful attack on Northampton's Chris Ashton during the Aviva Premiership semi-final at Welford Road on Saturday.

"England star Chris Ashton was subjected to a disgraceful attack by Leicester's Samoan-born centre, Manu Tuilagi, on Saturday - and then ended up in the sinbin after an astonishing error by the match officials.

"A steamroller try by Alesana Tuilagi, Manu's brother, nine minutes from time decided this pulsating tussle and saw Leicester make it into a seventh consecutive Premiership final. But the big question at packed Welford Road was whether the Tigers should have been allowed to play with 15 men after the 32ndminute assault on Ashton.

"Manu Tuilagi, 19, who grew up in England and is qualified to play for his adopted country, is a fine talent who could become England's outside centre for many years. He may even make it into Martin Johnson's World Cup squad this summer. But he should have received a red card after landing two left hooks and a right on Ashton, who had to have stitches in the cut above his left eye."

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, former England lock Paul Ackford shines a light on the goings on at Twickenham following a week of about turns over the new performance director role at the RFU.

"Ten days ago the business of the Rugby Football Union was running relatively smoothly. There were concerns over the announcement of a new performance director, a key plank in chief executive John Steele’s restructuring programme, but they could be explained away.

"In any case, many of the hard hitters in the RFU had got who and what they wanted, the return of Sir Clive Woodward. Woodward, currently employed by the British Olympic Association, had never formally applied for the job but had been told over a number of telephone calls and informal get-togethers, instigated by RFU chairman Martyn Thomas, that it was his for the taking.

"The wheels came off a week ago last Friday when Steele sent an email to Woodward asking him to come for a meeting, informing him that the original job description had been changed and that the senior England team under Martin Johnson was no longer part of the brief. Woodward went ballistic, telling Steele that it was unprofessional to make such a substantive change so late in the day, and asked who Johnson would report to. Steele was unsure at the time. He mumbled about a small group which might include himself, Rob Andrew and Stuart Lancaster, the Saxons’ head coach, but was unable to give Woodward clear assurances as to the precise chain of command."

Peter Bills previews next weekend's Heineken Cup final between Leinster and Northampton in the Irish Independent.

"Do Leinster have too much experience at this level for Northampton? Where will the game be won and lost? What do Leinster need to do to win? Who will win?

"They certainly have the benefit of having been in the final two years ago so they should know what to expect. In that respect, experience is well and truly on their side as Northampton haven't been in a Heineken final since 2000. Leinster also have the advantage of experienced players in the right positions. Guys like Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy, Shane Horgan and Jamie Heaslip have played Test match rugby and also Lions rugby. Jonathan Sexton is a quality player. They are littered with players with a lot of game experience and they have a lot of leadership potential in those positions.

"In major games in any competition, your ability to re-start the game efficiently, to defend and to disrupt the flow of the opposition attack are all essential qualities. But then, both sides can do that and Northampton have been excellent in the last two seasons, the way they have progressed as a side and as a club. They have quality coaching and they will be very difficult to upset."

Eddie Butler hails Irish rugby's resiliant record within European club rugby ahead of Leinster's Heineken Cup final clash with Northampton at Cardiff next weekend in the Observer.

"Back in 2000, when Munster were beaten 9-8 by Northampton in the Heineken Cup final at Twickenham, there were questions about Ireland's capacity to stay alive at the top level of professional rugby. How could the Irish provinces compete with the free-spending English and French clubs? How could Munster, turning grey together, replace the old guard when they finally dropped? Oh, woe was Ireland.

"How they tricked us then and how they continue to tease the world now. Munster kept going, fuelled by the slaps of fate – or the hand of Back – on their big days out, until they won the Heineken Cup in 2006, then again in 2008. This was not merely gratification for the rugby of one corner of Ireland, because as a driving force in Europe, Munster also dragged their nearest rivals with them, until in 2009, at one of the most spectacular fiestas thrown at Croke Park or anywhere, Leinster charged past the standard-bearers, 25-9. And went on to beat Leicester in the final.

"Leinster are now the powerhouse and the questions about Ireland's rugby resources and chances of survival have evaporated. It might appear that a professional sport in a troubled economy would struggle but in hard times everybody loves a success story. As the only professional sport in Ireland rugby seems a special case, resistant to collapse."

In the New Zealand Herald Gregor Paul ponders what the rise of Sonny Bill Williams means for the All Blacks other midfield cannonball.

"He's lost ground, maybe even conceded his All Black No 12 jersey to Sonny Bill Williams at least for the opening tests, but Ma'a Nonu, despite rash claims to the contrary, is unlikely to run off to France after the World Cup.

"Even if Williams stays in New Zealand next year, as seems increasingly likely, Nonu isn't going to shirk the battle.

"He's grown rather fond of his All Black No 12 shirt these past few years. A classic rivalry isn't going to spook him and the claim by Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal last weekend that Montpellier had already signed Nonu is wrong."

Highlanders utility back Ben Smith is putting forward a strong case for inclusion in the All Blacks World Cup squad, according to Marc Hinton on www.stuff.co.nz

"On the 2009 All Blacks tour he was, by his own admission, a fish out of water. It was too soon for a young man clearly dazzled by the superstar company he was keeping. So the under- sized Ben Smith was thrown back into rugby's proverbial ocean.

"Just look what the net's dragged up now. Less than two years later the minnow has grown into the ultimate predator, performing so consistently and outstandingly for the Highlanders in Super Rugby that he is demanding some fairly close scrutiny from the national selectors as they eye their World Cup options."

Worcester fans celebrate victory in the first leg of the Championship Final © Getty Images

Writing in the Independent former Bath and England coach Brian Ashton questions whether an end to relegation would lead to the rich, fear-free rugby that many believe it would.

"Despite generating more than its fair share of tension – agonising tension as far as those languishing at the bottom of the Premiership are concerned – the bizarre second division Championship scenario does not appear to have many supporters, either inside or outside the game.

"Many critics can be heard advocating the ring-fencing of the elite league, with a three-year franchise format the most popular model. This idea has been kicking around for years now, but there is suddenly a fresh surge of energy behind the argument that it should become reality."

In the Irish Independent, David Kelly applauds Leinster for marching into the Magners League final but fears for their walking wounded.

"Leinster entered the citadel with the scent of blood in their nostrils; Ulster, you reckoned, would be content merely to staunch the flow of the scarlet. But Leinster supporters will wear furrowed brows in spite of securing another final; a burgeoning casualty rate will usher in several sleepless nights.

There was a hack theory that Leinster might hold back -- as risible a proposition as asking Jedward to sit still for more than three seconds. That Leinster were utterly at their ease betrayed the immense physicality required to stifle their limited prey; at times in the second half the scene resembled MASH as medics caromed off each other to treat the wounded."

The Waratahs are complicit in undermining rugby's popularity with their predictable tactics, according to Simon Poidevin in the Sydney Morning Herald

"Berrick Barnes is a highly intelligent rugby player, an exceptional athlete and, in my opinion, a future Wallabies captain.

However he must have been drinking the "Tahland" Jimmy Jones Jungle Juice when he made the following comments to the Herald's Jamie Pandaram after the bore-a-thon that was the Waratahs clash with the Western Force last Saturday night at the SFS: "We don't set out to intentionally kick the cover off the ball but they are the sacrifices we've got to make if we want to keep winning.

"There is obviously criticism of our game. We don't get a lot of love but that's fine. We will keep on plugging away. We're in the hunt, and that is the most positive thing. It is not a popularity contest."
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Sorry, Berrick, I know you have to toe the company line but the players, the coaches and the administration of the Waratahs had better quickly work out that they are competing in one of the toughest popularity contests in world sport, and they are getting a dusting."

Super Rugby adopted a new format this year but Wynn Gray, in the New Zealand Herald, believes a revamp is needed to revive the competition.

Whatever, the figures are not flash. Here's a couple of ideas for retooling the series.

* Start it a month later in March and slash it to a transtasman contest just like the netball competition so we get all the games in a similar time-zone.

* Run the semi-professional ITM Cup at a similar time, perhaps as curtainraisers to the Super 15 matches. That would free up part of the congested rugby calendar and have fit replacements on tap if needed for Super 15 injuries.

* It may seem old-fashioned but every team should play each other. Then we can forget the imbalance of the Crusaders, for example, this season not playing weaker sides like the Lions and Rebels.

* Forget the June break for tests. About 130 players in the New Zealand sides should not have to down tools so 30 others can ply their international trade.

Ahead of Gloucester's Premiership semi-final with Saracens on Sunday, 'veteran' James Simpson-Daniel talks with the Daily Mail's Chris Foy.

'In the past, when I was getting all these terrible injuries, using the term “suicidal” very loosely, I used to really let it get me down,’ Simpson-Daniel said. ‘When I get an injury now I don’t go off and celebrate but I don’t beat myself up as much as I used to. I can still get in a grump though and I was frustrated with the last injury.

‘I came out of hospital and everyone heard the operation wasn’t as bad as we’d thought so people were saying, “Well done, that isn’t too bad”, and I nearly broke down because it was still eight weeks on the sidelines.

‘I curse my luck a little but I’ve chatted to Phil Vickery about this over the years and he has always said, “You can’t always think if only I hadn’t been injured, or if only I’d done this or that, I’d have a lot more caps. You’ve had bad luck but you can’t live like that”. He’s right, but if my career ended tomorrow I would be disappointed I hadn’t played more games for England.'

RFU chief executive John Steele has been forced to backtrack on the role of the Performance Director © Getty Images

Only Twickenham could make such an attractive post look like a carrier bag of toxic waste according to The Guardian's Rob Kitson.

"The chosen candidate would not choose the national team but would have access all areas in terms of bringing through the next generation of talent. Even with the ink barely dry on the application form, it was clear senior members of the union saw Woodward as the ideal candidate.

"...Then, out of the blue, the RFU announced this week the job description had changed. The chosen candidate would have nothing to do with the senior team, deprived of any involvement beyond Saxons level. It is like hiring Jamie Oliver to cook dinner only to tell him Delia Smith will be preparing the main course. Not surprisingly Sir Clive's cornflakes pebble‑dashed most of his kitchen.

"The reaction within parts of the RFU was even stronger. Steele, even so, saw the U-turn as necessary, perhaps after a polite word from Johnson about lines of demarcation. At least one of Johnson's close friends urged the former England captain last month to clarify precisely where his role would end and Woodward's would begin. Maybe Steele was fearful of a potential turf war at a time when English rugby was finally gathering some momentum. If so he underestimated the pro‑Woodward forces within Twickenham, led by the chairman of the management board, Martyn Thomas."

The New Zealand Herald's Wynne Gray previews the Blues' Super Rugby clash with the Reds and anticipates another dazzling show from Quade Cooper.

"Cooper has shown his winning mentality with the Reds as they have churned through nine wins from 11 matches before tonight's shootout in Brisbane. There is little doubt he has the sort of X-factor Deans is looking for with the Wallabies - someone capable of shredding the best defences with his subterfuge.

"Sometimes even Cooper appears nonplussed by his work. He has those SBW-type passing moves, the cross-kicks and kick-passes, the stutter-step, the foxtrot dodge - every week an addition seems to appear. He is box-office, natural and exuberant, a crowd magnet and a Wallaby hotshot.

"Tonight is a big stage for Cooper among many players - his task is to make his mark, create a victory and if he does, he'll get another huge tick from [Robbie] Deans."

The rise of Munster's No.9s could finally provide answer to Ireland's scrum-half anomaly, according to the Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly.

"Munster may have had to rely on overseas recruits (with mixed results) in midfield in recent times, but McGahan is spoiled for choice when it comes to homegrown talent at No 9, with Conor Murray and Duncan Williams two quality players to go with the more experienced international duo of Stringer and O'Leary.

"It is an encouraging development and one that precludes the need to look abroad, as Munster have done in the past with the likes of Dominic Malone and Toby Morland.

"Stringer and O'Leary's qualities are well established, although they have had their individual challenges recently in terms of game-time, while Williams' ability was never in doubt; rather the question of his durability following a desperate run of injuries has been the issue.

"Then there is Murray, the real surprise package this season, whose contribution was recognised last week with the Munster Academy Player Of the Year award and whose performances will be rewarded with a senior contract."

The Scottish Rugby Union's ability to develop and hold on to young talent is now firmly under the microscope with news that promising youngsters Alex Blair and Fraser Brown have had their contracts terminated at Edinburgh and centre Mark Bennett is heading to France. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Fears have spread this season over the number of internationalists leaving the Scottish game, often with the SRU's backing as they seek to work within a tight budget. However, now concerns are rising that Scotland is losing valuable talent at both ends of the spectrum.

"Bennett, the Ayr centre who has just turned 18 and made a try-scoring Scotland under-20 debut this season, had embarked on the academy route with Glasgow, but has opted instead to turn down a senior contract and join Clermont Auvergne's academy.

"Blair, the 20-year-old brother of Mike and David and a Scotland 'A' cap last summer, has been out of action due to a back injury and is one of several players the SRU are dropping from existing contracts by invoking a six-month injury clause.

"Promising hooker Brown is another. The former Scotland U20 skipper is being released and left to find a new club next month, having failed to make his debut after a similar step-up from the academy last summer due to a neck injury. The 21-year-old is expected to be fully fit next month and Blair by August.

"Both were among Scotland's leading lights at age-grade levels, but, like most players emerging from Scottish schools and youth rugby, they had much work ahead physically and mentally to bridge the gap to the pro game."

Former Springbok rugby captain Joost van der Westhuizen is fighting for his health after being diagnosed with a motor-neuron muscle disease. Supersport's Brendan Nell reports.

"The disease, which is apparently similar to the one that put one of his team-mates, Springbok flank André Venter in a wheelchair a few years ago, has been diagnosed as very serious and could have drastic implications for his health.

"Van der Westhuizen, who led the Blue Bulls to Currie Cup victories in 1998 and 2002, and who is one of the most capped Springbok rugby players in the nation's history, complained to his personal doctor, Dr Henry Kelbrick, of pain in his arm and was immediately sent for a battery of tests to diagnose the outcome.

"Once the diagnosis was made, the seriousness of the matter prompted Dr Kelbrick to send Van der Westhuizen to see two neurologists so that treatment could begin.

"While neither Van der Westhuizen nor his immediate family have been available to comment, sources close to the player tell SuperSport.com that the disease is "very serious" and could have massive implications for his future."

New Zealand emphasised on Friday that it would not ease sanctions barring Fijian players with military or government ties from travelling to the Rugby World Cup. Sport24 reports.

"The embargo, imposed following the 2006 military coup, will remain until there is evidence of substantial progress toward the return of democracy, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said.

"McCully was responding to a demand from the new military head of the Fiji Rugby Union, Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga, for New Zealand to declare whether there would be a travel ban on Fijian players selected for the World Cup.

"I'm mystified as to why they think we need to spell out a clearer message - banned means banned," McCully said on the Fiji Village website."

Reds scrum-half Will Genia clears the ball © Getty Images

Reds coach Ewen McKenzie compares kicking tactics in union and league on Rugby Heaven.

"There is always discussion around the volume of kicking in the Super Rugby competition. On the surface, most people equate more kicking with the game being less interesting. History tells us that in most Super years, the high volume kicking teams tend to be more successful.

"This year the stats show it's the Australians who are leading the kicking charge. The devil is always in the detail and it's worth discussing the role kicking plays in today's game.

"The expression “field position” is generally coupled with the idea of kicking the ball so that the game is played in the opposition half."

Hugh Farrelly salutes one of the stars of Leinster's season, hooker Richardt Strauss, in The Irish Independent.

"The tags applied to Richardt Strauss following his phenomenal contribution this season tend to be size-related and rather obvious, along the lines of 'Pocket Rocket' and 'Duracell Bunny.'

"'Tricky Dicky' would be appropriate given opponents' futile attempts to prevent the Leinster hooker's progress in the loose; or maybe 'Mr T' referencing the seemingly superfluous consonant at the end of Strauss' first name as well as the vertically challenged, but immensely powerful actor who wore pumps to make him appear more menacing in 'Rocky 3.'

"'Richardt The Lionheart' would work for Greg Feek, judging by the Leinster scrum coach's extolling of his hooker's capacity to overcome his size deficiency in a world of giants."

Brian Moore wades in following the RFU's refining of the performance director role in The Daily Telegraph.

"When Steele took charge, as chief executive, it was said that his review of process at the RFU would be thorough, comprehensive, all-encompassing and any other word you can find in a thesaurus that means 'complete’.

"But that promise has been compromised by Steele’s announcement on Tuesday that, unlike the directors of operations and development, the new director of performance will not have responsibility and be accountable above the level of the Saxons, England’s second senior team. It was this development that effectively ruled out Sir Clive Woodward from the post.

"In the light of this it is worth reflecting that there are usually two ways of managing businesses. One looks at personnel and builds structures around them, which works if you have outstanding people, but does not work when they leave. The other defines the most effective structure and employs people to work within it. What is not usual, because it does not work, is an amalgam of the two."

Barry John skips away from an All Blacks tackle © Getty Images

Frank Keating compares the 1971 Lions with their 1974 counterparts, by way of an auction, in The Guardian.

"Sotheby's two-day auction of sporting memorabilia concludes today with 335 lots on offer, ranging from such amiably humdrum jumble-sale tat as Mark Ilott's 1995 England touring cap (guide price £135) and a pair of Will Greenwood's white rugby shorts (£125), to "the oldest known international rugby cap ever to be offered at auction" (Foster-Cunliffe's tasselled 1874 England titfer, £3,750) and golf legend Walter Hagen's 1927 US PGA diamond-studded winner's gold medal (£50,000).

"Down in the bric-a-brac bargain basement one item did catch my imagination, and even at its suggested £450 price tag I'd be sorely tempted to bid for a weather-beaten brown leather panel-stitched rugby ball signed by each of the 1971 British Lions touring party to New Zealand."

Mark Reason looks at the Hurricanes' poor season to date and admits that he can't 'get behind the boys' on stuff.co.nz.

"Mea culpa. In 1990 the British government minister Norman Tebbit called it the 'cricket test' when questioning whether immigrants would support their adopted land. For me it is the rugby test and I have failed with dishonours. I have spoiled the examination paper and left the room in shame.

"I wanted to fit in, I wanted to be accepted, I wanted to be part of the community, but every time I tried to cheer on the boys, all that came out was a hideous high-pitched laugh of pity. It turned out that my would-be heroes weren't so much Hurricanes as a bad case of wind.

"In the first match of the season Ma'a Nonu, an experienced All Black, managed to get himself sin-binned. Twice. Oh well, he seems a good guy I reasoned, the sort of bloke who visits cancer hospitals, so I gave him a third chance."

Gerry Thornley previews the Magners League play-offs - whether they are fair or not - in The Irish Times.

"For sure, Munster finished 13 points clear of the rest, and there’s an old-school argument that they should be the champions – as Leinster ought to have been 12 months ago after finishing top (a point ahead of eventual winners the Ospreys). But finishing first still earns the added advantage of a home semi-final as well as the knowledge victory would ensure a home final as well.

"As with second over third the difference between a semi-final at the RDS or Ravenhill this Friday, there’s plenty of incentive to achieve the highest place possible and, if a team can’t make home advantage tell in the semi-final or final – as Leinster failed to do a year ago – then so be it. It’s not entirely fair, but them’s the rules, and, besides, it’s not strictly a level playing field during the 22-game programme given so many matches are shoe-horned into the November and Six Nations windows, leaving coaches unable to pick from a full deck."

Mick Cleary believes that the RFU are 'running scared' from Clive Woodward after they refined the role of performance director, in The Daily Telegraph.

"It happened five years ago when he was passed over by former RFU chief executive Francis Baron in favour of Rob Andrew. And it looks as if history is about to repeat itself. The notice of rebuttal was as good as issued from Twickenham on Tuesday.

"Woodward is high-profile, edgy, pushy, high maintenance yet a man who gets things done. He can cause trouble. He does ruffle feathers. He spends money. He makes enemies. Yet he pushes boundaries, stimulates and innovates. He would certainly not come without risks. Twickenham looks as if it prefers a safer option.

"There is no doubt that the role of performance director as originally advertised was tailored to Woodward’s CV. He has a significant track record in all relevant areas. He has coached at the highest level and has experience of high performance sport across the board. Of course, there have been one or two blobs along the way, notably the early years with England and the 20005 Lions tour. But he remains hugely in credit, capable of seeking out the vital edge and making it count."

Who will provide back-up to Dan Carter at the World Cup? © Getty Images

Daniel Gilhooly runs through his current picks for the All Blacks' Rugby World Cup squad on stuff.co.nz.

"Who are the certainties to make the cut for coach Graham Henry's squad of 30? Who are battling for contentious spots and what are their odds of selection?

"And how much will their prospects fluctuate as we monitor form, injuries and statistics, dissect the occasional Henry utterance and stay alert for inside oil."

Hugh Farrelly talks to Ireland's Jerry Flannery after a season disrupted by injury in The Irish Independent.

"Irish club rugby is frequently referenced when charting the provincial and national successes of the last 12 years, but University College Cork rarely merits a mention.

"Yet, UCC could have a significant role to play in Ireland's World Cup assault in four months' time. Their European Students' Cup success of 1999 tends to be lost in the euphoria that surrounded Ulster's Heineken Cup triumph later the same day but the side that landed College's first significant title since the Munster Senior Cup in 1981 was a seriously talented outfit.

"While the majority of names will be familiar only to keen students of the AIL, four of that team could be playing at the World Cup. Tight-head Mike Ross is certainly one, while Mick O'Driscoll and Peter Stringer are well in the frame. Jerry Flannery is the fourth and, if fit and firing, would be a guaranteed starter at hooker."

Mick Cleary gives his view on Danny Cipriani's recent troubles with the Melbourne Rebels in The Daily Telegraph.

"For one whose vision fired his imagination on the field of play, it was the one quality he lacked away from the game, never showing the slightest sign that he could see himself as others perceived him.

"Self-confidence is all very well: self-awareness is a far more precious character trait. This time, there is to be no get-out sympathy clause for Cipriani, no George Best mitigatory joke when a hotel night porter might wonder where it all went wrong as the footballing genius lay on his bed surrounded by cash, champagne and girls. Best had conquered the sporting world before the devil raised its horns within.

"Cipriani has not even left the foothills. A mere seven caps is all he has to his name and a celebrity quite at odds with his achievements."

Robert Kitson looks at the 'new reality' of play-off rugby in The Guardian.

"And so begins the annual bun-fight known as the play-offs. There are still those who hanker after the old system of first-past-the-post but these days there are more pros than cons to sudden death. Whether it be the Magners League, the Top 14 or the Aviva Premiership, the public want to see the best players on parade for the big games, rather than under-strength clubs diluted by Test calls. You can also sell a few more tickets and promote your sport to a wider audience, increasingly essential for administrators in the current economic climate.

"This new reality suits some clubs better than others. Take Leinster. They finished 13 points behind Munster in the regular season table. Guess how many league games, out of a maximum of 22, were graced by their talisman Brian O'Driscoll? A grand total of seven. Of those the blessed BOD started and finished just three. Contrast that with, say, Northampton's Ben Foden who has been involved in 14 of his side's 22 Premiership games. O'Driscoll is entitled to some leeway on grounds of age, injury management and past achievements but, even so, it is a striking contrast. It will be interesting to see if Foden's first-class career lasts as long as O'Driscoll's."

Time is not on the side of Geordan Murphy © Getty Images

David Kelly looks at the Rugby World Cup prospects of Ireland's walking wounded in The Irish Independent.

"As the World Cup looms, this is the time of year when the night-sweats start afflicting rugby's hypochondriacs.

"Ireland's injury profile remains a major worry: three of the country's world-class players -- Stephen Ferris, Jerry Flannery and Rob Kearney -- are currently sidelined.

"Another -- Paul O'Connell -- has had repeated injury problems for a year. Nightly, thousands offer novenas that Brian O'Driscoll's hamstrings will continue to function well beyond September.

"And Ireland's front-liners still face another few weeks of intensive combat. How Declan Kidney sleeps soundly is anyone's guess."

Gavin Rich previews the Stormers' tour and analyses their increased options after the return of some big names on supersport.com

"Tiaan Liebenberg, who started the year as the first choice hooker but suffered a knee injury, returned from a nine week lay-off towards the end of the Crusaders match and after also playing part of a Vodacom Cup match the week before he will now have shaken off enough rust to be up for selection to the starting team for the opening tour match against the Chiefs on Saturday.

"But Stormers coach Allister Coetzee is in the happy position of not needing to rush Liebenberg back into action as Deon Fourie has been one of several young players who has been a revelation in the first half of the season. It won’t be an easy selection for Coetzee, and neither will be some of the selection decisions he faces in the backline.

"Both Peter Grant and Bryan Habana have been declared fit to play against the Chiefs if Coetzee wants them to. But both Lionel Cronje and Johann Sadie have done well enough in the absence of the experienced star duo for it not to be completely necessary for Coetzee to start with them. This could be a time when, like Sharks coach John Plumtree, the Stormers coach can look at adopting a policy of easing injured players back through the bench."

Peter Bills continues the crusade against the current state of the scrum in The New Zealand Herald.

"You might think that a star player - say Daniel Carter - would make the most of the headlines at this year's Rugby World Cup. But I fear you would be wrong.

"I suspect that one single aspect of the game is likely to dominate the forthcoming World Cup: the scrum. Find me a game in the modern world which is not disfigured by a series of collapsed scrums. In Super 15, Heineken Cup, French Top 14, Magners League, Aviva Premiership or any other rugby competition anywhere in the world, this ludicrous scenario is enacted time and time again. It has become the No 1 stain on the game."

Hugh Godwin talks to Northampton coach Jim Mallinder about his ambition to one day coach England in The Independent.

"Jim Mallinder is not bashful about saying he wants to coach England one day; he sees it as setting the same goal for himself as he does for his Northampton players. "We want every player to represent his country as it means they're striving for improvement," says the Saints' director of rugby. "Coaching England is something I want to do but I've got a lot more to achieve in club rugby before I move on. I've never won the Premiership and I've never won the Heineken Cup."

"Chewing the fat before yesterday's match with Leeds, it does not faze Mallinder noticeably that he could tick both those boxes in the next three weeks; Northampton have an away play-off semi-final in the Premiership next weekend and face Leinster in the Heineken Cup final in Cardiff a week later. He appears settled and ready to see out the two years remaining on his club contract. But who can be sure? Martin Johnson's deal as England manager is up after this year's World Cup. He may stay or go or decide his coaching staff needs a shake-up. Mallinder, the deceptively mild-mannered Yorkshireman who has ruled over Northampton's rapid rise since their promotion from the second division in his first season, 2007-08, admits there is appeal in stepping off the club treadmill."

Brian Moore calls for the Premiership to be ring-fenced in order to improve the rugby on display in The Daily Telegraph.

"There have been consistent blights for crowds and television viewers and they have come from various facets of the game. Some of the difficulties are relatively easy to solve, others may prove more intractable without major reorganisation.

"This season the Premiership divided into two groups fairly quickly and the bottom four or five sides have known they were likely to be in a relegation dogfight from reasonably far out. The consequence of this has been a low number of tries and a focus on physical efficiency to grind out points.

"You could say this is the fault of unimaginative coaches, but game-plans programmed to avoid relegation are the ineluctable consequence of that system. Romantics point to Super 15 rugby, but ignore the fact that therein there are no negative consequences to taking any risk, beyond losing one match."

All Blacks coach Graham Henry has been tipped to step down after the Rugby World Cup © Getty Images

Former All Blacks skipper Taine Randell believes that there should be a change in coaching staff for New Zealand regardless of their performance at the Rugby World Cup in The Sunday News.

"The All Blacks need a completely fresh coaching set-up next year, regardless of what happens at the World Cup.

"Another Cup disaster would surely sweep a broom through the current trio. But there has been plenty of speculation that if the All Blacks win the tournament Graham Henry will head off as a happy hero and his assistant Steve Hansen will get the top job.

I don't think that would be a good thing for New Zealand rugby. After eight years in charge – and don't forget Wayne Smith goes back even longer – it's time for a fresh approach."

Brendan Fanning outlines the differences between Munster and Leinster following a shift of power in Ireland in The Sunday Independent.

"Two images you associate with Munster and the Magners League: the first from when they won it in 2009; the second when they picked up the bronze medal three years earlier.

"The scene in 2009 was post-match against the Ospreys, whom they had beaten without too much fuss to secure the title. You know the ritual: the 'Championays' dance as the victors line up behind the sponsor's hoarding, champagne corks popping and players bobbing up and down like corks on the tide. This one had been preceded by a sort of lap of honour, which was more like a circuit of the graveyard.

"The entertainment value came from a gaggle of kids who had joined in the trot and were infuriating a Munster official who was trying to shoo them away. By the time the players lined up for the snap you had to paint the smile on the faces of Paul O'Connell and Mick O'Driscoll."

Bath prop David Flatman outlines his summer plans in The Independent on Sunday.

"I will probably spend most of the upcoming off-season doing push-ups and eating dust salads. I will watch those around me gorge themselves on calorific summer fare, all the while feeling lean, professional, superior. I will begin each day with a mittful of assorted pills and will resist the evils that lie behind every cupboard door. After all, the best trick saturated fat ever pulled was convincing the world it didn't exist.

"Any of you who might have seen me play and, therefore, the jersey I have to wear (right), might even suggest this summer diet plan needs ratcheting up a notch. Well, sorry to disappoint, but I think my reality might be a touch more relaxed. It won't be much like the summer of '99 when George Chuter, Matthew Powell and I headed to Faliraki for what can only be described as a week of bodily abuse. We live and learn in this game and the moment we walked back through the front door of our shared house in North London we swore that we would never go back."

Paul Rees previews the Championship play-off final with a little help from Worcester boss Richard Hill in The Observer.

"Worcester know how Leeds feel. They head to Penzance on Wednesday determined to avoid two acts of piracy one year after they were relegated from the Premiership. The financial consequences of missing out on an immediate return are stark.

"The Warriors comfortably topped the Championship at the end of the regular season, but that is no longer enough for a club that meets the Premiership's strict entry criteria to earn promotion. They had to emerge from a four-team quarter-final play-off group and then overcome Bedford in the semi-final last Sunday. Standing in their way now are the Cornish Pirates and a two-legged final."

Paul Ackford talks to Rugby World Cup boss Martin Snedden as the countdown clock ticks towards 100 days to go until kick-off in The Sunday Telegraph.

"As of this morning, there are 123 days remaining before the All Blacks face Tonga to start the seventh Rugby World Cup.

"But here’s the thing. Snedden is not concerned one jot about stadiums being ready. Check. Nor he is worried that the final, which will be played out in the 60,000 capacity Eden Park in Auckland, will lack atmosphere and gravitas compared to the 80,000 monster arenas which are common in Europe.

“The final of the Cricket World Cup was held at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, a 32,000 venue, and that’s the biggest cricketing country in the world by a mile. It was a fantastic atmosphere, a brilliant event.”

Grewcock in one of his customary confrontations © Getty Images

Ahead of what looks to be Danny Grewcock's final game in professional rugby, the Daily Mail's Chris Foy meets the Bath lock and former England international.

"I do often feel awkward about some of the things I've done,' he said. 'I feel embarrassed sometimes when I meet the players afterwards and I know what they're thinking. I just think, "Sorry". They don't look too happy to see me, so I keep out of the way.

"If I wasn't doing what I do then I wouldn't be playing the way I want to play. Thankfully, I don't behave like that after the 80 minutes but often by then the damage has been done. There are a few people who aren't too friendly with me because of it. Undoubtedly I've upset people but my focus has always been on making sure I do a good job for the team. It's just unfortunate that I have p****d people off. Hopefully they will forgive me!"

In the Scotsman, Allan Massie laments the loss of the traditional tackle.

"All changes in the laws of a sport have unintended consequences. The present tackle law and the International Rugby Board's directive concerning its interpretation were aimed at ensuring there should a contest at the breakdown while at the same time providing for quick release. On the whole it has worked quite satisfactorily to date, though no doubt defence-minded coaches are plotting ways of slowing up delivery. Yet one of the unintended consequences has been a change in the style of tackling

"For almost all the history of the game there was a "correct" way of tackling. Young players were taught to go hard and low. This classic low tackle is of course still employed: Chris Paterson gave a couple of perfect text-book tackles to save tries against England and Italy.

"Nevertheless, it's been falling out of favour in recent years. First we had the chest-high, front-on "big hit". Now we commonly have the "scrag", a player being pulled, or thrown, down by a "tackler" gripping his jersey."

Former England and current Fylde head coach Brian Ashton nominates two role models for rugby's latest miscreants to follow in the Independent.

"Joining the likes of Andrew Powell, Ben Foden and Gavin Henson in making the sporting headlines for the wrong reasons just recently were Delon Armitage (again) and Danny Cipriani (again). I cannot believe all the aforementioned failed to realise that their actions would provoke a media frenzy, but they did what they did anyway. It might just be worth their while taking time out, without a drink in hand, to reflect on the views and behaviour of two genuine English superstars of the world game over the last decade.

"The views are those of Jonny Wilkinson, arguably the highest-profile player in the sport since 2003.

As for the behavioural trait that our band of miscreants might like to ponder, it belongs to Jason Robinson, with whom I have had the privilege of working again this season. His on-field ability at world level has never been questioned, and the same goes for his generosity towards, and understanding of, his fellow human beings, even though he had to fight his way up from tough beginnings in life. Jason always worked hard to be the best he could be and has continued to do so, even while playing level-four rugby at Fylde."

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Spiro Zavos questions where the lines should be drawn in criticising officals.

"The case of Digby Ioane suggests that all the tweets in rugby should be restricted to the whistle of referees. That seems to be the official position. But it seems clear (to me, at least) officials have overreacted to Ioane's criticism of referee Keith Brown. Their main game should be to get rid of the ''hometown'' referee system.

"Ioane, a passionate, intense player, was overcome with distress when Aaron Cruden kicked a penalty right on full-time to give the Hurricanes a victory against the Reds. After the final whistle the injured winger tweeted ''worst ref ever''.

"SANZAR has gone totally over the top by fining Ioane $2000 and forcing him to make a grovelling apology: ''I'm sorry for any harm that I may have caused … Referees deserve respect.'' Well, yes. But the problem is just how respectful players and, say, commentators should be to referees. Not as respectful, in my view, as SANZAR wants them to be."

George Smith will be heading to the land of the rising sums next season © Getty Images

The lure and lucre of a move to France is well known, but it faces competition for players from the land of the rising sums according to Shaun Edwards in The Guardian.

"Most, I think, always considered the Japanese league to be something of a rest home or a pension plan for guys who had done valiant service with their clubs and countries but were beginning to feel the aches and pains. George Gregan, 139 times a Wallaby and now aged 38, has only just finished with Suntory three years after a season with Toulon, and there are plenty who didn't quite make it so big as the record‑breaking Australian scrum-half.

"...However, it is the transfer of George Smith, the former Australia captain and flanker, that should ring alarm bells. After his successful season in the south of France, Toulon wanted to keep Smith, but they were outbid and the 30-year‑old, who has quite a bit left on his clock, will be lining up with Norton‑Knight after Sanyo Wild Knights offered him a reported €800,000 (£720,000) for a season that spans just 13 games before the play‑offs. That's almost football money and you can imagine a few players may be rethinking their plans."

Ulster’s South African second-row buried his international disappointment before starting a new chapter in Belfast. It proved to be the best decision of his life according to the Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly.

"The ostrich. The world's largest bird, capable of speeds of up to 70km per hour and -- according to Ulster second-row Johann Muller -- damn fine eating.

"Muller should know, hailing from a farm outside Mossel Bay on South Africa's Western Cape where ostriches are big business. The genial giant is an out-and-out farm boy and, although he has become accustomed to city life after 11 years in Durban playing for the Sharks and in his current abode in Belfast, he plans to return to the farming life once his rugby career is over.

"He never had to kill an ostrich, a nearby abattoir took care of that job, nor was there any inclination to adopt one as a pet, but the 30-year-old has eaten plenty of them.

"Yeah, really tasty," he says. "Magnificent fillets for steaks. It's the only animal that you use every single thing on it -- skin, feathers and the meat."

The New Zealand Herald's Wynne Gray reflects on the plight of winger Joe Rokocoko.

"Fact: Joe Rokocoko is the most capped All Black wing.

"Fact: He has scored 46 tries in his 68 tests.

"Fact: He made his debut in 2003 and is only 27.

"Fact: His place at a third World Cup is uncertain.

"He has been to two World Cups where he starred with 11 tries in his combined eight matches in Australia in 2003, France and the United Kingdom in 2007.

"But in 21 tests since, that scoring rate has slowed to a trickle with Rokocoko crossing the stripe just four times."

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Reds coach Ewen McKenzie reflects on the pros and cons of a rotation policy.

"The easiest thing a coach can do is to make as few selection decisions as possible and hope nothing changes. In an ideal world you would run your best 15 players for the length of the competition. Combinations would be honed, match fitness would be OK and Bob would be uncle.

"The Brumbies almost managed this back in the Super 12 days (11 games plus 2 finals) when they won a title using just 24 players. That dream run was probably the significant reason why they won. When I coached the Tahs in 2007 we suffered a number of injuries, forcing us to use 37 players, before finishing second last in Super 14. There are more stories like this than the aforementioned one about the Brumbies.

"When it comes to both proactive and reactive management, the dream has to be connected to reality. It's simply not possible to know when your next injury might occur in a contact sport. Soft tissue injuries can (and should) be limited with good programming, but contact injuries just happen. Proactive coaches consider all the possibilities and always have a plans B, C and D to allow other players to step up."

So finally South Africans will be able to see what the whole deal with Sonny Bill Williams is when the Crusaders run out at Newlands on Saturday. Sport24's JJ Harmse reports.

"He is big and strong and very skilful in offloading in the tackle. There cannot be any doubt that this match will present a massive challenge for him. The home side has only conceded six tries in the competition this far, so has a proven defence. What's more, their midfield combination is the best in the country.

"Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie have played in 22 Tests as a midfield combination since first combining more than five years ago and have admitted to developing a ‘sixth sense’ in what the other player will do. They are also the two most capped centres in South Africa, with De Villiers (53) just ahead of Fourie (51) when it comes to caps as a centre.

"They are also in a battling each other to become the midfielder with the most Test tries. Neither is known as an awesome defender, although Fourie’s ability to organise defences is well respected.

"I am sure they have made a plan to combat Williams this weekend (not to forget Robbie Fruean of course), but I thought some extra advice for the Stormers midfield couldn't hurt..."

A Crusaders fan pledges his support to Christchurch earlier this season © Getty Images

The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley talks to Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden about the continuing impact of the earthquake on preparations.

"The scale of human loss and damage caused by the Christchurch earthquake can scarcely be imagined. The second-deadliest natural disaster recorded in New Zealand (after the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake), Prime Minister John Key stated that February 22nd “may well be New Zealand’s darkest day”.

"The final death toll is set to be about 182, while 1,000 of the 4,000 buildings within the Four Avenues were expected to be demolished, as will an estimated 10,000 houses in the suburbs. What the rest of the world, Ireland included, appreciates even less is the continuing scale of the damage.

"Martin Snedden, the chief executive of Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd, sits outside Bruxelles off Grafton Street in Dublin on a sunlit mid-morning and tries to put this in context.

“The whole centre of the city – like you imagine this whole area here – is in complete shutdown, and will be for the whole of 2011, while they demolish 500-plus buildings. And there’s whole areas of suburban housing that have been destroyed, so it’s a really terrible thing for the city.”

"The disruption caused to the 2011 World Cup by the earthquake pales by comparison. “It was really stressful because it’s so much more than rugby,” says Snedden. “You’re dealing with people’s lives. For six weeks that was really intense.”

Could the Kangaroos and Wallabies soon meet on a football field in a battle of the rival rugby codes? The New Zealand Herald reports.

"Many have tried to push the idea, but now a movement conceived by some of the top figures minds in rugby league and rugby union is pushing to make the idea a reality.

"Former Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer and player Mark Ella have come together with league great Bob Fulton to create the "Hybrid Code" - a 13-a-side game mixing elements of league and union.

"Ella says a match between Australia's two international rugby teams is a long way off, but fans will get a chance to experience the game next Wednesday when Sydney's St Augustine's College, known for its rugby union achievements, takes on the Gold Coast's equally successful league school, Keebra Park State High."

Former Wallabies back Pat Howard and World Cup winning coach Bob Dwyer yesterday said the Melbourne Rebels should persevere with Danny Cipriani despite the wayward star's continuing off-field problems and on-field tackling deficiencies. The Sydney Morning Herald's Stathi Paxinos reports.

"Howard said Cipriani had not completely lived up to the hype and could lose the opportunity to fulfil his talent with his off-field antics.

''Has he been as good as some people had hoped? No,'' Howard said. ''Has he been better than the people who had written him off [thought]? Absolutely, the balance is somewhere in between. Cipriani has played a role. He's shown that he could be very, very good.
'
'I'd love to make this judgment in another 12 months' time. I think if in two years he hasn't reached his promise then you would question in retrospect how good a decision it was but he's been fit, he hasn't been injured, he's been available and there's a couple of games where you've seen a bit of brilliance.''

"Dwyer said Cipriani had made his mark this season. ''They've certainly got some good value out of him,'' Dwyer said. ''I think he's looked a real quality player with the Melbourne team.''

Edinburgh interim coach Nick Scrivener is determined to bow out on a high note before making way for new coach Michael Bradley. The Daily Telegraph's Alasdair Reid reports.

"Scrivener is set to return to his native Australia – and, if rumours are to be believed, to a coaching position with ACT Brumbies – next week, bringing to an end his two-year association with the Scottish club.

"There will be farewells, too, for Scott MacLeod, the Scotland lock who is moving to Japan to join Kobe Steelers, and David Blair, the fly-half who is retiring from rugby to concentrate on a career in teaching. As well as which, a handful of players have yet to re-sign for Edinburgh and will take the field in the knowledge that they could be playing their last games for the capital side.

"Edinburgh currently hold eighth place in the Magners table, but a bonus-point victory could lever them ahead of the Dragons, who host Ulster, who will be looking to strengthen their play-off slot position, at Rodney Parade. It would be easy to dismiss the Treviso game as a meaningless mid-table encounter, but Scrivener stressed his wish to leave the club on a high note."

Peter Wright and Craig Chalmers have thrown their names into the mix for assistant coach roles with Edinburgh if new chief Michael Bradley is inclined to promote local talent. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Tom Smith is the remaining coach on the Edinburgh staff and he is understood to be keen to remain in the capital and work with Bradley.

"The Irishman said on Tuesday that he would be looking at a traditional three-man coaching set-up with a backs coach and forwards coach underneath him.

"If he hits it off with Smith then it may be unlikely that Wright - the current Glasgow Hawks director of rugby and Scotland under-20s head coach, and like Smith a former Scotland and Lions prop - would also secure a spot, but that did not put him off."

A professional referee is probably fitter than a scrum-half in Super Rugby according to South African whistleblower Jaco Peyper. Sport24's Jóhann Thormählen reports.

"A professional referee is probably fitter than a scrumhalf in Super Rugby and does just as much preparation as coaches and players ahead of matches.

"That was the revelation by Jaco Peyper, who is one of South Africa's most promising referees and fast climbing the refereeing ladder. He was recently promoted to Sanzar's merit panel of referees.

The former Grey College pupil was earlier this month also appointed as one of the International Rugby Board's (IRB) referees for next month's Junior World Championships."

Neil Back's eventful reign at Leeds could be nearing its end according to the Daily Express' Neil Squires.

"Neil Back, a World Cup winner, is contracted at Headingley Carnegie for another year but he appears increasingly unlikely to serve out those 12 months if relegation favourites Leeds drop down into the Championship.

"Back, the Leeds head coach, assumed total control of the side when director of rugby Andy Key was sacked in February. But yesterday he refused to confirm whether he will remain with the club beyond Saturday’s visit to Northampton.

"...Leeds have delayed a board meeting to decide on the future direction of the club – and who will steer them – until their fate is decided. The Premiership's bottom club will have to wait until the second leg of the Championship play-off final between Worcester and Cornish Pirates on May 18 before they know for sure, as only the Warriors have the facilities to be promoted."

Legendary NRL coach Wayne Bennett is set to bolster Australia's World Cup challenge © Getty Images

Legendary rugby league coach Wayne Bennett has confirmed he will help the Wallabies in their World Cup preparations. The Sydney Morning Herald's Jamie Pandaram reports.

"The most successful rugby league coach still in the game is being sought by Wallabies assistant Jim Williams to provide insights into how to succeed at major tournaments. Bennett told the Herald yesterday he would be happy to speak with Williams and confirmed he takes a keen interest in the Wallabies' fortunes.

"Asked what key ingredient is required to help an underdog win a major tournament, Bennett - who helped New Zealand claim a stunning Rugby League World Cup victory in 2008 - said unwavering belief was critical. ''From the head coach down to the trainer and the players, everybody has got to believe,'' Bennett said."

Harlequins shed the burden that was Bloodgate a long while ago. Perhaps it’s time the rest of us did so, suggests the Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary.

"Two years ago, Harlequins’s 6-5 Heineken Cup quarter-final loss to Leinster was to plunge the club into crisis, the impending sense of doom having nothing to do with the agonising margin of defeat and everything to do with the means employed to try and avoid it. It was dubbed Bloodgate after winger Tom Williams bit into a fake blood capsule issued by the former Harlequins physio Steph Brennan.

"Last Saturday, Harlequins took on another Irish side and became only the second to beat Munster at Thomond Park in a European tie. Quins relied on their God-given gifts to prevail and not on some cheap blood capsules from a Clapham Junction joke shop. They were smart, vibrant, assertive and composed, well, all bar Nick Easter, who must have aged 10 years in his 10 minutes off the field following his second yellow card for a rash infringement.

"Same name of club, same distinctive shirt, wholly different set-up. It’s not just that some significant individual roles have changed, principally Conor O’Shea for Dean Richards as director of rugby and chairman Charles Jillings resigning.

"Chief executive Mark Evans also headed off under his own steam last month to pursue other business interests. It’s more that there has been a flushing through, part cathartic, part the natural overhaul of playing personnel. The club was in denial for so long, aggrieved that outsiders would insist on referring to the scandal."

New Edinburgh coach Michael Bradley believes that he has what it takes to turn around a Scottish side on the slide. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"The SRU's struggles to increase investment in the professional teams has led it to a coach in Michael Bradley who perhaps knows better than anyone how to maintain focus and motivation against the odds, having led the fourth province in Ireland. The IRFU tried to disband Connacht at one stage but reconsidered after supporters marched in the streets alongside players holding banners insisting that they must remain. That was perhaps the big difference between the Irish team and the Borders, who the SRU closed twice with little more than a whimper from rugby supporters across the South district. The proviso with the IRFU was that Connacht would survive, but only with decreased funding.

"After finishing a bright ninth in his first season in 2003-4, Bradley's team occupied the bottom spot in the Magners League for each of the last three seasons, having been spared the last position by the Borders and Glasgow in the three years before that.

"The personable 48-year-old was welcomed to Edinburgh yesterday by Craig Docherty, the Edinburgh chief executive. Asked what made Bradley the top candidate, Docherty said: "Michael has vast experience and the determination to ensure the club goes from strength to strength."

Soane Tonga'uiha's absence from the shortlist for Premiership player of the year is a mystery to confound the finest minds, according to The Guardian's Rob Kitson.

"With all due respect to the other nominees Schalk Brits, Brian Mujati and Thomas Waldrom, however, that trio have not even been the most influential figures at their own clubs in 2010-11. Quite how Soane Tonga'uiha, Mujati's front-row team-mate, has not made the final five is a mystery to confound the collective brains of Inspector Morse, Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes. Tonga'uiha was magnificent yet again in Saints' Heineken Cup demolition of Perpignan. After a slightly weary-looking spell in mid-season, the huge loosehead is back to the formidable force which made him the outstanding player of the autumn months.

"Not far behind him has been another Northampton forward, the perennially underrated Phil Dowson. Not only is Dowson smarter than most back-rowers but he positively relishes a challenge, to the point where his failure to win a solitary England cap in his career to date continues to look a curious oversight. If we are talking consistent flankers, Harlequins will also tell you Chris Robshaw has been nothing short of outstanding all season."

Harlequins ruthlessly exposed Munster on Saturday © Getty Images

Tony Ward comments on the shifting sands in Irish rugby, and Munster's identity crisis, in The Irish Independent.

"I may be in the minority, but the free- running Brive extravaganza is not the Munster way and most certainly not with the line-up as currently constituted. Not alone must this Munster side earn the right to go wide, even more relevant is the acknowledged forward platform from which they are now departing.

"Harlequins couldn't believe their luck in Limerick, where one forward unit dictated in terms of intensity and, quite astonishingly, it wasn't the one in red. If ever the need for old values applied, it is here.

"Munster's run-in could hardly be better mapped, with three successive home games on the cards to secure the Celtic League title. Although, if (and when) it comes to the big one we all crave on the final day, it could be Croke Park -- and not the Aviva Stadium or Thomond Park -- that may be required to satisfy demand."

Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief Martin Snedden wades in to set the record straight on Rugby World Cup expenditure on stuff.co.nz

"First, the $1200m cost figure correctly included the tournament's operational costs of $310m, but then, inexplicably, ignored our forecast income of $268m generated from match ticket sales.

"Second, the Herald reconstructed history so that the Otago Stadium construction cost of $198m could be included as a RWC 2011 cost despite the possible hosting of matches having played little or no part in the ultimate decision to build. That's why we allocated Dunedin's three RWC 2011 matches to Carisbrook.

"Third, where on earth did the alleged RWC 2011 expenditure of $130m on "ports and airports" come from? Are they talking about long-planned upgrades to the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch airports? If so, were these capital improvements really because of RWC 2011 or, as is more likely the case, was the timing of this expenditure largely coincidental?"

Wynne Gray ponders the murky tackle laws as the spectre of the Rugby World Cup grows ever larger in The New Zealand Herald.

"Golf might be self-policed while in rugby you just play to the whistle. Until then or an assistant intervenes, you just plough on.

"Which is what Sonny Bill Williams and Corey Flynn did at Perth in the latest round of the Super 15. In the same movement, both players were brought to their knees but neither released the ball. They carried on, Williams squirming forward to set a ruck, then Flynn picking himself up again and ploughing across the tryline to give the Crusaders the lead. The only whistle from Christchurch referee Vinny Munro came for a try. It was perplexing."

Brian Moore highlights the lessons that Northampton and Harlequins must learn from their weekend victories in The Daily Telegraph.

"In a gloriously flawed 80-minute performance against Euro giants Munster, Harlequins showed all that is good and bad about the club.

"The spirit demanded by Quins’ director of rugby, Conor O’Shea, for the Amlin Cup semi-final was apparent from the first whistle and at a venue that has reduced many good teams to a nervous pastiche of their normal selves.

"O’Shea also said in his pre-match interview that his side needed to convert more of the line breaks that they have made all season. He knows, as do the Quins players and supporters, that this is the reason for their failure to break into the top echelon of English club rugby."

Brian O'Driscoll salutes the crowd after Leinster's win over Toulouse © Getty Images

Hugh Farrelly salutes Leinster's victory over Toulouse as a crowning achievement for Irish rugby in The Irish Independent.

"When you have been following Irish rugby consistently for 30 years, the last 10 in a professional capacity, you think you have seen it all.

"Like being with an irritating girlfriend in the DVD rental shop, the prospects of a fresh, exciting experience are reduced by the level of over-exposure -- "This one looks good?" "Seen it." "What about this one?" "Seen that, too."

"There have been matches to thrill the soul over the years: the win in Cardiff in 1985; giving the Wallabies an almighty rattle in the 1991 World Cup quarter-final; Warren Gatland's near-miss debut as Irish coach in Paris in 1998; Munster v Saracens in 2000; and, of course, the Grand Slam clincher two years ago. However, in terms of drama, physical intensity and sheer quality of rugby, Leinster-Toulouse 2011 sits on top of the pile."

Oliver Brown puts aside Perpignan's limp performance against Northampton to examine their Catalan heritage in The Daily Telegraph.

"Would anyone have believed, on this evidence, that Perpignan rugby is officially twinned with the great Barcelona of Lionel Messi? Assuredly, their eclipse by Northampton was not a happy harbinger for their football cousins.

"While Messi and company seek to advance to a Champions League final in tomorrow night’s Clasico, the poor relations surrendered the chance to reach rugby’s equivalent quite dismally.

"The untrammelled joy for the Saints was matched only in misery for Perpignan — or Perpinyá, as we should probably call them. So passionately does this club cleave to its Catalan heritage that banners at the Stade Aimé Giral, their home ground, have been seen declaring: “This is not France.”

Chris Rattue ponders the All Blacks' options at fullback - Isreal Dagg or Mils Muliaina - in The New Zealand Herald.

"The more you watch the Crusaders the more you feel inclined to conjure up an All Black battle within a battle - Mils Muliaina versus Israel Dagg for the World Cup fullback spot.

"Whether the national selectors see it that way is another matter, so this could be hypothetical. Who knows if Crusader Dagg will get many chances to press his claims.

"But the whirl with the curls is a startling runner, and the leading candidate - by my reckoning - to be the All Blacks' World Cup X-factor. Muliaina is a wonderful test fullback and has been virtually faultless for much of his nearly 100 test career."

Michael Aylwin looks at Newcastle's decision to settle for a losing bonus-point against Bath in The Guardian.

"Critics of a system that rewards sides for losing were fed further ammunition by events at Kingston Park, where Newcastle went down 14-11 to Bath. The Falcons, supposedly fighting for their Premiership lives in the last home match of the season, displayed a willingness to take the defeat by booting the ball into touch as soon as the clock had ticked down to zero.

"There was no question of going for the win that would have all but condemned Leeds to relegation and Alan Tait, the Falcons' coach, was happy with the decision to take the losing bonus point. He might not be if Leeds pull off an unlikely win this Saturday at Northampton.

"At the last scrum one of their guys said to the other: 'Let's just keep the ball then kick it out. One point is enough for us,'" said Michael Claassens, Bath's scrum-half and captain said."

Danny Grewcock charges forward © Getty Images

In his weekly column in The Independent, David Flatman argues that while Danny Grewcock has a reputation as a troublemaker, he retires as one of the most honest men in the game.

"Dylan Thomas once wrote: "Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light." I do not suppose he had Danny Grewcock's retirement in mind, but he managed nevertheless to create the perfect requiem for the moment.

"Over the next few weeks, there will be a handful of men playing their last games of rugby; this is a natural,cyclical phenomenon which, in objective terms, is just part of the gig. But few men will leave a hole as big as Grewcock. Not just because he's a hefty old lump, but also becausehe has, for so many years, been English rugby's gamest gladiator.

"So often misunderstood, the most common and most flippant description of him has always been "animal on the field, big softie off it". I'm here to tell you this is wide of the mark. Well, half of it. On the field there was nobody – nobody – more desperate to win. For the most part, this translated into a massive work-rate and statistics which, for a man of his age and size, beggar belief."

Eddie Butler of The Guardian finds that four months before the World Cup New Zealand is still carefully rebuilding amid the aftershocks but its rugby is in rude health.

"The Rugby World Cup is four months away, approaching fast, but not so imminent that it is the only reason to journey to New Zealand. I was there recently to travel the route of the Tests as played by the 1971 Lions, the one and only tour from Britain and Ireland to beat the All Blacks.

"We went from my favourite ground, Carisbrook, still standing but no longer a Test arena, amid the scrapyards and panel-beating workshops of Dunedin, to Lancaster Park, as the AMI Stadium was then called, in Christchurch. Here, there is no World Cup. The centre lies empty, with only emergency workers moving cautiously among the buildings, between the aftershocks. No date can be set for any rebuilding until the tremors cease. And nobody is saying when that may be. One year, 15 years.....

"Tane Norton, brand new as an All Black hooker in 1971, showed us his house. There was not a crack inside, but the whole structure had moved two inches. The core of the rugby capital of NZ is a no-go zone, the inner grid system of streets in this unique Anglo-Kiwi city cordoned off."

Gregor Paul analyses the impact that the post-World Cup player drain will have on New Zealand rugby in The New Zealand Herald.

"Players everywhere will be on the move later this year.Most of the traffic will be flowing into France, with big numbers also heading to Japan.

"South Africa and Australia will be net exporters but, as always, the country that will lose the most players will be New Zealand. Already, the Chiefs and Blues are staring at massive holes in their 2012 playing squads. The other three will have them as well - maybe not as extensively but they will be there."

Writing in the Sunday Independent, Neil Francis hails the performance of Leinster in Saturday's stirring Heineken Cup win over Toulouse.

"I'm pretty sure Aristotle never played rugby but what he said centuries ago bears testament to what happened yesterday, and he described the core values of every player who played in such a scintillating match. He said: "Character is that which reveals moral purpose exposing the class of things a man chooses to do or avoid."

"I'm still trying to make my mind up whether I have seen a better game played on this planet; certainly at this level I have never had my breath taken away to such an extent.

"This match will have set a standard which very few teams will ever come close to. The fact that Leinster managed to run out winners shows the level they have moved to."