Munster 28-14 London Irish

Munster scored three converted tries in the final 10 minutes to break clear of London Irish and earn a confidence-boosting bonus point win.

Irish were just 12 minutes away from becoming only the second team to beat Munster in a Heineken Cup tie at Thomond Park.

Their captain Seilala Mapusua scored a try and set up the second for Sailosi Tagicakibau as the visitors edged into a 14-7 lead, after a scoreless first half.

But Munster, who are Amlin Challenge Cup-bound now, hit back decisively with late tries from Niall Ronan, Keith Earls and replacement Darragh Hurley.

That closing barrage of points put a gloss on the final scoreline, but Munster can take heart from how they raised their game when staring at a possible third pool defeat.

Smarting from their Toulon nightmare, Munster made a sprightly start in heavy underfoot conditions, getting Johne Murphy and Denis Hurley involved early on.

Mapusua, in his final Heineken Cup outing for Irish, announced himself with a typical midfield burst, and Munster were unable to convert their early territory into points.

A solid lineout platform and some clever kicking from Darren Allinson brought the visitors forward, but they were hampered by prop Faan Rautenbach's sin-binning for stamping on David Wallace at a ruck.

Aironi 6-43 Ulster

Ulster secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup for the first time in 12 years with a bonus-point victory over Aironi at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella.

That was not enough to clinch top spot in Pool Four following a bonus-point victory for Biarritz over Bath. Ulster finished level on 22 points with the French club but missed out due to an inferior head-to-head record.

However, this win did secure one of two places in the last eight for best runners-up, the first time Ulster have reached the knock-out stage of the Heineken Cup since they won the trophy back in 1999.

Number eight Pedrie Wannenburg scored twice in a man-of-the-match display while tries from Andrew Trimble and a penalty try wrapped up a bonus point before Chris Henry and Simon Danielli capped the victory with late scores.

Fly-half Ian Humphreys also booted 13 points, including the opening points of the game with a third-minute penalty to help settle Ulster nerves.

Racing Metro 11-36 Leinster

Brian O'Driscoll celebrated his 32nd birthday with a try-scoring contribution in Leinster's bonus-point Heineken Cup victory over Racing Metro, which clinched a home quarter-final for the province.

The Ireland centre crossed in the 69th minute for Leinster's fifth try at a chilly Stade Yves du Manoir, as Joe Schmidt's pool winners turned in another impressive display.

First-half tries from Isa Nacewa, man-of-the-match Sean O'Brien and Jonathan Sexton gave them a 21-11 half-time lead against their understrength French opponents, for whom Heineken Cup debutant Virimi Vakatawa scored a fine individual effort.

Outside-half Sexton, who finished with 21 points, put his name to Leinster's bonus-point score in the second half, before birthday boy O'Driscoll completed a comfortable win.

O'Driscoll and company had booked their place in the last-eight with a six-try demolition of Saracens last Saturday but, needing another victory to be sure of playing at home in the last eight, Schmidt named a strong line-up for this trip to Paris.

Gordon D'Arcy returned from injury at inside centre, while Isaac Boss was preferred to Eoin Reddan at scrum-half. With the inspirational Jamie Heaslip still absent with an ankle injury, the in-form O'Brien moved to number eight.

Racing's interest in the competition ended last week in defeat at Clermont Auvergne and, with a tough Top 14 fixture to come against the same opposition on Wednesday, they fielded a largely second-string team.

Argentina's Juan Martin Hernandez was at fly-half but there was no place in the starting line-up for the likes of Lionel Nallet and Francois Steyn.

Bowe a doubt for Six Nations opener

Tommy Bowe has given Ireland a major injury scare ahead of this season's RBS 6 Nations Championship after being withdrawn from the Ospreys squad for this weekend.

The British and Irish Lions Test wing and prolific try-scorer will miss the Ospreys' Heineken Cup clash against Toulon tomorrow due to a knee problem.
 And Ireland coach Declan Kidney must now await news over Bowe's availability for the opening Six Nations appointment with Italy in Rome on 5 February.

Ospreys physiotherapist Chris Towers said: 'We've withdrawn Tommy from this weekend's game on medical grounds, pending further investigation and specialist opinion for a knee problem.

'Due to the onset of some recent symptoms, we scanned him this week, which highlighted an issue that could potentially develop into something problematic.

'As such, we felt that it is in Tommy's best interest to take these precautions. We have notified the Irish medical team, and following further investigations next week we should be able to establish the most appropriate course of treatment for the problem and to confirm whether it will interfere with Tommy's involvement in the Six Nations with Ireland.'

O'Leary back in Munster starting XV

Tomás O'Leary has reclaimed the starting scrum-half jersey in a Munster side to face London Irish which also shows several other changes from the team beaten by Toulon (3.30pm).

Munster crashed out of the Heineken Cup thanks to a 32-16 defeat against the well-financed French outfit last week and can now only qualify for the Amlin Challenge Cup.

O'Leary, who was recently left out of Ireland coach Declan Kidney's initial RBS 6 Nations squad, replaces Peter Stringer, who drops to the bench. Ronan O'Gara continues at out-half.

Elsewhere in the backline, full-back Paul Warwick, who suffered a heavy knock against Toulon, and centre Sam Tuitupou, who strained his hamstring during training this week, also miss out on selection.
 Johne Murphy shifts from wing to full-back in place of Warwick with Denis Hurley coming into the starting XV on one wing. Doug Howlett continues on the other wing. Keith Earls and Lifiemi Mafi start together in the centre.

Leinster secure home advantage

Leinster head coach Joe Schmidt was delighted to see his side secure the bonus-point win over Racing Metro which ensures a home Heineken Cup quarter-final.

The province had already secured qualification from Pool Two, but needed a victory in Paris to make sure they would host their last-eight clash at either the RDS or Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Jonathan Sexton finished with two tries and a haul of 21 points, while Isa Nacewa, Sean O'Brien and Brian O'Driscoll also crossed.

Speaking after the 36-11 win, Schmidt said the 2009 champions had wanted to give something back to the 1,000 Leinster fans who made the trip to the French capital.

'I think anyone who was at the game today saw the amount of support that travelled to see us,' he said.

'Our theme was that we owed it to our supporters, with the support they've given us, to give them the opportunity to come and see us at home in a quarter-final.

'I think the players, the way they played today, demonstrated the value we place on the support that we get.'

Schmidt also praised man of the match Sean O'Brien, who continued at number eight in the absence of the injured Jamie Heaslip.

'One of the great advantages with Sean is he can play any of the three loose forward positions equally competently and he is just so dynamic so often,' Schmidt added.

Racing, who were already out of the competition before tonight's game, fielded an understrength team ahead of a crunch Top-14 fixture against Clermont Auvergne on Wednesday.

Virimi Vakatawa scored a superb solo try, but full-back Dan Scarbrough admitted his side were always up against it.

'We had a team that was a little bit experimental today. We were trying different things and we went well initially, but they broke us down very well,' Scarbrough said.

O'Driscoll got the final try of the game on his 32nd birthday and Scarbrough was impressed by the Ireland captain's performance.

'He did as all good players do, he's consistent,' he added. 'He did the basics very well and one thing that really stood out for me was the try near the end.

'He went right past me but he cut an awesome line for that. They're looking strong.'

Munster squad shows three changes

The Munster squad shows just three changes in personnel from last week's squad, for the Heineken Cup game with London Irish at Thomond Park Stadium on Saturday.
 Donnacha Ryan misses out having injured a hamstring after coming on as a replacement, while Billy Holland and Tommy O'Donnell are named in Munster's British & Irish starting XV for the game against Esher on Friday (Garryowen FC 7.30pm), with Holland set to skipper the side.

Munster squad to play London Irish in the Heineken Cup at Thomond Park:

Wian Du Preez, Darragh Hurley, Tony Buckley, John Hayes, Mike Sherry, Damien Varley, Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell, Mick O'Driscoll, Ian Nagle, Niall Ronan, James Coughlan, David Wallace, Denis Leamy, Tomas O'Leary, Peter Stringer, Scott Deasy, Ronan O'Gara, Johne Murphy, Sam Tuitupou, Tom Gleeson, Keith Earls, Lifeimi Mafi, Denis Hurley, Doug Howlett, Paul Warwick

Leinster name team for Racing trip.

Gordon D'Arcy has been named in the Leinster team to face Racing-Métro 92 in their Heineken Cup clash at Stade Yves du Manoir on Friday night (8pm).

D'Arcy was a fitness doubt after being missing out on last weekend's 43-20 victory over Saracens with a calf-strain suffered during the buildup to the game.

He starts at inside centre alongside Brian O'Driscoll while in the only other change to the back-line, Ireland international Isaac Boss partners Jonathan Sexton at half-back.

Jamie Heaslip has not made the squad. The number eight's ankle injury was being monitored by Leinster's medical team this week and he is not considered fit enough to make the trip.

Openside Shane Jennings will make his 50th Heineken Cup appearance. He will be the 14th Leinster player to have reached the landmark, which he has done by playing for Leinster (32 caps) and Leicester Tigers (17).

Ireland squad named for RBS 6 Nations

Declan Kidney has announced a 32 man squad for the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations with Connacht's Mike McCarthy getting his first call-up to international duty.

McCarthy was capped for Brian Ashton's England at the U-21 World Cup in 2002.
Luke Fitzgerald and Rory Best return after suffering injuries during the Guinness series in November.

Speaking about the squad, Declan Kidney said: 'As always the selection of the squad is never an easy one but certainly the level of competition in each position is probably as great as it has ever been over the last two years.

'Players have been really pushing their performances for their provinces, so that level of competition can only be good.

Sportsground trio commit to Connacht

Connacht trio Frank Murphy, Miah Nikora and Ronan Loughney have committed their future to the western province after signing two-year contract extensions.

Former Munster and Leicester Tigers scrum-half Murphy joined Connacht at the start of the 2008/09 season and to date has made 60 appearances scoring 20 points. The 29-year-old said: 'It's great being part of such a dedicated and hard-working squad and management and being part of Connacht for the next two years means a lot to me.'

Nikora, a former New Zealand Schools, under-19 and under-21 international, joined Connacht at the start of last season from ITM Cup side Tasman. He quickly established himself as a fans' favourite in The Sportsground with match winning kicks against both Bourgoin in the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final and against Edinburgh in the Magners League.

'I'm delighted to be able to commit to Connacht for the next 2 years' said Nikora, 'I've really settled in here, and so have my family. There's a great work ethic in the squad and the coaching staff provide a dynamic environment in which to work in.'

Marconnet recalled to France squad

Biarritz prop Sylvain Marconnet has been recalled by France coach Marc Lievremont to his 30-man squad for the defence of their RBS 6 Nations crown.

The 34-year-old veteran won the most recent of his 80 caps in last season's 33-10 hammering of Ireland but he will get the chance to add to that tally after producing a series of impressive performances during the Top 14 season.

The Toulouse trio of winger Vincent Clerc, full-back Clement Poitrenaud and fly-half David Skrela are also rewarded for their fine domestic form having missed out on selection for the autumn internationals.

There are several notable absentees in the form of Mathieu Bastareaud, Dimitri Szarzewski, Julien Malzieu, Louis Picamoles and Florian Fritz as Lievremont looks to turn around French fortunes after a miserable run following last season's Grand Slam success.

Les Bleus had conceded over 40 points in three of their last five Tests, including their 59-16 hammering at the hands of Australia last time out.

France begin their campaign against Scotland in Paris on 5 February.

France squad for the RBS 6 Nations championship:

Forwards:
N Mas, T Domingo L Ducalcon, S Marconnet, W Servat, G Guirado, L Nallet, J Pierre, P Pape, J Thion, T Dusautoir, J Bonnaire, F Ouedraogo, S Chabal, A Lapandry, I Harinordoquy.

Backs: M Parra, D Yachvili, F Trinh-Duc, D Skrela, D Traille, Y Jauzion, M Mermoz, D Marty, A Rougerie, V Clerc, Y Huget, A Palisson, M Medard, C Poitrenaud.

Robinson names Scottish squad for 6 Nations.

Uncapped trio Jon Welsh, Rob Harley and Jack Cuthbert have been named in the Scotland squad for the RBS 6 Nations Championship, head coach Andy Robinson announced today.

Bath back Cuthbert has been included alongside Glasgow loosehead prop Welsh and his fellow Warrior Harley, who can play at flanker or lock, in the 34-man squad for next week's training camp in St Andrews.

Either Rory Lawson, Mike Blair or Alastair Kellock are likely to captain Scotland, having all done so in the last 12 months.

Five Leinster players agree new deals

Leinster have announced that Ireland back-row duo Shane Jennings and Sean O'Brien have agreed new three-year deals with the province.

Devin Toner, Fergus McFadden and Jack McGrath have also signed new two-year contracts.
Dubliner Jennings has made 118 Leinster appearances over two spells since making his debut in the 2002/03 season and the St Mary's College man also featured in the 2008/09 Heineken Cup winning side.

He has played in 15 fixtures so far this season and has been capped on nine occasions by Ireland.

Jennings said: 'It is an exciting time for the province and I am delighted to re-sign with Leinster for a further three years.

'There is a determination within the group to push on and continue to improve. The aspirations of my team-mates, as well as the coaching staff, was a key factor in my decision to stay.

Munster call up Nagle for London Irish clash

Ian Nagle has been added to the Munster squad for their final Heineken Cup pool game against London Irish this Saturday.

Munster submitted the additional player documentation to the ERC today.

Second row Nagle, who secured a development contract at the start of the season after spending two years with the Munster Rugby Academy, has made five appearances in the Magners League and put in a Man of the Match performance against Australia last November.

Ian Dowling, who is suffering from an ongoing hip injury, has been submitted as the player to be de-registered.

Botha ruled out for Ulster

BJ Botha has been ruled out of Ulster's final Heineken Cup pool match against Aironi at the Stadio Zaffanella on Saturday.
 Botha sustained an elbow injury during the second half of last Saturday's win over Biarritz.
The province has named a 32-man squad for the tie. Captain Rory Best, who also left the field with a rib injury, is included.

The starting XV and replacements will be named on Friday before noon.

Ulster squad for Heineken Cup match with Aironi on Saturday, kick-off 1:30pm:

Tom Court, Declan Fitzpatrick, Jerry Cronin, Bryan Young, Andi Kyriacou, Rory Best, Nigel Brady, Ryan Caldwell, Tim Barker, Dan Tuohy, Johann Muller, Neil McComb, Willie Faloon, Pedrie Wannenburg, Stephen Ferris, TJ Anderson, Chris Henry, Robbie Diack
 Adam D'Arcy, David McIlwaine, Jamie Smith, Mark McCrea, Andrew Trimble, Simon Danielli, Paddy Wallace, Nevin Spence, Ian Whitten, Ian Humphreys, Niall O'Connor, Ian Porter, Paul Marshall, Ruan Pienaar.

Leinster monitor D'Arcy and Heaslip

Leinster centre Gordon D'Arcy and number eight Jamie Heaslip could be available for next weekend's clash with Racing Metro in Paris.

D'Arcy picked up a calf injury during the build up to Leinster's 43-20 victory over Saracens at the RDS and was replaced by Fergus McFadden.

Leinster say they hope he will be available for selection.

D'Arcy and Jamie Heaslip - who missed the match with an ankle problem - will be monitored ahead of Thursday's team announcement.There were no other fresh injury concerns for Leinster ahead of the final round encounter with try scorers Dominic Ryan, Sean O'Brien, Fergus McFadden, Isa Nacewa and Eoin O'Malley all in the frame.
 Jonathan Sexton's 13 point haul in the RDS brought his tally in this year's competition to 55 points, bringing his career tally in Leinster colours in all competitions to 424 points in 66 games.
 Leinster also announced that the number of supporters attending their games had passed the 300,000 mark for the season.

McGahan "Munster paid for indiscipline"

Munster head coach Tony McGahan conceded that a lack of discipline had let his side down as they crashed out of the Heineken Cup at the hands of Toulon.

Donncha O'Callaghan and Ronan O'Gara were both yellow-carded as the Irish province bowed out with an untypical whimper, losing 32-16 in the south of France.

England star Jonny Wilkinson punished almost every infringement by Munster in kicking 22 points, while Christian Loamanu and Paul Sackey helped themselves to tries.

McGahan said: 'I'm absolutely shattered to be out of the Heineken Cup at this point in the term, especially after a very disappointing performance.

'I think the first thing was our discipline. Conceding 13 points with two men off the field and a couple of penalties from scrums certainly added to the scoreline. But I think, most of all, our lack of accuracy in trying to put anything together.

'I thought we were very frantic at times, especially in the first half. We had a bit of a dried up source from our set-piece, so we really needed to make sure that we controlled the ball, played in the right areas of the field and put some pressure on them. But unfortunately we weren't able to do that.'

Toulon 32-16 Munster

Munster failed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup for the first time in 13 years after slumping to defeat in Toulon.

Half-backs Jonny Wilkinson and Pierre Mignoni drove Toulon to a 26-9 half-time advantage, with Munster lock Donncha O'Callaghan sin-binned shortly before the break.
 Wingers Christian Loamanu and Paul Sackey scored first-half tries at a partisan Stade Felix Mayol, and any hopes of a Munster comeback evaporated when Ronan O'Gara was yellow carded in the 49th minute.
 

Wilkinson finished with 22 points as the big-spending French outfit reached the knock-out stages in their first season in the competition.
 Lying two points behind leaders Toulon heading into this pivotal Pool Three clash, Tony McGahan's men knew it was win or bust if they wanted to retain their interest in this season's Heineken Cup.

Leinster 43-20 Saracens

Leinster put Saracens to the sword with a ruthless second-half display at the RDS to book their place in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

Saracens were only 22-12 adrift at half-time, turning around with the advantage of a blustery wind, but tries from Fergus McFadden, Isa Nacewa and Eoin O'Malley eased Leinster away.
In a free-flowing first half, man-of-the-match Sean O'Brien and Dominic Ryan (two) touched down for the hosts, with James Short and Kelly Brown crossing for Sarries.

But the Aviva Premiership high flyers were taught an attacking lesson after the break, and an injury-time try from Nils Mordt was meaningless in the end.

The bonus-point victory keeps Leinster five points clear of Clermont Auvergne and guarantees them top spot in Pool Two with a better head-to-head record over the French
side.

Ulster 9-6 Biarritz

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin hailed his side's second-half defensive effort after Ian Humphreys kept their Heineken Cup hopes alive with a last-gasp penalty to secure a 9-6 win over Biarritz at Ravenhill.

Their European fate now hangs on next weekend's final round of games as Ulster and Biarritz, who grabbed a vital losing bonus point, sit joint top of Pool Four with 17 points each. The French side hold the trump card - thanks to a better head-to-head record - should the sides still be level after next weekend's games.

The odds are against Ulster topping the group, although they could still sneak through in one of the two best runners-up slots available.

McLaughlin was delighted with the result, and in particular the way his side stood firm in the final quarter.