Matt Williams will announce his Leinster side for their trip to Bridgend today from a full-strength selection barring the sidelined Paul Wallace, who is back training virtually at full tilt after a medical all-clear this week, and Bob Casey, about three weeks away from a return. Encouragingly too, Emmet Farrell played 20 minutes for Blackrock last Saturday - his first outing since rupturing his knee in a pre-season friendly against Saracens in August of last year. Leinster and the IRFU have fully recontracted him for this season.
In Munster, John Langford returned to Ireland yesterday but will not be considered for this Friday's renewal of hostilities with Newport in Musgrave Park. Indeed, has been earmarked essentially as second-row back-up this season to the tyros Mick O'Driscoll, Donnacha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell and, ahem, Mick Galwey.
The team will be announced today for what manager Jerry Holland admits is a "crunch game" if Munster are to achieve their stated objective of a home quarter-final. Meantime they have succeeded in having their ensuing game away to Caerphilly brought forward 24 hours to Tuesday after appealing to the competition organisers when the Welsh club turned down Munster's request.
Ulster coach Alan Solomons cancelled a press conference yesterday to announce their side for Friday night's game away to Ebbw Vale - which looks a near must win game after three matches without a victory - due to some minor knocks and the stomach virus which has hit Ulster's squad.
Jonathan Bell's Achilles/calf injury makes him doubtful, with Ryan Constable the obvious replacement, while David Humphreys has been receiving treatment on his shoulder injury from the Irish medical staff in Limerick, though the player is hopeful. In addition, the virus which laid James Topping low for the Leinster match has nobbled Clem Boyd and Tony McWhirter.
For Friday's tea-time encounter at home to unbeaten Pool B leaders Neath, Connacht coach Steph Nel must plan without Michael Swift, whose facial injury which he sustained against Munster has become infected, and James Ferris (shoulder strain), while Colm Rigney (severely bruised elbow) is very doubtful.
This is offset by a likely first start of the campaign for upwardly mobile openside Johnny O'Connor.
As an aside, it has been confirmed that Shane Stephens has remained in New Zealand after he failed to fulfil all the IRB's criteria in qualifying as a domestic player under the three-year eligibility ruling.
Elsewhere in the province, Corrib RFC, based at Headford, will officially open their new pitch and stand on Saturday following the Connacht-Leinster junior interprovincial (2.0) and before a Corrib-Ballinrobe Junior Qualifying League game (4.0). Due to Galway's involvement in the All-Ireland hurling final, this weekend's club fixtures may fluctuate.
Newport Munster's opponents this Friday have confirmed that they will not, after all, have the services of Springbok scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen, who has decided to remain in South Africa. In a lengthy statement explaining this development yesterday, the club's senior vice president and benefactor, Tony Brown, said that the player's apparent volte face followed an improved offer from SARFU last Thursday.
"This news will come as a huge disappointment to our supporters as it has been to me personally," said Brown, who apologised to the club's supporters but maintained that "Joost has a contract with Newport which in a court of law would be enforceable. Nevertheless, it would not, in the club's view, be sensible to bring a player to Newport who would be unhappy there."
