Simon Mason (right) may not be featuring for Stade Francais as regularly as he would wish recently but he certainly hasn't been idle in whiling away those Parisian days. Mason recently began a column for the English magazine Rugby News, in which he chronicles life in Paris and comments on all matters French in his regular 1,000 word feature.

It is interesting that in his first contribution for the magazine, he defended Diego Dominguez's antics in getting Colin Charvis sent off in the European Cup match between Swansea and Stade Francais at St Helen's last year. In the following issue Mason condoning `a getting your retaliation in first stance,' angered one reader who put pen to paper imploring the former Irish fullback not to blindly support his new teammates. In the latest issue Mason steered well clear of any controversy.

On the playing front, Christophe Dominici's personal problems have allowed Mason to reclaim a place that he had lost to the brilliant French international during the European Cup. The former Ballymena and Ulster player had started as first-choice fullback - amazingly for arguably the greatest place-kicker in the history of Irish rugby he was not asked to kick, Dominguez being preferred - but ironically after the aforementioned St Helen's game, he lost his place to Dominici.

The French flyer, though, suddenly quit rugby for a couple of months suffering from acute depression and only returned to training just before Christmas. When the European Cup resumes in less than a fortnight it will be interesting to see whether it is Mason or Dominici whom coach John Connolly turns to at fullback.