Blackrock College outhalf Emmet Farrell will be appointed technical analyst to the Leinster team later this week.
Farrell turns analyst
The former schools, under-21, and Ireland A international has had his career severely hampered by injury. He's still lining out at club level with Blackrock in the AIB League and has also coached the back line for the past two seasons. Personable and a keen student of the game, Farrell is eagerly anticipating his new role with the provincial side.
Another Leinster outhalf, Matt Leek, who was withdrawn in Lansdowne's club match at the weekend with suspected concussion, will have a definitive medical evaluation at lunch-time today.
Wallace honoured
Paul Wallace's testimonial dinner - part of the proceeds went to the Irish Cancer Society - was a great success with some notable offerings at the auction. About 320 sat down to dinner in the Burlington and there were specially recorded video messages from Francois Pienaar, Jason Leonard and Kyran Bracken.
Michael Lynagh and the legendary French centre Phillipe Sella were in attendance. The highlight of the auction was a signed England Grand Slam jersey that went for a5,000. A golfing fourball at Carton House in the company of the recently-retired Irish hooker Keith Wood was snapped up for a1,400 while four tickets to a Westlife concert with backstage access to the band was bought for a1,700.
A dinner for six at Barracuda (this column thinks that's how you spell the name of the restaurant because we've never been there; staff canteen and all that) in the company of Irish internationals Brian O'Driscoll and Malcolm O'Kelly was purchased for a2,500. Signed Kilkenny (All-Ireland hurling champions) and Tyrone (All-Ireland football champions) jerseys went for a total of a2,400.
There was a pre-bash vodka and Red Bull promotion (aka free drink) so many people believe they had a good time.
Leinster poster poser
It hasn't been Leinster's week and the poster (right) that adorns the back of several buses won't have done much to lift the spirits. The heads - in some cases it appears to be only part of the face - have been transposed on the bodies of strangers and it makes for a very weird picture on closer examination. Has Girvan Dempsey swallowed a pharmacy of steroids for example.
Anyway to "honour" the new poster this column is inviting readers to submit a caption for the poster via e-mail to reach Planet Rugby not later than mid-day tomorrow. The lucky winner will receive a pair of tickets to Leinster's opening Heineken European Cup match against Biarritz at Lansdowne on Saturday.
E-mail your caption to:josullivan@irish-times.ie.
Switching allegiance
It seems that for all the stated good intentions of the International Board (IRB) to try to close the gap between the rich and the poor in the international game - the IRB have given a commitment to redressing the balance - there is little the organisation can do when players decide to abandon their country of birth.
Rupeni Caucaunibuca, the Fijian superstar who set the recent World Cup alight with his three-try extravaganza, has quit the Fijian national team in an attempt to join the All Blacks. He told the Fijian Times: "I am switching my allegiance in a bid to became an All Black." This is dependent upon a change in the IRB laws as Caucaunibuca has already represented his country at sevens and full Test level. A number of unions - New Zealand are one of them - have put forward a proposal to relax those laws. Were this granted then the drain of talent from the Pacific Island nations would become a torrent.
The Pacific Islands have no vote on the council so they will be relying on the generosity and common sense of some of the other unions to advance their cause. If the IRB are serious about trying to level the playing field for the smaller nations, then this issue is one which they cannot turn a blind eye to. Now if the Fijian wing was called O'Caucaunibuca, then that's quite another matter.
RugbySpeak
"Over there we were gobsmacked by the support in the stadium and phoning home, you want to know what's happening back here. But when we came into the airport it was something very special. It's starting to sink in, what we've actually done - it's a massive credit to Martin and the team for what they've done."
- England coach Clive Woodward.
"The proposals were accepted. Nothing changed from what we proposed to what happened at the camp. They all knew what was going to happen, including Rian Oberholzer, Songezo Nayo, Bok coach Rudolf Straeuli and team manager Gideon Sam."
- Springbok training camp master Adriaan Heijns tells South African television that the highest officials in SA Rugby knew what was in store for the national team at their humiliating "boot camp".
"You can rest assured David Boon's record is still standing. Tinds had a real go at it but we wanted to leave the Aussies with at least one title to hang on to."
- English centre Mike Tindall went close to Boonie's 54 cans of beer on the Sydney-London stretch according to midfield partner Will Greenwood.
"Can you imagine what signal this sends out to our stakeholders, to our young players who dream of becoming like Rupeni? If we can't keep our best players then where does that leave us?"
- Fiji rugby chief Pio Bosco Tikoisuva on the decision of Rupeni Caucaunibuca to quit Fiji Rugby.
"There's a chance now that I might have to have an operation. But we'll just have to see how that goes and I'm getting a lot of headaches and I have difficulty sleeping so I just keep going to the doctor and keep seeing if I can get things better. At this stage it's going to be a long and difficult process."
- Wallaby prop Ben Darwin whose career is under threat from a neck injury sustained in a collapsed scrum during Australia's Rugby World Cup semi-final victory over neighbours New Zealand.
