Leinster centre David Quinlan, one of the finds of the season, has been called into the Ireland squad for their warm weather training in Lanzarote this week in place of injured provincial team-mate Gordon D'Arcy.

They will be joined there by the convalescing Tyrone Howe and Rob Henderson, who, along with IRFU physiotherapist Ailbe McCormack, have just spent the past week in Spala, Irish rugby's home from home, endeavouring to expedite their recovery with the help of those Polish "ice chambers" amid temperatures outside of minus 11 degrees.

Connacht will today learn whether they play at home or away in the first leg of the Parker Pen Challenge Cup quarter-finals from January 10-12th against last season's beaten finalists Pontypridd. The draw to decide home and away status in all four ties will be made in Pontypridd's Sardis Road grounds at mid-day today.