THE SOUTH African Rugby Union has withdrawn a request to the IRFU on the possibility of a short tour during the summer.

The South Africans had hoped that the tour in June would include a test match, and either two or four other matches.

When the tentative approach was made no definite dates or venues had been proposed and consequently the IRFU could not make any decision on the proposal at a recent meeting.

Subsequently as the IRFU awaited more specific details the South African Rugby Union withdrew the request and stated that they were not in a position to pursue the proposal.

Consequently Ireland will not he undertaking a tour this summer at either senior of development levels.

While the Ireland development side toured South Africa in 1993 Ireland's last full tour to South Africa was in 1981. There is however, a tour of South Africa scheduled for the summer of 1998. Australia will tour here next season, The Lions will tour South Africa next year and South Africa will visit Ireland in 1997-98.

The Ireland Students will be competing in the Students' World Cup in South Africa this summer while the Ireland schools undertake a tour to Australia thin summer.

The postponement of senior cup ties in Munster, Leinster and Ulster last weekend has given the various branches the task of trying to fit the matches into a crowded schedule. The three Ulster first round ties postponed are rescheduled for next Saturday, while the two first round Munster Cup ties lost to the weather also take place next Saturday, when UCC will meet Waterpark and Old Crescent take on Highfield.

But the quarter-final tie between Garryowen and Young Munster, due to take place next Sunday, has now been deferred to April 27th. This is because the branch did not want one club in the semi-final with a protracted wait until the others played their quarter-final ties. The quarter finals are due on the weekend of April 27th-28th, the semi-finals on the weekend of May 4th-5th and the final rescheduled for May 11th.

The Leinster branch has refixed two of the three first round ties postponed last week. Old Wesley will now meet Clontarf on Saturday at Donnybrook, while Old Belvedere will play DLSP at Anglesea Road on Sunday. No new date has been set for the match between St Mary's College and Lansdowne.

There were complications for the branch and some of the clubs because of the Leinster v New South Wales match on Friday night and the Ireland squad sessions on Sunday.

Old Wesley for instance will play their cup tie without Henry Rurley and Chris Pim, both playing for Leinster Friday night while Hurley is also in the Ireland squad.

Old Belvedere will not have Neil Francis in their side for the cup tie on Sunday afternoon. He plays for Leinster on Friday and is also involved with the Ireland squad on Sunday when there are two sessions scheduled.

The Ireland manager, Pat Whelan, and coach, Murray Kidd, will be at Murrayfield on Saturday to see Ireland's next opponents, France, play Scotland, while Kidd's predecessor as Ireland coach, Gerry Murphy, has been asked to go to Twickenham to watch, and report on the England v Wales match.

Murphy is happy to give any help he can to the Irish management team.

Connacht will play their annual match against the Defence Force in Longford tonight. Connacht avail of the opportunity to play several members of their development side and leave out such notables as Eric Elwood and Noel Mannion.

Michael Devine, Nigel Carolan, Aidan White and Diarmuid Redgan are the only players in the side who were regularly chosen in the interprovincial series.

Ireland international Neville Furlong is named at fullback on. the Defence Forces side, while the pack includes two A internationals in hooker James O'Riordan and flanker Liam Toland. Second row Bob McCarthy has played for Connacht at senior level as has number eight Graham Heaslip.