Toulon v Munster - Preview

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Jonny Wilkinson will be fit to captain Toulon in their Heineken Cup semi-final against Munster in Marseille on Sunday.

Wilkinson has recovered from a hamstring problem, while winger Bryan Habana (thigh) is also fit.

Munster, in a record 11th Heineken Cup semi, will be without second-row Donnacha Ryan, who has a foot injury.

Sean Dougall joins CJ Stander and James Coughlan in the back row, while hooker Damien Varley captains the side.

JJ Hanrahan returns from a groin injury to be named amongst the replacements, while Casey Laulala's recovery from a broken hand means that Rob Penney names not only the same front five from the quarter-final win over Toulouse, but also the same backline.

Varley leads the side in the absence of injured skipper Peter O'Mahony, with Ireland captain Paul O'Connell left to concentrate on coping with the defending champions' giant pack, in which ex-All Blacks prop Carl Hayman starts at tight-head with Italy's Martin Castrogiovanni on the bench.

A powerful, all-international backline also includes former Wallabies Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell, and France centre Mathieu Bastareaud.

Munster have twice lifted the Heineken Cup and victory in the south of France would put them through to a fifth final in Cardiff on 24 May.

"The tradition and history is there and it's what the club is renowned for," said centre James Downey.

"The players come into the club knowing that and every foreigner that comes over, that's how they know about Munster, from the Heineken Cup."

Toulon lifted the trophy for the first time in Dublin last season and saw off Munster's Irish counterparts Leinster in the quarter-finals but, despite their recent success, coach Bernard Laporte was forced to reiterate his side's commitment to Europe's top club competition.

"Everybody's very serious and very focused," he said. "Every single player wants to play - there are no small injuries anymore. For a coach, it's just happiness. I love it. The guys are so into the game. Before I even speak, they are already listening."

Toulon: 15. Delon Armitage; 14. Drew Mitchell, 13. Mathieu Bastareaud, 12. Matt Giteau, 11. Bryan Habana; 10. Jonny Wilkinson (c), 9. Sebastien Tillous-Borde; 1. Xavier Chiocci, 2. Craig Burden, 3. Carl Hayman, 4. Danie Rossouw, 5. Jocelino Suta, 6. Juan Smith, 7. Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 8. Steffon Armitage.

Replacements: 16. Jean-Charles Orioli, 17. Alexandre Menini, 18. Martin Castrogiovanni, 19. Virgile Bruni, 20. David Smith, 21. Maxime Mermoz, 22. Michael Claassens, 23. Konstantine Mikautadze.

Munster: 15. Felix Jones; 14. Keith Earls, 13. Casey Laulala, 12. James Downey, 11. Simon Zebo; 10. Ian Keatley, 9. Conor Murray; 1. Dave Kilcoyne, 2. Damien Varley (c), 3. BJ Botha, 4. Dave Foley, 5. Paul O'Connell, 6. CJ Stander, 7. Sean Dougall, 8. James Coughlan.

Replacements: 16. Duncan Casey, 17. James Cronin, 18. John Ryan, 19. Donncha O'Callaghan, 20. Tommy O'Donnell, 21. Duncan Williams, 22. JJ Hanrahan, 23. Denis Hurley.

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Griffiths Questions Welsh Union

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Saracens CEO Edward Griffiths has praised the Welsh regions for their role in brokering a new European deal but has questioned the role of the Welsh Rugby Union.

The new European competition which will replace the Heineken Cup is expected to be confirmed in the next couple of days. Reports say the French and Italians are the last to sign the new accord but a deal is still set to be announced imminently.

The news will bring to an end two years of discussions over the future of European rugby and while Griffiths praised the Welsh regions for their part in the talks, he seemed less impressed with the WRU.

"I think some of the Welsh Rugby Union's behaviour has been erratic and unpredictable," Griffiths told the BBC. "Maybe they've come round to see a little bit of sense."

The new competition will be a 20-team format with six representatives from the Aviva Premiership, six from the Top 14 and seven from the RaboDirect PRO12. The final place will go to either the seventh-placed side in the French league or the English top flight.

Griffiths claims the new competition is "good news" for European rugby.

"I think everybody should be happy," Griffiths said. "The Welsh regions have been clear and been clear-minded in the whole process and deserve a lot of credit for sticking to their guns. At the end of the day this isn't good news for just the English clubs, or the French clubs, or the Welsh regions, it's good news for European rugby.

"We've got a competition with a fairer format and with a fairer financial distribution, and in fact there's no reason why this format won't actually generate more money for everyone. So it is truly a win, win, win competition and I think once the egos got out of the way it was fairly easy to find a solution.

"At the end of the day it's our responsibility as rugby administrators is to put the best possible competition on the table for the coaches and players to play in and the supporters to watch."

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European Reach Half Solution

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The English, French, Scottish, Welsh, Irish and Italian governing bodies have agreed to change the structure of European club rugby.

After meetings in Dublin, they agreed on the formation of two tweaked competitions of 20 teams each as well as a change in revenue distribution.

But top English and French clubs, who have proposed a breakaway competition from next season, were not present.

The Anglo-French plan has been backed by the four Welsh regions.

Premiership Rugby (PRL) in England and Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) in France say they will have no involvement in the Heineken Cup or Amlin Challenge Cup from next season.

Instead of competing in European Rugby Cup (ERC) competitions, the PRL and LNR plan to form an alternative Rugby Champions Cup.

PRL and LNR are unhappy at how teams qualify for the Heineken Cup, especially from the RaboDirect Pro12 league, and how proceeds are shared.

Currently, only the top six clubs in England and France are guaranteed a place in the Heineken Cup, whereas at least 10 Pro12 outfits - including both Scottish teams (Edinburgh and Glasgow), both Italian teams (Treviso and Zebre) and a minimum of three sides each from Wales and Ireland - have automatic entry into the competition.

As part of the new proposals, only seven clubs from the Pro12 would qualify for the primary tournament.

In addition, the revenue would be split evenly between the three leagues - the English Premiership, France's Top 14 and the Pro12 - as proposed by English and French clubs in June of last year.

But PRL told the BBC that Thursday's developments offer "no more than half a solution" to the crisis.

Remaining stumbling blocks are the rival television broadcasting deals between Sky and BT and the insistence of English and French outfits that clubs should run European competitions, not the unions.

Representatives from the Rugby Football Union, French Rugby Federation, Scottish Rugby Union, Welsh Rugby Union, Irish Rugby Union and Italian Rugby Federation were all present in Dublin.

They issued a statement which read: "Progress has been made on a number of issues relating to the future of European club rugby competition.

"The primary competition would be made up of 20 clubs, with six each from PRL and the LNR, and seven from the Pro12 tournament.

"The clubs would come through meritocratic qualification from their respective leagues and, in the case of the Pro12, there will be at least one club guaranteed from each country.

"In year one, the 20th place would be allocated through a play-off match between the seventh-placed PRL and LNR clubs.

"The secondary competition would consist of up to 20 clubs made up of the remaining 18 PRL, LNR and Pro12 clubs. Two places could be allocated to clubs qualifying from a third competition.

"There is also consensus that distributable revenues generated through the competitions would be divided one third, one third, one third per league with the stipulation that monies to be received by the Pro12 countries would not be less than the current levels."

The PRL, the LNR and the four Welsh regions have not yet been consulted on the proposals and it is unclear who will run these proposed European club competitions from next year.

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Gatland Warns of Failure

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Warren Gatland has warned that English and French clubs' attempts to set up a breakaway tournament from the Heineken Cup will fail.

The Rugby Champions Cup, due to start next season, is a result of Anglo-French frustrations with Heineken Cup qualification and revenue sharing.

"I don't see an Anglo-French competition being successful or lasting that long," Gatland told BBC Jersey.

"I think all parties want full representation from all the countries."

The new tournament could yet include teams from Scotland, Wales and Ireland, but the Pro12 sides need their unions' approval to take part. The Welsh, Irish and Scottish unions are, in turn, waiting on the International Rugby Board's (IRB) endorsement.

New Zealander Gatland, who was appointed to the Wales post in 2008 after spells with London Wasps and Connacht as well as Ireland, believes a tournament that includes only English and French clubs will damage the international game in the northern hemisphere.

"There needs to be some sort of protection for a Scottish or Italian team potentially," he added. "Without their involvement we could see an impact going into the Six Nations."

The 50-year-old also believes that plans for the Rugby Champions Cup may have overlooked difficulties in securing officials for matches.

The English Rugby Football Union (RFU) are still uncommitted to the new tournament and their French counterparts actively oppose it.

"The referees are controlled by the unions and France have said they would not support a new competition, while the RFU have sort of stood on the fence," Gatland added.

Quentin Smith, the chairman of England's top-level Premiership, andTim Lopez, agent to the likes of Wales and Cardiff full-back Leigh Halfpenny, have warned that the uncertainty over top-level European rugby is affecting players' decisions over contracts at Welsh regions.

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Milan Hopes for H-Cup Final

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The 80,000-capacity home of AC Milan and Inter Milan football clubs has been confirmed as the 2015 venue by European Rugby Cup.

What form next season's competition will take, though, remains up in the air, with grave doubt surrounding the tournament's future beyond this term .

Leading English and French clubs are currently service a notice period to quit ERC-run competitions, and they intend taking part in a new Rugby Champions Cup next year.

ERC recently appointed a mediator, Canadian lawyer Graeme Mew, in the quest to reach agreement for a new tournament accord covering the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup tournaments.

Premiership Rugby and France's Ligue Nationale de Rugby, though, say they have no intention of participating in ERC talks on October 23 and 24.

If the 2015 Heineken final happens, it would be the first time for Italy to stage it.

"We are especially proud that a Heineken Cup final could be staged in Italy, " Italian Rugby Federation president Alfredo Gavazzi said at the Italian launch of this season's Heineken and Amlin tournaments on Monday.

"This is a tournament which plays a key role in the continued development of our top clubs, and which also is critical for the progress of our national team.

"Regarding the future, I do not believe that an Anglo-French competition would be in any way suitable. The six unions have stated that they wish to keep the Heineken Cup, and they are absolutely united on this point of view.

"The Italian Federation also believes that it is crucial to keep four of our clubs in the Amlin Challenge Cup to allow our young players to develop. Overall, I am confident that an agreement can be reached.

ERC chairman Jean-Pierre Lux added: "We are in a difficult period for European club rugby, and I too hope that a solution can be found and then we can look forward to 2015 and a celebration of 20 years of European club rugby in Milan.

"It would be a shame if Italian rugby lost such a major opportunity to promote the game in their country."

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Heart Surgery for Strauss

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Former Springbok hooker Richardt Strauss will miss the rest of this season after being diagnosed with a heart condition that requires surgery.

A statement from Leinster said that the South African-born hooker, 27, would undergo an operation this week.

"The management are confident that he will make a full recovery and will provide him with the best care in his recovery," added the statement.

Strauss has played 79 times for Leinster and earned four Ireland caps.

The hooker's heart condition was discovered following a series of recent tests.

Strauss has not featured for Leinster since playing 70 minutes of the Pro12 defeat by Glasgow on 20 September.

His absence for the remainder of this season is a blow both to the Dublin-based provincial side and Ireland.

Strauss has established himself as Leinster hooker ahead of fellow international Sean Cronin over the past three years and has also been a strong back-up to Ireland's regular number two Rory Best.

And with his former Leinster coach Joe Schmidt now in charge of Ireland, Strauss may have felt that he had a chance of dislodging Best from the Ireland jersey this season.

In the immediate term, Strauss will miss Leinster's opening Heineken Cup games as well as Ireland's autumn Tests against Samoa, Australia and New Zealand.

The Pretoria-born player made 36 appearances for Super 14 club the Cheetahs before signing for Leinster in 2009.

He helped Leinster clinch successive Heineken Cup triumphs in 2011 and 2012 and earned his first Ireland cap against his native South Africa 11 months ago.

Strauss scored his first international try in the win over Argentina two weeks later but he missed out on Ireland's 2013 Six Nations campaign because of injury.

His fourth and most recent cap came against the United States in Houston in June.

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Heineken Door Still Open

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The "door is still open" for Europe's top clubs to help find a solution to the row over the Heineken Cup's future, says the competition's organiser.

English and French clubs will quit the tournament next year in favour of the proposed Rugby Champions Cup.

European Rugby Cup (ERC), which has run the Heineken Cup since it began in 1995, wants to reopen talks with clubs.

"The future is best served by doing what we have all been doing for 18 years," said ERC chief Derek McGrath.

"ERC wishes to encourage everybody back to the table. There is a lot of activity to try to find solutions.

"We have stated many times that we absolutely believe that we will only find agreement when we have the full engagement of all the parties around the table. We haven't had that yet.

"We haven't had engagement and we haven't had negotiation, which is critical to find progress."

English Premiership and French Top 14 clubs are serving a notice period to leave ERC-run competitions and will not attend talks planned by the organising body next month.

They believe the Heineken Cup structure favours teams from the Pro12, which is made up of sides from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy.

Only the top six in England and France are guaranteed a place in the Heineken Cup, whereas at least 10 Celtic League outfits - including both Scottish, both Italian and a minimum of three sides each from Wales and Ireland - have certain entry into the competition.

With the Pro12 having no relegation, it is argued teams can rest players for league matches to keep them fresh for Europe, while Premiership and Top 14 teams have to fight hard just to qualify.

The English and French clubs are also unhappy with the way revenues are split between the three leagues and want to keep a greater share.

Pro12 clubs will be allowed to join the potential new tournament, but the Welsh, Scottish and Irish Rugby Unions want "full approval" of the International Rugby Board (IRB) for their clubs to take part.

Despite the English and French clubs' insistence on forming a breakaway competition, ERC chief executive McGrath insists there is still time to reach an agreement for all of Europe's top clubs to continue playing in the Heineken Cup.

"All parties bear a responsibility to find those solutions," he added at Monday's English and French launch of this season's Heineken and Amlin Challenge Cup competitions in Cardiff.

"Walking away is not respecting the obligations to those, in particular, who are not sitting at the table - the fans, the players, the sponsors - who have a significant interest in the future of the competitions.

"I sincerely believe it is in everyone's best interests to come to the meeting."

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