Lievremont makes five changes after goading English

France coach Marc Lievremont has continued his baffling selection policy after naming five changes in the team to play England at Twickenham Saturday.

France chiseled out a hard fought 22-25 victory over Ireland last time out. But despite Morgan Parra's 100% kicking ratio in that game, Dimitri Yachvili, has been recalled to the scrum half position.

Parra provided 15 of les Bleus 25 points at Lansdowne road but his half back partner Francois Trinh-Duc must now adapt to playing with the more pragmatic Biarritz number 9.

In demand Leinster academy get chance to prove their worth

While Ireland gear up for the visit of France in the Six Nations. Leinster, who will contribute almost two thirds of the Ireland starting XV, will be showing off their reserves as they take on Aironi the RDS tomorrow.

Predictably, it is the backline which is weakened most during the international period with Fijian one-capper, Isa Nacewa the only experienced professional behind the scrum.

They will pack plenty of grunt amongst the forwards with squad regulars, Dominic Ryan, Stephen Keogh and Rhys Ruddock (as captain) in the row behind Devin Toner and Kevin McLaughlin.

Head coach Joe Schmidt will hope that the youthful exuberance can be tempered by a solid base in the front row where Heinke Van Der Merwe and Clint Newland will be out to impress in the absence of Ireland's first choice props; Cian Healy and Mike Ross.

Their hooker has no need to impress any further. Richardt Strauss has been a pivotal cog in Leinster's brilliance so far this season and supporters will look to him to carry plenty of ball against the Italian outfit.

Mixture of hardship and grace leads Kidney to just one change

He's back! The country's most pre-eminent back-row Jamie Heaslip will once again fill Ireland's number eight jersey when Lansdowne Road's Aviva Stadium hosts France in it's first Six Nations match.

Heaslip missed out on Ireland's opening night jitters, a 13 -11 win over Italy in Rome, but has now recovered from his ankle injury in time to face the grand slam holders.

The Leinster stars inclusion means Denis Leamy is forced onto the bench as the island's form forward, Sean O'Brien is switched to blindside flanker.

Kidney able to name strong side to face Italy

Declan Kidney has managed to name a strong starting 15 to open the Six Nations campaign in Italy despite a severely depleted list of options in certain positions.

A spate of injuries that could have proved crippling in previous years, now look like serving as an important stage in the development of Kidney's side just seven months before the World Cup.

Last year's Six Nations brought little other than disappointment. Concerns grew amongst the masses that the grand slam winning coach was falling into the same trap as his predecessor. Those fears grew in the autumn as the former Munster supremo stubbornly refused to throw form players into the starting XV, favouring the tried, the tested and the tired.

Five signatures a further endorsement of Leinster academy

Leinster have secured the services of five homegrown stars in deals ranging from two to three years.

It's difficult to find a negative around Leinster Rugby at the minute as the eastern province romps toward the Heineken Cup knockout stages with a free-running offloading style. Knowing that this group of players, who will form a core part of the squad after this autumn's World Cup, are committed to a long term future at the RDS is a further boost.

Man of the moment Sean O'Brien is amongst the quintet and the Carlow man has put his name to a new three year deal. Fellow experienced first XV man Shane Jennings is also rewarded with an offer to remain with the province until 2014.

Heaslip to miss Saracens clash as Fitzgerald is benched

Jamie Heaslip will miss out on Leinster's Heineken Cup clash with Saracens on Saturday after the big back row failed to recover from an ankle injury sustained in the 15-10 win over Ospreys last Friday.

It is the same ankle he injured against Clermont Auvergne early in the season but it is expected he will be fit to fill the number eight jersey for next weekend's trip to Paris to face Racing Metro. Coach, Joe Schmidt elaborated on the details of his star forwards disability:

"What he did was the ankle joint. He's given that a wrench," explained Schmidt.

Unpaid Bohs players named

The dominant message on www.bohemians.ie

It has emerged this morning that the two Bohemians players at centre of legal proceedings to have the club wound up are Steven Gray and Brian Shelley.

The defensive duo had previously been unnamed as the case was taken against the Phibsboro outfit. However, this morning the Irish Independent has named Gray and Shelley as the men involved after their petition was lodged on Thursday.

Hawk-Eye has its wings clipped

Hopes that the GAA was set to introduce goal-line technology have been put on ice this morning. The association has unequivocally dismissed the idea that the 'Hawk-eye' system would be trialled at this year's All Ireland club finals.

Rumours emerged yesterday that the virtual replay system, invented by Paul Hawkins, would be rolled out at Croke Park on St Patricks day. However Cumann Luthchleas Gael was quick to issue a statement indicating that they had no plans to test on competitive games.

"The GAA can confirm that at the December 11th meeting of Coiste Bainistí (Management Committee) a full feasibility study on the possible use of score detection technology was sanctioned," said the statement, "and this is expected to be completed before May."

Ireland's options at fullback stretched to limit

Declan Kidney may be forced into playing Luke Fitzgerald at fullback throughout the Six Nations as Geordan Murphy and Rob Kearney, two of his frontliners for the number 15 jersey, are fighting against injury.

Murphy was stretchered off in the final minutes of Leicester Tigers' 27-16 win over Northampton on Friday night. The Kildare native appeared to grab his right knee after desperately defending his try-line. But Tigers coach Richard Cockerill post match confirmed that the injury was to his captain's ankle:

"He's gone over on his ankle -We are hoping for the best but it's too early to say the extent of his injury" Said Cockerill.

Rob Kearney meanwhile, is continuing his rehabilitation and hopes to be fit for the after suffering a knee injury against New Zealand. But Leinster coach Joe Schmidt remained cautious about issuing a return date for Kearney, telling the Sun:

"I am not sure if he will make the Six Nations, we'll have to wait and see, but I can tell you he's making really good progress,"

Leinster labour to 15 -10 win over Ospreys

An apocalyptic deluge, that began over three hours before kick-off and reluctantly abated midway through the opening half, spoiled hopes of those expecting Leinster, with close to their first choice backs, to open up and play summer rugby.

Instead the writing was on the wall; the standard pre0-match passing drill was cut to a minimum as Jonathan Sexton and Luke Fitzgerald both, with the intention of testing journeyman fullback Barry Davies, practiced bombing Garryowens up against the torrent.

14 points from Dan Biggar proved the difference in the reverse fixture this season. And the young Welsh half put his side into the lead with little over 60 seconds on the clock. However as tends to happen in the Magners League, the visiting team immediately provided a reprieve, Ryan Jones going offside to allow Sexton level the scores.

If this match was to be a battle of the young fly-halves, then they started going the right way about it.