The pity in all of this is that the Irish provinces no longer appear to be in a position to attract the top foreign talent.

On a similar theme, it's interesting to note the acute drop in television viewing figures in the Super 14 this year. Even with the All Blacks now back playing in the competition, Sky New Zealand have confirmed that viewing "gures for their prime-time Friday night games have fallen from an aggregate of 3 million to 2.1 million over the past 12 months, a figure that hasn't increased since Dan Carter and the like have reemerged from fitness training over the past month. Sanzar were quick earlier this week to lay the boot into the French and English clubs for their Heineken Cup intransigence but they should really put their own house in order before interfering in matters halfway across the globe.

LANSDOWNE AUCTION HITS A STRANGE NOTE The Lansdowne Road online auction . . . www. lansdowneroad auction. ie . . . officially opens on Thursday but Against the Head is a bit disappointed about the whole thing. Most items for sale (the plaques of the four provinces from the players' lounge, wallmounted glazed display cases depicting team names) are completely worthless, even to the most obtuse rugby fan out there, and we're utterly disappointed to see that the IRFU have been forced to include two rugby books in their auction line-up, despite the fact they can both be bought in any decent bookshop across the country. If that appears baffling, then we can't quite understand why crest signs of Ireland's opponents over the years, and photographs of days of yore, are being sold. What will the hallways of the new Lansdowne Road be decorated with?

GREAT MOMENTS IN IRISH RUGBY NUMBER 27 . . . Ireland beat their first touring side On 18 January 1958, Irish rugby got another monkey off its back. In almost 60 years of touring, Ireland had never defeated a touring international side. But that all changed when Australia came to visit Lansdowne Road. The game was Australia's third visit to Dublin and having won the first two fixtures, most observers predicted that the tourists would make it three-in-a-row.

Noel Henderson's Ireland, however, weren't having any of it. A side that included the talents of Gordon Wood, Noel Murphy, Bill Mulcahy and, of course, Jackie Kyle, defeated Australia 9-6, the winning try scored by the captain himself late on.

THE LAW LIBRARY Rugby, as you may have figured out by now, is not football.

William Webb Ellis put paid to that possibility 183 years ago but Australian flanker Rocky Elsom, it would appear, isn't quite sure of the difference. Last weekend during the Brumbies and Waratahs Super 14 game, Steve Larkham attempted to take a quick throw-in but found Elsom blocking his way. The out-half gestured for his fellow Wallaby to move but Elsom didn't, believing that he was fully entitled to block the path of the ball. Rocky was thinking of the wrong sport. Law 19.2 (g) states: "At a quick throwin, a player must not prevent the ball being thrown in five metres".

The free-kick awarded to Larkham was correct.

RUGBY BY NUMBERS . . . 108 The number of games Ireland lost at Lansdowne Road, six more than they won. There have been 17 draws at the Dublin 4 venue.

RUGBY POSER Name the two Irish players to have won Heineken Cup finals with non-Irish teams?

MOUTHING OFF. . .

As a foreigner, I'm amazed sometimes by the disregard some people pay to the quality of the teams we go to play. I think it is a quality competition. You can see our attitude to it. We pick our best team every game we can. The league is where you build your character and winning culture Leinster coach Michael Cheika (right) does his bit to promote the Magners League I think it's probable . . . definitely probable, so we'll just see what happens. There might be a couple of options. I'm no closer to a decision yet but as soon as one comes around I would like to get it out there and over and done with All Black Rico Gear dangles a bit of bait in front of Europe's top clubs