Ulster step up to the mark at the right time

Ulster's Heineken Cup prospects mightn't look the best, but they certainly put themselves in a positive frame of mind following last Friday's emphatic 45-24 bonus-point destruction of the Scarlets in the Magners League at Ravenhill.

Presumably, last season's beaten semi-finalists, Bath, will be an altogether tougher proposition when they open their European campaign in Belfast on Friday, however, this latest victory which included tries by Andrew Trimble (2), Willie Faloon, Timoci Nagusa and Ian Whitten, has certainly raised Ulster spirits.

Leinster begin plans for Cheika's replacement

Although his departure has been well-flagged, Leinster coach, Michael Cheika, confirmed during the week that he would be moving on at the end of the season. "Definitely my last season," he said.

The rumour mill has already linked him to the proposed Melbourne franchise which could join the current Super 14, but right now, as the defence of the Heineken Cup looms, Cheika has more immediate issues.

Although there were some talks about the Australian's future, Leinster are resigned to searching for a replacement. "Michael's his own man and he's made his position clear. He'll be standing down after five seasons," explained Leinster chief executive, Mick Dawson.

Asked if the trawl for a new coach had begun, Dawson would only say that it was important to get someone in place sooner rather than later. "We're acutely aware of the situation. We could appoint from outside, or we could go the other way, and obviously, we would want to have a new coach in place by 1 July of next year at the latest."

Ireland's new jersey certainly talks the talk

Not that we've been seduced by the new Ireland jersey which makes its debut in next month's test against Australia, but we thought we might share some of the typical guff put out by manufacturers since Puma replaced Canterbury as the IRFU's official kit supplier.

Apparently, the outer layer of the jersey "facilitates a very rapid evaporation to ensure the player is kept dry" and what's more, the player is "not restricted or uncomfortable when reaching for the ball or diving in for a tackle".

You'll also no doubt be pleased to know that it supports the "muscles as best as possible to improve confidence and reduce fatigue".

Three years and you're in with a qualifier

Just when it seems as if France were relying more on home-grown players rather than on the likes of South Africa's Peter de Villiers and Brian Liebenberg, as well as Tony Marsh of New Zealand, national coach, Marc Lievremont, has expressed an interest in Brive's impressive back-row, Antonie Claassen.

Claassen, contracted to the Top 14 club who are in Leinster's Heineken Cup pool, is another South African who could well avail of the three-year residency rule. In an Irish context, the only two overseas players to have come under the qualification microscope in recent times are Paul Warwick and Lifeimi Mafi, but both failed to make the cut having played sevens for Australia and New Zealand respectively. Perhaps, if another of Munster's foreign legion, Kiwi Nick Williams, sticks around for a third season, he might come into the reckoning.

Heineken Cup now sprouts up in Brussels

Belgium will become the 10th country to stage a Heineken Cup game when Stade Francais take on Ulster at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels in December. The usual suspects from the Six Nations championship as well as Romania, Spain and Switzerland make up the other nine.

Callard's True Blood Returns

In the wake of the Harlequins fake blood scandal, it was worth highlighting that Lawrence Dallaglio had referred to an incident when Bath cheated to get a kicker on the pitch during an English League game more than 10 years ago.

So when Dallaglio responded last week to the disgraced Dean Richards' claim that "everybody knows it [cheating] goes on", we were all ears. "In 16 years of playing, I've never seen anything like the Harlequins incident," said an indignant Lawrence.

Well, how about that Wasps-Bath game in 1997 when Bath managed to get Jon Callard (right) off the bench to land a vital conversion? Here are Dallaglio's own words again: "I was told by a Bath player that no one was cut. They just dabbed a bit of ketchup on a player, rushed him off the field and got Callard on… Fair play to them, they bent the rules and got the two extra points."

A case of selective memory?