Leinster have signed England and Wasps tighthead prop Will Green on a two-year deal from next season. The longest-serving player in the Wasps squad moves to Donnybrook after 13 years of service with the club.
Green (31), has started 16 times for the reigning Heineken European Cup champions this season and has a full set of England honours at under-18, under-21, England A and senior levels.
During his run with Wasps since 1995, Green has collected four senior England caps, two domestic Cup winners' medals, three English Premiership titles and last year, a Premiership and European Cup double.
"I'm very excited about joining such a top class outfit as Leinster," said Green yesterday.
"They are a top European side with many great players - six selected for the Lions says it all. I'm looking forward to experiencing a different way of doing things at one of the big Irish provincial teams and I hope I can get over there, get my head down and work hard and win silverware."
Openside flanker Ciarán Potts, meanwhile, is not included in the Leinster squad for tomorrow night's Celtic League match against Glasgow in Hughenden due to an ulcer. He is expected to be available for selection next week along with Denis Hickie, Shane Horgan and Malcolm O'Kelly, who are not lining out this weekend.
Leinster's next match after Glasgow is their Celtic Cup quarter-final in Lansdowne Road in two weeks' time. Their opponents will be known after the final phase of games this weekend.
Openside flanker Denis Leamy makes a return from injury when Munster complete their Celtic League programme against Edinburgh in Thomond Park tomorrow. Having already qualified for a home fixture in the Celtic Cup knockout stages of the competition, Munster players will now also have one eye on Ireland's tour to Japan in June.
As the bulk of the Ireland team are tied up with the Lions tour to New Zealand, a number of players will want to impress between now and when the squad is selected.
Leamy comes into the 22-man squad as a bench player and joins three of Munster's Lions, John Hayes, Donncha O'Callaghan, who is also in the replacements, and secondrow Paul O'Connell.
The match also marks the 100th appearance in a red jersey for Jason Holland, who starts against Edinburgh at outhalf.
In the pack Trevor Hogan starts in the secondrow beside O'Connell with the in-form David Wallace beginning the game at openside flanker. Gordon McIlwham is also a starter at loosehead prop, the dynamic Marcus Horan taking a week out due to squad rotation.
This week was also award week in Ireland and at the third annual BT IRUPA Rugby Players Awards Connacht and Ireland outhalf Eric Elwood was honoured for both the quality and longevity of his provincial and international career. Elwood will now join Irish prop Peter Clohessy, secondrow Mick Galwey, Paddy Johns and hooker Keith Wood when he is inducted into the IRUPA Barker Hall of Fame.
Elwood, who played his final game at the Sportsground for the province last week, has lined out 168 times for the western province, a record number of games by any player in any of the four provinces. He also represented Ireland 35 times, scoring 296 points.
Elwood made his international debut against Wales in 1993 and played in both the 1995 and 1999 Rugby World Cups. He retires at the end of this season after 17 years in the green of Connacht and Ireland.
"I am delighted that such a true great is to be inducted into the IRUPA Barker Hall of Fame," said IRUPA chief executive Niall Woods.
Elsewhere, following a recent meeting between representatives of the IRFU and of the All-Ireland Senior Rugby Clubs Association (AISRCA), the format for the All Ireland Leagues in 2005/2006 was discussed.
AISRCA decided to canvas the position of each senior club on whether they would prefer (a) a straight league with three divisions of 16 teams, each team in a division playing all other teams in the division, or (b) the previously agreed format of two conferences in each division with the eight teams playing each other on a home and away basis.
An overwhelming majority of the senior clubs voted for the first option and AISRCA hope this will be agreed by the IRFU at their next meeting so plans for the 2005/2006 season can proceed.
MUNSTER: S Payne; P Devlin, M Mullins, R Henderson, A Horgan; J Holland, P Stringer; G McIlwham, F Sheahan, J Hayes, Ts Hogan, P O'Connell, A Quinlan, D Wallace, A Foley (capt). Replacements: E McGovern, J Flannery, D O'Callaghan, D Leamy, M Prendergast, P Burke, J Kelly.
