It could be a case of back to school for citing commissioners if the IRB have their way for the World Cup in Australia. You can just see the classroom environment. Teacher turns away from class to write something on the board. Johnny asks Jimmy for rubber. Jimmy pelts Johnny with said item.

Players in their cites

It could be a case of back to school for citing commissioners if the IRB have their way for the World Cup in Australia. You can just see the classroom environment. Teacher turns away from class to write something on the board. Johnny asks Jimmy for rubber. Jimmy pelts Johnny with said item.

"Sir, I'd just like to draw to your attention that I am going to cite Jimmy for an action in contravention of the laws of the classroom. As you can see on the slow motion replay, he makes no attempt to lob the rubber gently to me, instead using unnecessary force in a reckless manner so as to endanger the recipient. And here if we look at it from a different angle you can see the moment of impact."

For now though the Six Nations bosses are content to let loose the citing commissioners, sans diploma, in this championship, but the citing period after matches has been cut from 48 to 24 hours. The idea is to hold any disciplinary hearing - a committee comprising three members with no ties to the competing countries - as soon as possible.

The player may then appeal against a committee's finding, making a further hearing necessary. The appeal is heard by a different three-man committee from the disciplinary committee. The members of the appeal tribunal are to be a judge, an eminent former player and either an eminent former administrator or a legally qualified person with rugby experience.

The citing commissioner will attend the match and be presented with video material immediately after the match, which he will be able to view in a studio or at his hotel.

The television companies covering the matches, BBC, RTÉ and FR2 primarily have been asked by the organisers to attend more completely to the needs of the match officials, such as Irish referee Alain Rolland (above), and the citing commissioner so that extra angles are available, and not just those broadcast at the match.

Big Brother will be watching and more closely.

The Russians are coming

The temperature won't be the only thing that's hot when Spain are host to Russia in the European Cup of Nations, effectively the Six Nations B championship, in Palma, Majorca, on Sunday, February 16th. There will be no holiday atmosphere surrounding this clash after Spain's complaint that Russia fielded ineligible South African-born players in a recent World Cup qualifying match.

The Russians were thrown out of the competition by the IRB - pending an appeal - having qualified for the repechage round ahead of the finals in Australia later this year. Bears with a sore head, springs to mind when the Russians hit town and there won't be a drop of drink involved.

The other participants in the European Cup of Nations are champions Romania, Portugal, Georgia and the newly promoted Czech Republic, who took the place of the relegated Holland.

Laporte on Les Rosbifs

It's just as well that Iraq don't play in the Six Nations Championship because French coach Bernard Laporte has admitted that he is afraid of Saddam Hussain and his tight five. Laporte was of course referring to the possibility of war and not the trivia of sport. He dismissed the hype surrounding the opening game in the Six Nations Championship when France travel to Twickenham to take on Les Rosbifs - that's England to you and me.

The IRB's coach of the year was pretty philosophical. "It's not the end of the world. I fear Iraq more than England. We will go to England with eager anticipation. We will do well and relish the opportunity. We have a great desire to play against the best. England are a great team as their results over the last three years show. I hope that it will be a great match."

He didn't say we're just happy to be here and one suspects that it isn't the last time that Le Professeur will be damning England with praise ahead of Le Crunch - the new term to describe any England-France rugby clash.

Ireland on the move

The delights of Greystones, or more precisely Dr Hickey Park, appear to have paled somewhat as far as the

Ireland team management is concerned. A base for team training prior to internationals, in conjunction with the excellent facilities of the Glenview Hotel in recent years, the Irish squad have decamped to the CityWest Hotel and Country Club for the coming internationals. They will train at Forenaughts, home of Naas rugby club.

And it seems like those hospitable gentlemen of the Berkeley Court may not have to worry about the invading hordes on match days. The team will no longer be staying there for home games from the Thursday of match week for this season's Six Nations Championship. It used to be easier to get a ticket for Old Trafford than a pass into the Berkeley Court on match days.

No longer the late night banter with the guys on the gate and the way they might look at you. Instead it's time to cultivate a new friendship with the people of the Radisson Hotel, home from home for the Ireland squad for the France and England Six Nations matches.