Gatland contract talks to start this week

The IRFU are set to open preliminary negotiations with Warren Gatland this week regarding an extension to his existing contract, and the likelihood is that the union will offer the Irish coach a new two-year deal.

Gatland's current contract - just under two years and two months - is set to expire with the conclusion of the Six Nations Championship, this Saturday's game against Wales at Lansdowne Road.

Discussions would probably have started last week but for the presence of IRFU president Billy Lavery at the Hong Kong Sevens.

Gatland's existing contract is roughly two-fifths of the £250,000 a year salary which Wales' Kiwi coach Graham Henry is reputed to be paid. While likely to offer Gatland a significant pay increase, union officials are still mindful of the six-year deal afforded Brian Ashton when he took over three years ago.

Henry, meanwhile, is considering playing uncapped 20-year-old Cardiff fullback Rhys Williams on Saturday. New Zealander Shane Howarth is unavailable while the IB await Welsh union documentation regarding his eligibility to play for Wales and another Kiwi - Llanelli's Matt Cardey - is sidelined after being knocked unconscious during a Welsh Cup match last weekend having made his Welsh debut in Howarth's absence against Scotland last time out.

Henry will announce the Welsh line-up tomorrow afternoon, and conceded that "another option would be to move Stephen Jones from outhalf and play Neil Jenkins at number 10, but we trained most of this morning with Rhys at fullback."

Flanker Brett Sinkinson is also ruled out pending an investigation into his eligibility while centre Mark Taylor and number eight Scott Quinnell are injury concerns. Taylor, rated a 60-40 chance by Henry, was the victim of a stamping incident at the weekend, hence fit-again Scott Gibbs is on stand-by.

The IRFU are to launch an All-Ireland Club Sevens Championship, with the winners to represent Ireland in the Benidorm International Sevens in Spain in May next year. The competition (which will have a £12,000 prize fund) will be run on a provincial qualifying basis, leading to national play-off finals at Lansdowne Road and nominated squads of 15 must consist of first and second team, non-contracted players.

The format will involve an initial three-round league series and provincial finals in August next, leading to national finals in September.

The Irish under-21 team to face their Welsh counterparts in Thomond Park next Friday evening is unchanged from the team which started the defeat to France. Simon Keogh, who scored two tries before being forced off with a hamstring strain after just 15 minutes, is named, as is another casualty of that game who didn't play last weekend, Donnacha O'Callaghan.

The Irish Schools team will begin their campaign at Banbury, the scene of the Irish under-21s' other away defeat, on April 8th with a couple of survivors from last season in centre Gavin Duffy and talented backrow Denis Leamy.

The Clongowes centre David Clavin is rewarded for his excellent form as the only representative in the squad from the Leinster Senior Schools' Cup winners, while Munster have the most numerous contingent with six, including two Munster Cup winners in scrumhalf Frank Murphy and winger Colin Murphy, who scored a try in each round for CBC.

David Hilton's international career is almost certainly over after the International Board ruled that the Scotland prop is not qualified to play in Sunday's Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield.