It was a good weekend for Conor O'Shea who captained London Irish to a nail-biting 23-22 victory over Agen in the European Shield to nudge them ahead on tries scored from their French rivals in the pool. Justin Bishop was once again in the centre while young scrum half Kieron Campbell played on the left wing. Even though he is eligible for the Ireland Under 21's again this season he could make the 44-man squad as a surprise inclusion.

Underage colleague Adrian Flavin lasted 40 minutes before being replaced at hooker: Kieron Dawson played the full 80 minutes. Kevin Maggs was restored to the centre for Bath and capped a decent performance with a try while prop Clement Boyd was a second-half substitute for Victor Ubogu. Elsewhere, there was less edifying news for the Irish. Geordan Murphy was replaced early in the second half during Leicester's defeat by Stade Francais while Darragh O'Mahony scored a try but finished on the losing side while playing for Saracens at Thomond Park.