RUGBY NEWSONE IMAGINES Michael Cheika would be free to expose his younger players to the rigours of Magners League rugby for the return fixture against the Dragons next Friday, considering the title is safely stored away in Dublin 4. However, some of the senior guard might disagree to a rest week.
Team captain Brian O'Driscoll already expressed a desire to maintain fitness levels, after a six-week lay-off, ahead of the Ireland versus Barbarians fixture at Kingsholm on May 27th and the Southern Hemisphere tour (New Zealand on June 7th, followed by Australia seven days later).
Two certain Leinster absentees are Keith Gleeson, who has officially retired and therefore spared an anti-climatic journey to Newport, while frontrow gun-for-hire Ollie Le Roux will be on the Western Stormers bench in the Super 14 match against the Waratahs at Newlands this Saturday.
Two particularly impressive academy graduates, Felix Jones and Eoin O'Malley, remain in contention for promotion, but Cheika may resist resting any internationals.
Also, the Dragons are still to secure the European qualifier berth, which looks safe so long as they don't ship heavy defeats to the Ospreys tonight and Leinster. Both matches are at least in the familiar confines of Rodney Parade.
It would require a 61-point turnaround and for Connacht to claim a bonus point at home to the Ospreys, on Friday night, for Michael Bradley's team to claw themselves off the bottom. The Dragons can dismiss any mathematical miracles by clinching a bonus point in either game.
Ulster welcome Cardiff in a largely irrelevant match at Ravenhill, while Munster get a final run out before the European Cup final against Toulouse on May 24th this Saturday evening in Musgrave Park.
That fixture, aided by poor planning, ensured the AIB All-Ireland League final between Cork Constitution and Garryowen was bumped to the unfriendly kick-off of 1.15pm on Sunday. This was the only slot RTÉ could provide due to the start of the GAA championship. It is even switched to RTÉ 1.
Meanwhile, All Black outhalf/fullback Nick Evans has signed a three-year contract with English Premiership club Harlequins, continuing the player drain in New Zealand rugby.
Their most cherished player, Dan Carter is expected to sign terms with Toulouse or follow Tana Umaga to Toulon.
The International Rugby Board Council have announced a £48 million (€61 million) strategic investment programme for 2009-2012.
"The IRB's financial results, from the final year of the four-year business cycle, paint a healthy picture for the game," said IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset. "Net revenues for the period were £130.3 (€166) million. The vast majority of the revenue generated is in respect of Rugby World Cup, which generated a surplus of £122.4 (€155.9) million, underlining the 2007 tournament's stature as the most successful."
IRB head of finance Robert Brophy added: "Rugby World Cup 2007 was a significant commercial success. The surplus from the tournament was almost double the £64.3 (€81.89) million generated by RWC 2003 in Australia, demonstrating an increasing appetite for the game both in traditional markets, but also across emerging markets such as Russia, India, China and North Africa."
