THE sponsorship of the Interprovincial Championship, which starts tomorrow, has been taken over by Guinness. The current sponsorship deal with Smithwicks was in the third year of what had been a three year agreement. I understand this season the sponsorship is worth in the region of £30,000 and there is also an offer to extend the contract for a further three years.

Announcement of the new agreement was made at a reception in Dublin yesterday when Brian Browne, national sponsorship manager of Guinness, said his firm was extremely pleased to take over the sponsorship and to be associated with one of the principal events on the Irish rugby calendar.

IRFU president Bobby Deacy referred to the long and fruitful relationship with Smithwicks and welcomed the new sponsors to the game at a time of so much change. He said: "Personally I am full of hope and confidence as regards the game in Ireland in this new era for rugby and thank Guinness for pledging their confidence in the game.

"We have our difficulties, including our players going across the water. I hope this will be no more than a bleep and that we will get our players back and create a situation whereby we can keep our players at home."

Deacy emphasised the structure of the game in Ireland at national, provincial and club level and said the importance of the interprovincials lay in the fact that, among other things, they are official Irish trials.