Henson pays for indisciplineWALES STAR Gavin Henson has fallen foul of the Ospreys' stringent conduct code. Henson has been axed from the Welsh region's opening Heineken Cup games against Leicester and Perpignan.
And the suspension could also impact on his immediate international prospects, given last season's Six Nations champions launch their autumn campaign against South Africa in just four weeks' time.
The centre has been omitted from tomorrow's Welford Road clash - and Perpignan's Swansea visit next week - because of what the Ospreys term "a rugby-related disciplinary decision".
No further explanation was given for their shock move, which comes less than a week after Henson made his first start of the season, returning from an ankle injury during Ospreys' narrow victory over Harlequins.
Henson, who was punished following a disagreement over his training schedule this week, said "Having received feedback from team management earlier in the week as part of a review of the Ospreys last home game, I reacted poorly and additionally took unauthorised leave to consider the matters raised.
"Having signed up to the Ospreys Code of Conduct introduced earlier this year, I was part of a disciplinary decision from the Ospreys Leadership Group, which consists of senior players and rugby management.
"I fully accept this decision."
• "There aren't too many rugby players in the world who can win matches on their own and he's one of them," said Paul O'Connell of Vilimoni Delasau before last night's game.
Turns out that Montauban opted to leave the Fijian flyer, along with the former Wellington Hurricanes finisher Shannon Paku, back in France.
Same old mid-table French club attitude to European matches away from home: they don't count.
Conundrum for Kidney at outhalf
WITH THE November international Test matches against Canada, New Zealand and Argentina just around the corner, the form of home-grown outhalves becomes crucial over the next two weekends.
Ronan O'Gara is untouchable in an Irish context at the moment but is that a good thing? Declan Kidney may consider blooding a new understudy against Canada, even though victory is crucial with World Cup seeding on the line.
With Andy Dunne injured, his fellow Belvedere graduate Ian Keatley has nailed down the pivot role at Connacht after a perfect five from five goal kicks and a decisive last-ditch tackle on the marauding Rocky Elsom against Leinster last Sunday.
Keatley is behind Ulster's Niall O'Connor and Leinster's Johnny Sexton, the leading candidates for the Ireland bench, but both could do with some game time behind a domineering pack.
Ian Humphreys, Jeremy Staunton and Eoghan Hickey are next in the pecking order.
Otherwise, it's a return to type and the 29-year-old Paddy Wallace of Ulster, 10 times capped and a proven bench-warmer under Eddie O'Sullivan, but really an inside centre.
Trying times
"My biggest fear is the guys trying too hard. That's been one of our problems. My problem isn't motivating this team. It never has been. My problem is keeping them calm and controlled." Matt Williams, speaking ahead of the visit of Stade Français to Ravenhill.
Stade have never won in Belfast and their win ratio against Ulster is actually in the red, three to four. They arrive with a perfect seven wins in domestic competition and a certain Juan Martín Hernández at fullback should be worth the admission price alone.
Indigenous coaches feel squeeze as Australians take charge
DID YOU ever get the feeling the Aussies have taken over? The lack of indigenous professional coaches remains a serious problem for Irish rugby. Of course it seems to afflict most European nations, with the exception of the French, though the current leaders of the Top 14, Stade Français, do have Ewen McKenzie in the box seat.
Three Australians hold the provincial reins in Ireland - Matt Williams, Michael Cheika and Tony McGahan - and Aussie assistants include Alan Gaffney and Laurie Fisher.
Another Australian, Steve Meehan, is head coach at Bath.
The Welsh regions have managed to keep locals in the top jobs, though the New Zealander Andrew Hore is elite-performance director at the Ospreys. The ex-Wallabies defence coach John Muggleton is with the Scarlets and another Aussie, Bill Millard, is assistant to Dai Young at the Blues.
The one Kiwi coach among the 24 Heineken Cup teams is Vern Cotter at ASM Clermont Auvergne, while there are two South Africans, Heyneke Meyer (attempting to become the first coach to win the Super 14 and the Heineken Cup, having guided the Bulls to the Southern Hemisphere crown in 2007) at Leicester Tigers and Franco Smith at Benetton Treviso.
The Scots have Ian McGeechan at London Wasps and Sean Lineen at Glasgow Warriors, and the English have Andy Robinson at Edinburgh, Dean Ryan at Gloucester and Dean Richards at Harlequins.
Frenchmen abroad are Sale's director of rugby, Philippe Saint-Andre, and Marc Delpoux at Calvisano.
• Ronan O'Gara is 46 short of 1,000 European Cup points.
John Hayes needs seven more appearances to pull alongside the retired Anthony Foley on an impressive 86 European games.
Shane Horgan can become the record try scorer in the competition's history; he needs six more touchdowns to equal Dafydd James of Scarlets on 29 (Brian O'Driscoll has 20 tries).
