PLANET RUGBY

A round-up of today's other rugby news in brief

Murphy hopes to reclaim place

LEICESTER TIGERS and Ireland A wing Johne Murphy is hoping that he can reclaim a place in the English club's Heineken Cup semi-final against Cardiff at the Millennium stadium on Saturday. The 24-year-old has had to content himself with cameos from the bench in recent matches as Tigers coach Richard Cockerill has preferred Alesana Tuilagi and Scott Hamilton.

Tuilagi is currently appealing a four-week suspension imposed following a late hit on Bath fullback Nick Abendanon in the quarter-final that threatens to keep him out of the Cardiff match.

Murphy, the Tigers' leading try scorer this season with 11, admitted: "With so many lads coming back to fitness, you know you are going to have to play well to earn a shirt and it keeps you on your toes a bit more. It's not about personal things, it's about the good of the team for the next few weeks.

"If Cockers says he wants to go with so-and-so because they bring more to the team, or because we want to play a certain way, you just have to take it. Everyone wants to play in the big games."

Owens relishing semi-final encounter at Croke Park

SATURDAY'S Heineken Cup semi-final between Munster and Leinster at Croke Park has captivated a nation but it appears that the man in the middle won't be indifferent when it comes to his surroundings.

Welshman Nigel Owens (37) will referee the game and is relishing the prospect. Owens took charge of Ireland's opening Six Nations Championship game against France this season and really enjoyed the Croker experience.

He admitted: "I don't normally take much notice of the atmosphere in a stadium because I'm focused on the game itself and the job that I have to do. But in Croke Park, I couldn't help but notice what was going on. The stadium is amazing. It's massive - it was mind-blowing."

Owens is familiar with the two teams, having officiated in Munster's quarter, semi and final victories last season and Leinster's recent quarter-final win over Harlequins.

'Neutral' referees for Lions' Tests

BRYCE LAWRENCE (New Zealand), Christophe Berdos (France) and Stuart Dickinson (Australia) have been chosen to referee the first, second and third Test matches between South Africa and the Lions this summer.

IRB referee manager Paddy O'Brien confirmed: "We met the Lions and South Africa team management last month and all were in favour of the appointment of neutral match officials for the Test series."

Ireland's Alain Rolland will officiate in the Lions game against the Emerging Springboks while Wayne Barnes (England) and Nigel Owens (Wales) will also take charge of matches along with South Africans Craig Joubert, Jonathan Kaplan and Mark Lawrence.

Jones 'feels' for injured O'Leary

STEPHEN JONES expressed his sympathy in the wake of the ankle injury sustained by Munster and Ireland scrumhalf Tomás O'Leary while playing for the Irish province in last weekend's Magners League game against the Scarlets that will keep the young Irishman out of the Lions tour.

Jones was looking forward to teaming up with O'Leary for the Lions.

"It's disappointing for Tomás and I really feel for him. He's been fantastic this season and it's a sad loss for the Lions. But we have to be professional and play the remaining games with a strong mindset. Rugby is a contact sport and it is inevitable injuries will happen."

Chabal may be heading to Paris

RACING METRO president Jacky Lorenzetti has revealed Sebastien Chabal could be one of a host of new players joining the Paris club for the start of next season. Racing secured promotion to the Top 14 at the weekend thanks to their 33-12 victory over Bordeaux-Begles.

Lorenzetti is already looking ahead to the bolstering of his squad over the summer, and the likes of Chabal, South Africa utility back Francois Steyn and France captain Lionel Nallet have been linked with moves to the capital club.

Lorenzetti confirmed 30 per cent of next season's squad will be new recruits, with Chabal one of the high-profile players in his sights.

"The club's budget will be 15 or 16 million euros, either the fifth or sixth (highest) in the Top 14," Lorenzetti said. "If Chabal was really costing €1.2 million, I wouldn't have even opened the dossier. Our objective is to stay up - but with ambition.

"We have decided to keep 70 per cent of the current squad."