THE defeat and the manner it was inflicted on Ireland a ago by Scotland, will doubtless lead to some straight talking and some very hard work for the Ireland squad, who assemble in Dublin tonight and have two training sessions tomorrow. Tomorrow morning's session will be at Lansdowne Road but the squad will move to Merrion Road in the afternoon. The reason for the different locations is for scrummaging purposes. The machine in Lansdowne Road is not movable and is unsuitable for the scrummaging and back row work the management wants done in this facet. That has to be done on the field and the machine at Merrion Road will facilitate that. The afternoon session has been brought forward to 1.30.

The 29 squad members who have signed contracts are all expected to be present as is Eddie Halvey. He has not signed a contract yet because of the doubt about his fitness. He is due to play for Shannon today against Dolphin in Cork, having recovered from the stomach groin muscle injury that has kept him out of the game for three months. He will be watched today by selector Donal Lenihan and John Mitchell, who is assistant to coach Murray Kidd. Halvey, who has joined English League club Saracens, travels on Tuesday to London and will then be based there.

The Ireland selectors have called in two additional players for the training session tomorrow afternoon - Blackrock College and Ireland A loose head prop Paul Flavin and St Mary's College and Leinster second row Steve Jameson.

Ireland manager Pat Whelan and Kidd will be in Edinburgh today to see Scotland play Ireland's next opponents in the championship, France, while former Ireland coach Gerry Murphy will be in Twickenham today at the request of the Ireland management to see England play Wales.

On the domestic scene there are cup ties in three provinces. The three first round Ulster Senior Cup ties postponed last Saturday go ahead this afternoon. Bangor take on NIFC at Upritchard Park, junior side Omagh have a tough assignment in the visit of first division side Ballymena, while Enniskillen will be at home to Ards.

There is one second round tie. That is the meeting of Instonians and Malone. Malone are unchanged from the side that defeated Portadown in the first round but Instonians have injury problems and will not finalise their side until today. They will definitely be without Andrew Hewitt, while Ireland A international number eight Roger Wilson is very doubtful because of a leg injury. Team captain Bruce Cornelius is also doubtful because of an ankle injury, while Brian Barrett is also injured.

At Upper Malone this afternoon Queen's University take on UCD in a Dudley Cup match.

In Leinster two of the three first round cup ties postponed last week go ahead. This afternoon Old Wesley play Clontarf at Donnybrook and tomorrow Old Belvedere will be at home to DLSP. Old Wesley will be without prop Henry Hurley and flanker Chris Pim. Both players were in the Leinster side that played New South Wales last night and Hurley is also in the Ireland squad. Old Belvedere will be minus Neil Francis, another Leinster team and Ireland squad member. Centre Kerry Mark McCart by has been ruled out of the Belvedere team because of injury and his place will be taken by Connacht interprovincial Steve Tormey.

The two outstanding first round ties in the Munster Senior Cup postponed last week, are scheduled for Thomond Park and Musgrave Park this afternoon. At Thomond Park Old Crescent will meet Highfield, who will be without All Ireland Gaelic footballer Shea Fahy. He was due to play last week but is unavailable for business reasons today. His place will be taken by Maurice Shanley. The postponement of the UCCWaterpark tie has been beneficial for Waterpark - their international number eight Ben Cronin was unable to play last week as he was away on business but is available for the match today.

There are two senior league ties in Connacht tomorrow when Corinthians will be at home to Sligo and Galwegians to UCG. The Students trial at Lansdowne Road tomorrow at noon is given special significance by the fact that Ireland will be participating in the Students World Cup in South Africa in June and July.

. The International Board's new qualification rules are illegal in the European Union, an official said in Brussels yesterday. The IB ruled at their annual meeting this week that players wishing to move from one country to another must serve a 180 day residency qualification before being allowed to turn out for their new club.

The EU's stance, voiced by an aide to Employment Commissioner Padraig Flynn, is in line with the recent Bosman ruling over restraint of trade. "The Commissioner made it quite clear the decisions apply to all sports," the aide said. "It would also include rugby."

The EU's position is sure to upset international rugby chiefs who are struggling to regulate the game as it takes its first steps into the professional era.