Wood looks set to return against Italy

RUGBY: Keith Wood's chances of returning to the Ireland team for the game against Italy next Saturday fortnight are improving by the day. Wood resumed running last week and did a small amount of lineout practice yesterday. He said there was "a small chance" that he would play for Harelquins in their Cup semi-final against London Irish this Saturday, though a return via the bench for 20 minutes is possible.

Sidelined since tearing a calf muscle on December 15th, he may have a full-scale return the following week in his club's vital English Premiership tie at home to Newcastle. As to whether he would be available for the Italy game, Wood said: "A lot would depend on my actual fitness, as to how my calf felt, and I'd have to be playing well to justify my selection."

In a new development, Wood will present Rugby Special on BBC Two tomorrow night (11.20). With Jonathan Davies, he will co-host a dozen of these rugby chat shows, "except for any weeks when I would be involved in international matches", Wood said.

Meanwhile Neil Back will replace Martin Johnson as England captain against Wales on March 23rd. England coach Clive Woodward last night confirmed Back's appointment, after arbitrator David Pannick ruled that the English RFU's regulations allowed for disciplinary action to be taken against players even if the referee has dealt with an incident.

Johnson's 21-day punishment, imposed earlier this month following his yellow card for punching Saracens hooker Robbie Russell, will take effect from tomorrow, and run until March 26th. Apart from the Wales game, Johnson must also sit out Leicester's Premiership matches against Bath and Gloucester.

The Celtic League is expected to follow a similar format next season to last year's inaugural event following meetings between officials from the Ireland, Wales and Scotland unions on Monday, although the semi-final and final will most likely be run off early in the New Year as opposed to before Christmas.

The exact number of teams competing has to be finalised, although the Scots will enter a third super district, the revived Scottish Borders, as well as the Edinburgh Reivers and Glasgow Caledonians.The Welsh have yet to confirm whether they will cut their entry of nine clubs, although if they don't the 16 teams will simply be divided into two pools of eight.

Once again the top four teams in each pool will progress to the quarter-finals, although in another change to the itinerary, the pool games will begin later in August. The prospect of the four Irish provinces obtaining four home quarter-finals again will be greatly diminished by the clash with Ireland's World Cup qualifiers on September 21st and 28th, and Ireland are also looking at the possibility of having a warm-up game on September 7th.

The remaining two rounds of the Interprovincial Championship will be completed this season, with one series likely to be held a week before Munster's European Cup semi-final against Castres with the final games perhaps to be held a week before the European Cup final.