IRELAND: Keith Wood yesterday underwent very minor surgery on his shoulder, as he had been planning to do for some time, and as a result will be unable to play for Harlequins for the next two or three weeks at most, reports Gerry Thornley.
The Irish captain described the operation as very successful and "more of a cleaning out job really which my specialist had planned to do around this time of the season. It was on my good shoulder too, not my bad one," stressed Wood.
"I'll be back in the gym by Wednesday and it will only keep me out for two or three games."
Meanwhile an Irish Rugby Football Union spokesperson has confirmed that no discussions with regard to Warren Gatland's contractual position as Irish coach will be discussed this week. Nevertheless the union's chief executive Philip Browne confirmed that the original timeframe of holding talks by the end of this month will still apply.
The Irish coach wants an extension of his existing contract (which expires next April at the conclusion of the Six Nations Championship) to take him through until the 2003 World Cup and after a run of just four defeats in 15 matches all the indications are that Gatland and the Irish assistant coach, Eddie O'Sullivan, will be given contract extensions until the next World Cup.
Browne broadly hinted as much when commenting: "We want to get everything sorted out and aligned for the next World Cup, and that's the whole point of the exercise. At the end of the day we all want the same thing, to make sure that Ireland are prepared well for the World Cup and to make sure everything is aligned."
ENGLAND: Martin Johnson will return to the England team as captain against South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday, a statement from the Rugby Football Union confirmed yesterday.
The widely expected announcement means that Johnson's Leicester team-mate and England flanker Neil Back steps down from the captaincy after leading the team to Twickenham victories over world champions Australia earlier this month and the record-breaking 134-0 defeat of Romania on Saturday.
Back will become vice-captain.
Lions skipper Johnson missed those games and the Grand Slam-ending defeat against Ireland in Dublin that preceded them after breaking his hand in Leicester's English Premiership win away to Northampton on October 13th.
But the lock forward proved his fitness for the English and European champions in Saturday's league win over Sale.
Johnson's return also means Leicester team-mate Ben Kay is set to drop onto the replacements' bench. This should be the only change to the England side that beat Australia 21-15 when coach Clive Woodward announces his side today to take on the Springboks.
WALES: Wales have lost winger Anthony Sullivan, prop Iestyn Thomas and centre Allan Bateman for Sunday's clash with world champions Australia at the Millennium Stadium.
The trio were injured in Saturday's 51-7 victory over Tonga. Coach Graham Henry has added Llanelli winger Wayne Proctor, Neath prop Duncan Jones and Newport centre Andy Marinos to his squad for the game.
SOUTH AFRICA: Officials with the South African embassy in Rome have officially protested at the playing of the wrong national anthem before Saturday's Test match between Italy and South Africa, Gazzetto dello Sport reported yesterday.
The Italian Marine Military band played Die Stem - the anthem associated with the Afrikaan community - instead of the N'Kosi Sikelele Afrika adopted since the country's transition to a multi-ethnic democracy.
Some Springbok players and officials sang Die Stem but afterwards the embassy formally protested while at the traditional post-match banquet the South African team made a point of singing the real national anthem. South Africa won the game 54-26.
ROMANIA: Mircea Paraschiv resigned as coach of the Romanian national team yesterday after his team's record 134-0 loss to England over the weekend. The president of the Romanian Rugby Union Dumitru Mihalache also announced he would not run for a new term at the elections later this month.
LEINSTER: Tickets for Leinster's all-ticket Celtic League quarter-final against Newport on November 30th are now on sale from the following outlets: the Leinster Branch Offices, Donnybrook, Club Tricot, Grafton Street and Magee @ McSharry, Wicklow Street.
