The promising midfielder was lured from the Stormers in late 2011 and is expected to be the Bulls’ first choice No 13 for their Super Rugby campaign. Sadie partners SA U20 inside centre Francois Venter.

There are also starts for Springboks Morné Steyn, Francois Hougaard and Chiliboy Ralepelle, who will captain the side in the absence of Pierre Spies (calf). The starting XV includes 11 Springboks in total.

‘We are keen to see where we are at this stage of the season. The Cheetahs have had some game under the belt and will be a difficult opponent, just what we need now,’ coach Frans Ludeke said of his team’s last pre-season match before their opener against the Sharks on 24 February.

Bulls – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle (c), 1 Dean Greyling.
Subs: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.

Erasmus hasn’t been formally interviewed yet but Meyer is an admirer and he is likely to appoint him as his technical analyst shortly. Erasmus has modelled himself on Meyer, particularly from a structure building perspective. They shared ideas often when Erasmus was director of rugby at Western Province and his work ethic and sharp mind appeals to Meyer.

The role would suit Erasmus perfectly. He excels at dissecting matches, studying individuals and teams and trying to establish predictable patterns in the opposition that would give his side an edge. Furthermore he is famously media-shy and not very receptive to criticism. A behind-the-scenes role therefore is a better fit than assistant coach would be.

Who fills the remaining roles remains a mystery. Meyer’s preferred choices are all contracted, leaving him in a difficult position of having to settle for coaches who are available or convincing the South African Rugby Union to pay significant compensation fees in a bid to convince franchises to release the coaches he wants.

Meyer is desperate to lure Bulls defence coach John McFarland to the Springboks. The Englishman had been a trusted lieutenant at the Bulls. Meyer had previously tried to recruit McFarland to the Leicester Tigers when he coached the Premiership side and has always spoken highly of his aptitude.

However, any deal there is unlikely, as is one for Bulls forwards coach Johann van Graan (contracted until end 2012). The relationship between the Bulls and Saru was fractured when the governing body convinced Meyer to engage the exit clause in his contract with the Pretoria franchise. They are highly unlikely to be open to an approach for another of their senior coaches (McFarland is contracted until the end of 2013).

With Jacques Nienaber, who has forged the Stormers into a granitic defensive unit, under contract until the end of 2012, there are no available South African-based alternatives.

Meyer will not consider employing an overseas-based coach, which further limits his options. He had previously maintained that he would always seek to employ the best available coaches no matter their nationality. In 2007 he added Australian attack coach Todd Louden to his staff. Louden had an immediate and patent impact, refining and adding dimensions to the Bulls’ play. He later worked with the Waratahs before coaching in Japan and is currently employed as the director of rugby at Sydney University.

Springboks players and the South African rugby fraternity were sceptical of the Australian pair of Les Kiss and Tim Lane, employed by Harry Viljoen in 2001. I’d like to believe the players and public have matured and would embrace the right foreigner. That said, Meyer is determined to employ a locally-based coach.

Reports have suggested that Sevens coach Paul Treu is being considered as backline coach. Unless it is an appointment forced on Meyer I can’t see it being one he would support. Treu is a fine man and excellent Sevens coach, but he has no experience coaching in the 15-man code. It would be a worse appointment than the one that saw Dick Muir elevated. Muir’s fanciful philosophies were soon exposed as just that and shelved in favour of a more pragmatic approach. At the end of his tenure he was little more than a well-paid adviser. That type of error cannot be replicated.

It is unlikely that former Saracens and current SA U20 coach Brendan Venter would be receptive to any advance. He has consistently stressed that the reason he resigned from his post at the English club was to spend more time with his family and build his medical practice. Working with Meyer and Erasmus may, however, be incentive enough for him to reconsider.

Meyer is in an unenviable position and how he negotiates this challenge will be crucial to his success with the Springboks.

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Meyer inherits a Springbok team in transition after a clutch of senior players retired or sought fresh challenges abroad. He has made veiled suggestions that he wants to be able to select foreign-based players, something his predecessor Peter de Villiers was loathe to do. The South African Rugby Union (Saru) encouraged and supported that position, as did the senior players, many of whom will now, ironically, be hoping for a call from their old Bulls mentor.

Meyer accepts he will operate in a results-driven environment. He knows there is little to no allowance made for building the type of structures he did so successfully in his decade of service with the Bulls. The pressure is self-evident and the strong support he now enjoys from the South African rugby fraternity will quickly erode if results don’t meet expectations.

In the interests of self-preservation, Meyer is tempted to sound out the likes of Danie Rossouw, Bakkies Botha and Fourie du Preez, all of whom received their rugby education from him at the Bulls. Japan-based Fourie du Preez heads that list. Du Preez has previously stated that he would seriously consider returning from international retirement if Meyer was appointed. Meyer believes that the 29-year-old still has much to offer at Test level. Indeed there is the distinct possibility that he could appoint him as captain for the early part of his tenure if given permission to do so by Saru.

The implications, should this move transpire, would be serious for Francois Hougaard. Hougaard has been deployed mainly as a wing in his four years at the Bulls, his prodigious ability demanding he be accommodated. But he has always been identified and groomed as Du Preez’s successor at the Bulls. Furthermore, Du Preez had consistently endorsed Hougaard as his replacement at Test level, predicting that he would progress to become one of the world’s leading scrumhalves.

It is premature to assume that Hougaard will make an immediate impact in his first full Super Rugby season for the Bulls as a No 9. Indeed there is the possibility that he may well be a better winger than he is a scrumhalf. However, should Hougaard show the aptitude Du Preez predicts he will, the 23-year-old anointed one would face an uncertain international future thanks to the re-emergence of the man who bestowed that anointing.

At the 2011 World Cup Du Preez was a poor impostor of the player who was without peer in his position at the tournament four years earlier. A shoulder injury appeared to dilute his potency and I still believe he can contribute to the Test cause. However, his form in the mediocre Japanese league should be no measure of his capacity in that regard. Any assessment of him needs to be made with him playing in South Africa. Jaque Fourie, who also plays in Japan, must be held to the same standard if he hopes to continue his international career.

Du Preez would offer Meyer the security he seeks in his formative years as a Test coach, while further refining Hougaard or whoever emergences as a better option. I don’t see Du Preez making the 2015 World Cup, two years being the maximum period before his powers start to wane to the point where he will be a liability for the Springboks.

I don’t share the same view with Rossouw, Steenkamp, Botha or indeed Victor Matfield, who has been spoken about as a potential returnee. The second-row pair in particular are spent forces and any recall will be counter-productive. There are competent replacements for all these men and while their contributions will never be forgotten they must be.

If they aren’t, Meyer runs the risk of causing disillusionment on a mass scale among the nation’s gifted young players, all of whom would have assumed their time was now.

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Jean-Baptiste Poux takes over at loosehead prop from Vincent Debaty while Dimitri Szarzewski comes in at hooker for William Servat. Yoann Maestri starts at lock in place of Lionel Nallet, who drops down to the bench, while Imanol Harinordoquy takes over from Julian Bonnaire at flank.

France – 15 Maxime Médard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Aurelien Rougerie, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Julien Malzieu, 10 François Trinh-Duc, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Imanol Harinordoquy, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Pape, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Jean-Baptiste Poux.
Subs: 16 William Servat, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Lionel Nallet, 19 Julien Bonnaire, 20 Morgan Parra, 21 Lionel Beauxis, 22 Maxime Mermoz

The Reds earned a reputation as being one of Super Rugby’s whipping boys before dramatically transforming their fortunes and winning the tournament in 2011. Their success, gained off the back of entertaining play, ensured the Suncorp Stadium was regularly packed.

O’Neill appealed to Australia’s other four franchises, all of whom are in a perilous financial position, to follow the Brisbane side’s lead. ‘We know it annoys some people that we reflect on the Reds as an example … but you do like to reflect on success,’ O’Neill told the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘The Reds have turned it around by playing entertaining, winning rugby, and their home crowds over a two-year period have gone from an average of 13,000 to 35,000. That was obviously helped by a home semi-final and final, but their TV ratings also went off the radar.

‘We’d love to see that replicated throughout all of the franchises and the five Australian cities. It is critical for all of them – some more than others – that they shoot the lights out this year, have extremely successful performances on the park and drive crowds.

‘All bar the Reds can do better on their crowd figures. It’s not a criticism, it’s a statement of fact. Besides the Super Rugby distribution we give them, the provinces’ sources of revenue involves corporate sponsorship. But their principal source is match-day revenue – ticket sales, memberships, corporate hospitality.’

‘Success is infectious, and if the Waratahs, Brumbies, Rebels and Force can emulate some of that, their boards and their management will be dancing in the streets, because it takes some of the financial pressure off. And it is entirely under their control. You have got to get people to feel absolutely in love with their team.’

O’Neill also spoke of the importance of winning as a means of driving private investors. ‘People are soon banging on your door to become members, and that helps make the province a financial success. Enticing private investors is also a lot easier if the vehicle is successful,’ he said.

However, head coach Robbie Deans has been assured he will continue to the end of his contract in 2013. A review of the 2011 season written by four former Test players – Brett Robinson, Michael Hawker, John Eales and Mark Connors – has been submitted. It assesses the general health of Australian rugby and includes the 2011 World Cup campaign and provides recommendations where the Wallabies coaching structure can be improved.

The report will be discussed at the ARU board meeting on 24 February and Deans’ assistants are likely to feature prominently in those discussions. Two jobs are vacant after the departure of forwards coach Jim Williams and strength and conditioning coach Peter Harding.

ARU chief executive John O’Neill, however, stressed his full support for Deans. ‘Robbie is the coach for the next two years, but there are clearly others who have ambitions, which is pretty normal,’ O’Neill said.

‘If you’re a Super Rugby coach, and don’t have ambitions to coach the Wallabies, it would be unusual. But two years is a pretty long time in rugby. And it’s not very useful to have a whole lot of speculation about what is going to happen sometime at the back end of 2013. Attaching odds on whether Robbie will stay on, versus Ewen McKenzie, Michael Foley or whoever taking over is just pointless.

‘It is also pointless to be campaigning when you should be concentrating on your day job. There’s no point hitting the tom-tom drums and saying you’re ready, when a decision is two years away.’

The 16-12 scoreline was unimpressive but needs to be viewed in the context of an inexperienced squad and a lack of synergy given the infancy of the season. According to Ludeke, the primary objective of the match was to give some young players an opportunity to stake a claim for Super Rugby inclusion.

‘The result was important, we always want to win, but it didn’t override the main goal, which was to see the sort of depth available to us,’ Ludeke said. ‘I was impressed with how some of the players came through. They know there are places up for grabs in the Super Rugby team and they pushed their names forward.’

Depth will be a focal area for the Bulls in 2012. They’ve lost a string of experienced players, with the departed sextet of Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez, Bakkies Botha, Guthro Steenkamp, Gary Botha and Danie Rossouw accounting for 581 Super Rugby caps and hundreds of Test caps among them.

Young players like CJ Stander, Francois Venter and Arno Botha are highly regarded at the franchise and can expect to see some game time in Super Rugby. Others like Jurgen Visser, Sampie Mastriet and Frik Kirsten are further away from that goal.

The Bulls are thin in the locks in particular. Wilhelm Steenkamp was recently lured back to the Bulls from the Cheetahs, while Juandre Kruger and Flip van der Merwe are the only other experienced second rowers. Flyhalf is also a concern. Morne Steyn will be the premier pivot, with Lionel Cronje, recruited from the Stormers, set to rotate with him.

‘Those are areas we’re holding thumbs we don’t suffer injuries in. If we do we will be in a difficult situation, with some youngsters having to step up,’ Ludeke said. ‘But we can’t concern ourselves with that. If it happens the next guy has an opportunity to show his talent and character.’

The Bulls are expected to name something resembling their first-choice match 22 in Polokwane against the Cheetahs. They open their Super Rugby campaign a fortnight later against the Sharks in Pretoria and the match represents the last opportunity for their elite to ready themselves for the southern hemisphere showpiece.

‘I think we’ll be fine playing just a couple of warm-up games. We aren’t too worried about being under-prepared,’ Ludeke said.’We hope to give some new combinations game time together. We’ve got some injuries to key players but overall we’re in a good space in that regard. The Cheetahs are playing good rugby by all accounts. They’ll be tough to beat. We’re looking for the guys to get match fitness and get some flow in our game. Training runs help with that but obviously they don’t simulate the real thing.’

Akona Ndungane (hamstring) and Werner Kruger (back) missed the Kings match but are likely to feature in Polokwane. Jacques Potgieter and Wynand Olivier, however, won’t be considered due to injuries.

There will be conjecture about the validity of the penalty that proved decisive. Stephen Ferris was called for a dangerous tackle but television replays suggest the decision was harsh. It was a shame that a match of this calibre was decided by a controversial call but it was an epic nonetheless.

The quality was as good and sometimes better than anything you’ll see in the Rugby Championship this season. The sides’ tries were excellent in their construction and execution, featuring the most sublime handling skills.

The first from Wales’ flyhalf Rhys Priestland, who committed two defenders and put Jonathan Davies away with a fine offload. Ireland’s was a collective effort from the back division, who shifted the ball through the hands sharply, Rory Best rounding off the move. Wales’ second came thanks to a superlative touch from big George North, the winger floating up a back-of-the-hand offload that put Davies clean through.

For Wales Priestland continues to impress as an international flyhalf, his cause aided by powerful and largely precise phase play from his forwards. However, his goal-kicking needs attention. He missed three from three, which wasn’t costly in the final analysis but could well have been on another day. Ireland’s pivot Jonathan Sexton had no such trouble and going into the final quarter his third penalty gave his side a narrow 16-15 lead.

Bradley Davies undermined Wales’ ambition when he was yellow carded for a horrific dump-tackle that should have earned him a stronger sanction. Two minutes later Ireland winger Tommy Bowe finished a multi-phase move that depleted Wales’ defensive line. Sexton missed the conversion and with four minutes to play Wales drew within a point with a try from North. Halfpenny missed the touchline conversion but held his nerve when it mattered to give the Dragons a famous win.

By Ryan Vrede

The Chiefs ran in six tries, impressing with their fluid attack against a disjointed defensive line. The Rebels’ new high-profile recruits James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale entered the match in the second quarter but failed to make any telling impact.

Chiefs coach Dave Rennie was pleased with the outcome. ‘It was good to give the whole squad a run with all the players getting at least thirty minutes on the field,’ Rennie said.

‘There was good competition within the squad and I really happy with the defence. There are always plenty of things to work on but it is a good start.’

Rebels coach Damien Hill was forthright in his assessment. ‘Overall it’s disappointing, you don’t like to be beaten by 36 points whether it’s a trial or not,’ Hill said. ‘It highlighted a few areas in attack and defence we need to work on which is what these trials are for.’

The France utility forward was reportedly involved in what the French press described as a heated exchange with coach Pierre Berbizier on Monday night. However, in a statement club president Jacky Lorenzetti merely cited a difference of opinion between the player and team management.

The statement added that Lorenzetti and Chabal had failed to agree terms on a new deal and following a disagreement about the club’s ‘sporting strategy’, the two parties had, ‘decided to put an end to their collaboration and prefer to leave on good terms.’

Toulon are thought to be most likely to sign the 34-year-old.

Gerber won two Super Rugby titles with the Pretoria franchise prior to his departure to Paris in 2009. He has signed until the end of August and will add quality depth in the prop department, which has been depleted with Rossouw de Klerk suffering a long-term injury.

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said: ‘Rayno has a proven track record at this level and we are delighted to secure his services. He brings experience, stability and ability to one of the most specialised positions in the game.’

Gerber explained his decision to return to South Africa saying that he wanted his children to grow up close to their family. He also admitted that it would be tough to get up to speed after a long period of inactivity. ‘I have not played for around five months now and know that the fitness regime will be brutal, but that has always been like that at the Bulls. It is good to be back,’ he said.

CEO Greg Peters announced on Thursday that, after a review of these processes conducted during last year’s World Cup, they believe they have a system that is fair, consistent and simple with fewer full hearings and consequently reduced costs.

‘SANZAR has long held the view that the disciplinary process could be enhanced to provide for a more consistent and simplified outcome,’ said Peters. ‘We believe that these changes are an important step in the right direction.’

Key Changes:

On-field Referee Referral to Citing Commissioner

· Instances where a referee thinks an act of foul play has occurred but is not sure if a red card is warranted, or is unsure of the identity of a player

· Where a player makes a complaint to a referee who did not see an incident

· Can be in addition to a yellow card or penalty

· Referred to the Citing Commissioner for review

Citing Commissioner issues an ‘Off-Field Yellow Card’

· Instances where a Citing Commissioner observes a serious act of foul play that is close to but not quite a red card

· The Off-field yellow card is logged on the player’s disciplinary record in the same manner as an On-Field yellow card

Duty Judicial Officer

· Performs an initial assessment of citings, red cards or three yellow cards

· Duty Judicial Officer may hold a brief teleconference with the player and/or his representative

· Determines whether or not to offer the player a preliminary indication of penalty

· May refer to a full judicial hearing

· The player must accept he committed an act of foul play to be offered an indication of penalty

· If player does not accept the indication of penalty the matter will be referred to full hearing

Judicial Hearings

· Where a full judicial hearing is required it will be held by video conference or teleconference with ‘in-person’ hearings only taking place in exceptional circumstances.

· Other processes for the hearing will be the same as previously

Appeals

· Sanzar has a right of appeal the outcome of a judicial hearing on the following grounds:

- Where there is substantial unfairness, or the penalty imposed on a player is clearly excessive or inadequate

- Where there has been a fundamental error by the Judicial Officer in reaching his decision

· Normal rights of Appeal apply for players

The All Blacks pivot will play his first match since picking up a serious knee injury in last year’s Rugby World Cup final.
The pre-season warm-up in Geelong will allow the Chiefs’ coaches to assess their new recruit’s condition.

However, they won’t be able to see him in combination with Sonny Bill Williams, who was lured from the Crusaders. Williams is preparing for a boxing match against American-born Auckland resident, Clarence Tillman, on 8 February.

Chiefs squad to play the Rebels: Alex Bradley, Phillip Burleigh, Shane Cleaver, Aaron Cruden, Marcel Cumming-Toone, Hika Elliot, Mike Fitzgerald, Josh Hohneck, Andrew Horrell, Richard Kahui, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Tanerau Latimer, Fritz Lee, Brendon Leonard, Lelia Masaga, Liam Messam, Tim Nanai-Williams, Martino Nemani, Augustine Pulu, Ronald Raaymakers, Brodie Retallick, Robbie Robinson, Toby Smith, Ben Tameifuna, Sona Taumalolo, Kane Thompson, Asaeli Tikoirotuma, Scott Waldrom, Jackson Willison.

Meyer is famed for his ability to rejuvenate struggling teams when at the helm. He first displayed his aptitude in this regard with the SWD Eagles in 1997, earning promotion to the Currie Cup first division and a year later making the semi-final.

The Bulls recruited him in 2000 and he set about implementing structures and recruiting players (senior and junior) he believed possessed the qualities to make them one of the best franchises in the game. Seven years later they became the first South African team to win Super Rugby, and the championship sides of 2009 and 2010 leaned heavily on his teachings.

Meyer successfully installed uniform structures and game plans across all Bulls sides, his primary reasons being that he believed it could be easily adapted to suit law changes and differing opposition and it would make players’ transition between teams relatively easy. He has expressed his desire to replicate this model on a national scale, but is likely to face stern opposition from franchise coaches.

His recruiting was astute and his eye for talent is unrivalled in South Africa. Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Bryan Habana and Francois Hougaard are prime examples of world-class players lured to the Bulls from other unions. His talent identification within the region has been excellent as well – Fourie du Preez the shining light in this regard – while he has also secured the services of many of the country’s best junior players.

The latter bodes well for the Bulls, who’ll have a steady stream of Super Rugby and, potentially, Test quality players in the medium term. The structures he implemented remain in place and will need only minor alterations if law changes demand it.

However, Meyer’s loss will be most keenly felt in the finer details. Tactically and technically he is masterful, and while he wasn’t directly involved in coaching at Super Rugby level, head coach Frans Ludeke – who now absorbs Meyer’s former role as director of rugby – often looked to him for guidance and advice. Ludeke is a competent coach, but his education under Meyer was incomplete.

Furthermore Ludeke doesn’t command the respect Meyer did from the players, coaches and management and certainly doesn’t possess his ability to get the best out of players (his ability to do this rested heavily on psychological profiling) and emotional intelligence.

It is unfair on Ludeke to compare him with Meyer, who, through years of experience, has established himself as one of the pre-eminent coaches in the game. But the situation demands the comparison.

Ludeke will grow and improve in the years ahead and will undoubtedly still have his good friend’s ear on coaching matters. But the ceiling of his potential is lower than Meyer’s and herein lies the Bulls’ problem. It is not an insurmountable one. They will remain a force in Super Rugby, but under Meyer’s guidance they had the potential to dominate South African rugby and be among the elite franchises in the world.

O’Driscoll will miss the tournament through injury and Earls partners Gordon D’Arcy. Andrew Trimble comes into the team on the left wing, while Connor Murray partners Jonathan Sexton in the halfbacks.

Ireland - 15 -Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster), 14 – Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), 13 – Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), 12 – Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), 11 – Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), 10 – Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), 9 – Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster), 8 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster), 7 – Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster), 6 – Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster), 5 – Paul O’Connell (c) (Young Munster/Munster), 4 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), 3 – Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster), 2 – Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster), 1 – Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Subs: 16 -Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), 17 – Tom Court (Malone/Ulster), 18 – Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), 19 – Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), 20 – Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster), 21 – Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), 22 – Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)

As director of rugby at the Bulls, Meyer successfully implemented this approach, with all their junior provincial and Vodacom Cup teams adopting the same basic defensive and attacking structures.

In interviews with this website prior to his appointment, Meyer had consistently suggested that this was the route the national coach should venture down. However, he faces an enormous challenge in selling that idea to franchise coaches.

‘In future I would like to install a national style of play and defence and all the attributes that go with it, and everybody should buy in,’ Meyer said.

‘I am realistic and know you can’t force people to play the same, but there should at least be a common goal and places where you can touch base.’

Meyer will place high emphasis on maintaining an open line of communication with franchise coaches on prospective Springboks players. This is something his predecessors struggled to do.

‘I would have loved to have started with an extensive planning session where we could put in a national strategy with the way we want to play, but at this stage it is a little bit late,’ he said.

‘My main aim is to set a great working relationship with them because they see the players much more than I do, and that is why I want to go around and spend time and see what they are doing at the franchises.’

Meyer addressed what has become a contentious issue of selecting foreign-based players, saying: ‘I also want to see if it’s possible for me to go overseas and speak to the players there. I’ve spoken to a lot of agents to see who’s available and who’s not available, but we have some quality players overseas.’

Meyer’s predecessor Peter de Villiers claimed that players based in the northern hemisphere lacked the conditioning for Test rugby, but Meyer expanded on that explaining: ‘The Heineken Cup is a very tough competition and a lot of the players are conditioned very well, but they peak at different times and I have a few ideas I need to discuss with them and the clubs, again to see if we can come to a win/win situation.’

Robshaw, 25, earned his only cap against Argentina in 2009. He replaces Lewis Moody, who retired after last year’s World Cup.

Interim coach Stuart Lancaster forged a good relationship with Robshaw while they worked together with the England Saxons and is a great appreciator of his leadership ability.

‘It’s a huge honour and a very proud day – hopefully one that will live in my memory for a long time to come. Thanks to everyone who has helped me, especially Quins,’ said Robshaw in a Rugby Football Union statement.

‘There’s lots of other leaders in the group and they have been great since we met up. It’s not about myself because there are six or seven guys around me who all have a massive role to play, whether that’s bossing scrums, lineouts, attack, defence…

‘[Coaches] Stuart [Lancaster], Graham [Rowntree] and Andy [Farrell] have given us the game plan and it’s up to us to get it across to the other players to drive the standards and the squad forward in the right way.’

Center Eoin O’Malley, backrow Peter O’Mahony, prop Brett Wilkinson and wings David Kearney and Simon Zebo were promoted from the second-string Wolfhounds, while Leo Cullen got the axe from the original 24-man squad named last week.

Fullback Denis Hurley, lock Dan Tuohy and back rows Chris Henry and Rhys Ruddock have also been drafted into the squad for Sunday’s match.

Ireland open their campaign against Wales on Sunday and will name their match 22 on Wednesday.

Ireland

Backs: Tommy Bowe, Gordon D’Arcy, Keith Earls, Denis Hurley, David Kearney, Rob Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Conor Murray, Ronan O’Gara, Eoin O’Malley, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble, Paddy Wallace, Simon Zebo.

Forwards: Rory Best, Tom Court, Sean Cronin, Stephen Ferris, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Chris Henry, Shane Jennings, Sean O’Brien, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell (captain), Peter O’Mahony, Mike Ross, Rhys Ruddock, Donnacha Ryan, Dan Tuohy, Brett Wilkinson.

Keo.co.za reported last week that the Lions are on the verge of financial ruin and will retrench up to 15 players in a bid to ease the pressure. Now their woes are set to deepen with the possibility that they could lose up to R6.6 million in broadcast revenue.

The New Age reports that Saru will attempt to settle financial disputes between the Lions and their franchise partners, who maintain that the Johannesburg franchise have not honoured their commitments as detailed in the franchise agreements set out by Saru. With the Pumas still having outstanding debts to the Lions, the Leopards are expected to pocket the bulk of the broadcast revenue.

The Lions had previously banked on the significant cash injection from the Guma Group to settle their most pressing existing debts. However, that deal collapsed in 2011 after the Guma Group claimed the Lions would not honour their commitments on numerous issues detailed in shareholders agreement.

They group has subsequently lodged an application to have the union liquidated at the South Gauteng High Court, seeking re-payment of approximately R9 million for players and staff salaries. There is also a claim for R2,4 million from a subsidiary of the Guma Group.

In the affidavit, the Guma Group claims: ‘The [Lions] is hopelessly insolvent, both factually and commercially. As will reflect in the Lions’ financial statements over three years, their financial situation has deteriorated to a position where their liabilities exceed its assets by tens of millions of rands.’

The Guma Group also reveal that the Lions were nearly R74 million in debt by the end of the 2010 financial year, with little prospect of halting their slide.

Lions president Kevin de Klerk has consistently insisted that they are not in financial trouble and pointed to a ‘substantial’ investment from new equity partner, Altmann Allers of Glasfit.

The England back was reportedly involved in an altercation at a nightclub and subsequently detained.

An RFU statement read: ‘We take issues surrounding the behaviour of England players very seriously and as such have decided to suspend Delon from the Saxons EPS pending the result of the police inquiry. We will then consider if further action is appropriate under the EPS Code of Conduct.’

Armitage, omitted from England’s Six Nations squad, endured a torrid 2011 thanks to his impetuous actions. He missed the 2011 Six Nations through suspension after pushing a doping official. He earned a three-week suspension in May for punching while playing for London Irish and was ruled out of the World Cup quarter-final against France for a high tackle. November saw Armitage banned for five weeks for a dangerous tackle and striking with his knee in a club match.