SOUTH African front-row forward Johan le Roux twice bit New Zealand

captain Sean Fitzpatrick during the Test series earlier this year, the

All Black hooker claims in his biography.

He says in ''Fronting Up: The Sean Fitzpatrick Story'', that le Roux

bit his arm in the lead-up to the infamous ear-biting incident in the

second Test in Wellington.

Le Roux was sent home from the Springbok tour and banned for 19 months

for biting Fitzpatrick on the ear.

''Actually, he'd bitten me earlier in the game on my right arm. It

left a mark,'' Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick told the Sunday Sun newspaper that le Roux also stamped on

him during the first Test in Dunedin.

* STAND-OFF Eric Elwood has had to drop out of the Ireland line-up to

play the United States in Dublin next Saturday.

He broke down after 16 minutes playing for his club Lansdowne, a

recurrence of the ankle injury which had kept him out of action since

early September. His place goes to Alan McGowan of Blackrock College,

who will be winning his first cap.