Next Saturday's Heineken Cup clash between Toulon and Clermont Auvergne in Dublin may be the fourth all-French final in the competition's history, but the French connection might look a tad tenuous if you strolled into either dressing room at the Aviva Stadium shortly before kick-off.
Warren Gatland, the British and Irish Lions head coach, has revealed that Jonny Wilkinson declined his invitation to tour Hong Kong and Australia, but refused to rule out his participation at a later date in the event of injury.
Scotland's all-time most experienced British & Irish Lions tourist was joking when he suggested that he had attempted to influence the team management during their final deliberations, but there was a serious message contained in his words.
Scotland captain Kelly Brown says he is not the type of captain to issue a rousing team talk to his colleagues - but insists he will do his talking on the pitch against Ireland this Sunday.