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All eyes may be on Jonny Wilkinson (left) of Toulon but the key figure at the Stoop is likely to be Biarritz's Dimitri Yachvili

Yachvili and Biarritz look to ruin Wilkinson's Amlin homecoming

The last time Jonny Wilkinson and Iain Balshaw appeared together on a rectangle of mud down Twickenham way, they were overshadowed by a swaggering newcomer by the name of Danny Cipriani as England put 33 points on Ireland and finished second in the 2008 Six Nations. The two red-rose oldsters will be back in town this evening for the Amlin Challenge Cup final between Biarritz and Toulon at the Stoop and while Wilkinson is being given the top-of-the-bill treatment, they could easily find themselves marginalised again.

Heavy duty: Census Johnston of Toulouse may be a nutritionist's nightmare but the Samoan is also the top tighthead prop at Europe's biggest club

David Flatman: Performance is required, not a generation of gym junkies

Your hunger and passion will only see you through the opening exchanges

Dean Richards once teased Dave Strettle about his physique, calling him the 'pirate's dream - a sunken chest'

Strettle finds humour lifts the burden of expectation

Sarries face a talented Clermont today but Farrell knows how to foster team spirit

France ring changes for Wales clash

France coach Philippe Saint-Andre has made five changes and one positional switch for Saturday's RBS 6 Nations clash against Wales in Cardiff.

Gethin Jenkins is expected to join Toulon

Gethin Jenkins set to join Welsh exodus to France

Prop Gethin Jenkins will join the Welsh player exodus to France next season.

France's Julien Malzieu runs to score a try

France beat Italy in Six Nations opener

France 30 Italy 12

Exeter facing a tall order with tough trip to France

Exeter can probably count themselves as the minnows in a strong draw for the quarter-finals of Europe's second-tier tournament, which they reached by beating Perpignan 31-14 at Sandy Park on Saturday. The Chiefs are the lowest-seeded pool winners, having come out on top of Pool Four, so their reward is a quarter-final trip to Paris to face the highest-seeded team, Stade Français. Stade beat Worcester 33-10 at home on Saturday, to win Pool One.

Takudzwa Ngwenya dominated

Ngwenya hat-trick inspires Biarritz

Biarritz 36 Ospreys 5

Paul Marshall celebrates scoring a try in Ulster's 41-7 win over Leicester last week

English clubs fear eclipse in Europe as Irish stock rises

As the Heineken Cup pool stage concludes, Chris Hewett considers why Premiership teams are struggling to reach the last eight

Saracens' Brad Barritt is stopped in his tracks by Biarritz at Vicarage Road yesterday

Barritt and Farrell put Sarries on high road

Saracens 20 Biarritz 16

The outside-half Nick Evans is back from injury for Harlequins

Fit-again imports can help Quins go from lean to mean

Weekend Preview

Farooki says: 'I'm particularly interested in isolation within human relationships - people who feel themselves alone in the crowd'

One Minute With: Roopa Farooki, novelist

Where are you now and what can you see?

West Ham's full-back Joey O'Brien is sent off at the Madejski

Round-up: Treviso muddy waters in Heineken pool of death

Benetton Treviso made Pool Five of the Heineken Cup, the competition's obligatory pool of death, a little deadlier still – if that is possible – by beating Biarritz 30-26 in the Veneto yesterday.

Outside Edge: No parental control on touchy lines

Not another fight between the dads at an Under-9s football match?

Career Services

Day In a Page

Special report: Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported

Special report

Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported
The problem with social mobility

The problem with social mobility

Politicians who say they want to break down Britain's social barriers have been told to unlock closed-shop professions – starting in their own backyard
France's sixth biggest city* goes to the polls (*that's London, by the way)

France's sixth biggest city* goes to the polls (*that's London, btw)

Next month expats in the stronghold of South Kensington will have a big say in who is returned as the first French overseas MP
Aftershock: How Haiti's quake hit the whole of Hispaniola

Aftershock: How Haiti's quake hit the whole of Hispaniola

Two years on from the disaster that shook the Caribbean state, its eastern neighbour, the Dominican Republic, fears a new wave of illegal immigrants could hurt its economy
Mean streets at the movies

Mean streets at the movies

Plan B's new film explores the urban tensions that led to last summer's riots – and he's not the only one finding cinematic inspiration in social unrest
Romney hits the magic number, but his smartphone app fails crucial spelling test

Romney hits the magic number...

... but his smartphone app fails crucial spelling test
Car-crash TV: Ferrari quits news after gaffes, rows and poor ratings

Car-crash TV: Ferrari quits news after gaffes, rows and poor ratings

Weeks after the demise of Sarkozy, the TF1 star he's said to have dated finds herself out of office too
Meet your doctor (please don't unplug it)

Meet your doctor (please don't unplug it)

Can a network of hi-tech terminals and online medics make the connection?
The 10 Best cycling gear

The 10 Best cycling gear

It’s summer, it's sunny... it’s the perfect time to get on your bike.
Song of the suicide bomber: How 'Babur in London' negotiated a cultural minefield

Song of the suicide bomber

Daring new opera 'Babur in London' features British terrorists planning an attack.
The school that brought the International Baccalaureate to the East End

Bringing the IB to the East End

The International Baccalaureate is not just for pupils in leafy suburbs.
England must beware brilliant Belgium

England must beware brilliant Belgium

They may have missed out on the Euros but the Belgians have a rash of young players who, thanks to the unifying skills of their coach, look to have a bright future
James Lawton: Liverpool must show new man the respect he needs to do the job

James Lawton

Liverpool must show new man the respect he needs to do the job
2012: the year when England's support decided to stay at home

2012: the year when England's support decided to stay at home

Three Lions will play their Euro 2012 games in front of only a few thousand of their fans
What's wrong with Rory?

What's wrong with Rory?

Is the trouble with the defending US Open champion in his head, in his swing, with his girlfriend – or is it all in the minds of others?