Cameron Hill

Munster kick off their campaign at home to Glasgow Warriors on the Saturday of the opening weekend, while the night before, Connacht host the Stormers, while Ulster will welcome Edinburgh to Belfast.

The first Inter-Pro derby of the season will pit Ulster against Munster at Affidea Stadium on October 10th, while Leinster and Munster will do battle two weeks later, with the venue for that clash still to be confirmed.

The legal action being taken by a large group of former rugby players against World Rugby, the RFU and the Welsh Rugby Union is on the brink of collapse.

World Cup winners Steve Thompson and Phil Vickery and ex-Wales internationals Gavin Henson, Ryan Jones and Alex Popham are among the players that launched legal proceedings against the governing bodies back in 2020.

The group, represented by legal firm Rylands Garth, are seeking financial compensation for neurodegenerative diseases they claim was caused by playing the sport, such as CTE and motor neuron disease.

The multi-million pound figure is being sought to provide for their future medical care, but the progress from both sides in the proceedings has been slow over the last six years.

In March, the judge overseeing the pre-trial phase again criticised both sides for the delay in the proceedings, warning time is at a premium given some of the cases involve claims of degenerative brain diseases.

Both sides are due to pick 28 lead claimants from the hundreds involved by October at the latest, but the team representing the defence have called for clarity on whether a deadline on information on the cases involved has been breached.

In a statement, the Governing Body said,

It is disappointing, they added, that despite repeated warnings from the court, Rylands Garth have still failed to comply with the terms of the court and the defendants have been forced to take this step.

Now Rylands Garth themselves have responded via a spokesperson.

The governing bodies want access to confidential information that is covered by legal privilege, they said.

These are not medical records.

For years rugby authorities have tried to delay this case, not caring about the distress this is causing to those who have already suffered because of their failures.

The defendants are fully aware that many of these documents are privileged and confidential.

They also know the scale of the task the claimants and the legal team have undertaken for full disclosure.

The defendants have all the information they need and more.

They are resorting to these tactics to delay the claimants their route to justice.

Finally today, the death was announced over the weekend of Scottish rugby legend Scott Hastings at the age of 61 following a battle with cancer.

The utility back earned 65 caps for Scotland and made two appearances for the British and Irish Lions going on the 1989 and 1993 tours.