HEINEKEN CUP REACHES PARTS OTHER COMPETITIONS CAN'T FOR McGEECHAN

By Ben Rumsby, PA Sport Ian McGeechan has revealed he will watch the Heineken Cup as closely as the RBS 6 Nations when it comes to picking his squad for the Lions tour of South Africa. The Wasps director of rugby believes Europe's premier club competition is now virtually on a par with the Test arena in terms of skill level and intensity. Speaking at today's official launch of the Heineken Cup at Murrayfield - the venue for this season's final - Lions head coach McGeechan explained he would be would be monitoring the performances of British and Irish players during the opening round of pool matches. "For players, it's a new challenge and I'll be watching with interest," he said when asked if he would be wearing his Lions hat this weekend. McGeechan's other hat as far as the Heineken Cup is concerned is helping two-time... [read full story]