It is just about possible to imagine a more compelling pair of Heineken Cup semi-finals than those about to unfold in San Sebastian, all red-and-white Basquery, and in Dublin, awash with the black stuff, but only if your name happens to be Tolkien. "I am sure this weekend will be a totally different challenge between Worcester's great set-piece work and our movement and pace."Newcastle and London Irish meet at Kingston Park tomorrow. Rob Andrew, the Falcons' director of rugby, said: "The implications of this game are massive with a place in a European final and the prospect of Heineken Cup rugby, so we are throwing absolutely everything in to it."Wasps, who play Leicester at Welford Road in the Premiership today, will be without their Ireland flanker, Johnny O'Connor, for the rest of the season. The decision to leave the club now is the second hardest of my life."Gloucester is a place that eats, breaths and sleeps rugby and when you are a player in that environment, it inspires you."Gloucester face Worcester in today's European Challenge Cup semi-final at Kingsholm with the same team which beat their near neighbours in the Guinness Premiership last week."I think last weekend was a big confidence boost for everyone," said Ryan. Vickery, 29, has made just 104 appearances for Gloucester and is in the middle of a period of rehabilitation following the third back operation of his career.Gloucester's head coach, Dean Ryan, said: "I am disappointed to lose a player of Phil's distinction, leadership qualities and undoubted skill.

He has been a talisman for Gloucester for 10 years and his experience was fundamental in our progress."Vickery, who has 47 England caps, said: "The hardest decision of my life was to leave home at 19 without a career in front of me I was lucky enough that Gloucester became my home. A club statement said: "Gloucester Rugby can confirm the offer, in light of Vickery's injury-plagued career, was designed to spread the risk more evenly between the club and the player." Wasps, who put the tight-head through a medical this week, will make a decision when the results are known. We want to go to the next level."He has both his Harrises - Iestyn and Ben - back from injury for the trip to Warrington, who beat the Bulls two weeks ago.Noble will be able to take a few days off from trying to steer Wigan to safety this summer when Great Britain play a mid-season international to help them prepare for the autumn's Tri-Nations Down Under.The Lions will face New Zealand at Knowsley Road on 27 June in a match that has been given full Test status.. Phil Vickery is likely to join Wasps after Gloucester confirmed yesterday that the England prop had rejected their latest contract offer and is to leave Kingsholm after 11 years. No Bradford players are going anywhere."Optimistic Wigan rumours have suggested that everyone from Joe Vagana and Jamie Langley to Paul Deacon, Terry Newton and even Stuart Fielden could be set to follow Noble to Lancashire.At the Galpharm Stadium today, however, Wigan's new leader will have to be content with the return of his two most experienced forwards, Jerry Seuseu and Bryan Fletcher.Noble's successor at Odsal, Steve McNamara, will be preparing the Bulls for his first game in charge, at Warrington tomorrow.McNamara has long been marked as the heir apparent to Noble, but he has been rushed into the head coaching role by the dramatic events of recent weeks on both sides of the Pennines, including his own refusal of the head coach job at Hull."It has happened quickly and slightly differently from what we envisaged, but it has happened," said McNamara as he outlined his ambition to take the reigning world champions to further success."The standard has been set and we don't just want to match that.

"But it takes time to build a team like Bradford and he will get time."If in four years' time we haven't put some silverware into the JJB [Stadium], then perhaps it's time for me to go, and I will go."In the shorter term Noble, who will continue in his part-time role as the coach of Great Britain, said that he would like to strengthen his new side and that he would love to see some familiar faces walk through the door as soon as possible.Bradford, the club that Noble left this week after almost three decades as player and coach, say that that will not happen.The Bulls chairman, Peter Hood, said: "No Bradford players are going to Wigan. Wigan are four points adrift at the foot of the Super League table and Noble has warned that their situation might get even worse before he can turn the club around. "There's a chance we may go backwards before we go forwards, because introducing new coaching principles takes time," said the former Bradford coach.Noble's new employer, the Wigan owner Dave Whelan, says he will get that time."He's got to pick this team up and produce the goods," he said. Brian Noble takes charge of Wigan for the first time at Huddersfield today, with the modest initial target of steering his new side clear of the threat of relegation. "Words have been put in my mouth that this is a crucial race. We believe pretty strongly that we can be competitive here."He exhibited zero interest speculating on his future: "I am pretty sure that once the decision is made you will be informed.".

Having insisted that Ferrari must win here before he actually arrived, yesterday he tried to play things down "Every race is important for us," Schumacher said. However, after yesterday's performance in Imola, there is an air of definite optimism in the red camp.Schumacher set the pace on a track that was still dirty, and therefore lacked grip, in the morning, and was close to his arch rival Fernando Alonso in the afternoon. The team, whose domination earlier in the decade threatened the very fabric of Formula One, have not won a race for 10 months, and on that occasion Michael Schumacher and team-mate Rubens Barrichello staged a fly-past in the infamous farce that passed for a race in Indianapolis last June. You have to trawl back to Suzuka in October 2004 for the last time Ferrari won a race fair and square. That is a lifetime by Formula One standards, and the tifosi andmedia are getting restless.Spicing the weekend is the speculation about Kimi Raikkonen defecting from McLaren for 2007, and Schumacher's refusal to make a decision about his own future with the team until July at the earliest. Alex McLeish will also be without Hamed Namouchi (ankle), Peter Lovenkrands (hip) and Fernando Ricksen (toe) for his last Old Firm game as the Rangers manager..