Healey Injured Again and Out for the Season

Austin Healey will today have an exploratory operation on the knee he injured during Leicester's Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat by Munster on Sunday and is unlikely to play again this season.

"He will need time to recover from the operation," said the Leicester director of rugby Dean Richards. Healey was making his first appearance since the turn of the year after recovering from an Achilles injury that ruled him out of the Six Nations.

The Leicester No8 Will Johnson is another who will be absent for the run-in after damaging knee ligaments in the same match.

Leicester, meanwhile, have refused to switch their Premiership match against Leeds on April 26 to the previous evening to accommodate Sky television. The Tigers' managing director David Clayton said: "Our preferred kick-off time has always been 3pm on a Saturday and to be asked to switch to a Friday night with just 11 days notice is ridiculous."

The Friday night live television match was due to be Northampton's meeting with Sale. The Saints informed their supporters yesterday that the game had been put back to the Saturday because Sky no longer wanted to screen it live.

Harlequins are to offer Dan Luger a new contract this week after the Heineken Cup semi-finalists Perpignan held talks with the 28-year old England wing. Luger's current deal at the Stoop runs out at the end of next month.

"We are aware of Perpignan's interest, but Dan has not signed for them despite what some reports suggest," said the Quins' team manager Mike Scott.

Quins are likely to have four players involved in the World Cup, but Scott said they would not be signing replacements on short-term contracts. One player not returning to the Stoop next season is the Ireland captain Keith Wood. The hooker has hardly played this season because of neck and shoulder injuries and he may not get the chance to make a playing farewell.

"Keith has been working hard to get back on the field, but with just a month of the season to go time is running out for him," said Scott. "He will be fine for the World Cup, but we would all like to see him pull on the club jersey again."