He nevertheless deserved to be sent off by the referee, Tony Spreadbury. Gareth Jenkins, Llanelli’s once more disappointed director of rugby then followed the usual practice of carrying on with seven forwards and seven backs. This is not only the usual practice but the traditional one as well.There was a time – younger readers may find it difficult to believe – when substitutes were simply not allowed. If a player was injured and had to go off, his team had to shift as best they could with 14 men.

If the injury occurred to a back, the coach (in those days, the captain) would withdraw a forward almost always the No 7, who would be plonked on the wing – almost always, for some curious reason, the left wing.Substitutes change everything. On Friday, it would have been open to Jenkins to bring on a forward to replace Jones and to withdraw a back, probably one of the wings. He preferred to follow the conventional usage and to carry on with seven forwards and the usual quota of backs I am not saying he was wrong He knows a lot about the game I merely wonder: that is all. In the meantime, I expect Munster to have a good chance in Toulouse.. Austin Healey, aka the Leicester Lip, has been unusually quiet this season, largely because he has been confined to the sound-proofed surroundings of the Welford Road physiotherapy department for much of the campaign. Those supporters who grew used to the peace and tranquillity can expect another period of repose, for Healey may miss what little is left of the Premiership run-in – and, quite possibly, England’s summer Tests in New Zealand and Australia – after damaging his knee during his side’s Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat by Munster on Sunday.

Dean Richards, his director of rugby, was reluctant to offer any assessment of the extent of the problem, but there were clear indications that Healey might be facing another significant spell of inactivity.That would be catastrophic indeed. Injury problems denied him a run in any of England’s eight internationals between the beginning of November and the end of last month, and although his versatility would be valuable come World Cup time in Australia this autumn, Clive Woodward and the rest of the red rose hierarchy will not consider including a semi-invalid in their 30-man party. Healey can just about afford to miss the summer trek, provided he makes the warm-up Tests against Wales and France in late August. As things stand – or, in his case, do not stand – there is no guarantee of him doing anything of the sort.Another Leicester player, the No 8 Will Johnson, will definitely miss the rest of the season after damaging knee ligaments during the Munster tie.

The Tigers, who are chasing a top-four Premiership finish as their likeliest means of qualifying for the 2003-04 Heineken, have the likes of Martin Corry and Adam Balding available and will not lose too much sleep over Johnson’s misfortune. But with the outstanding Lewis Moody already out of commission, another back-row injury might leave them exposed.Newcastle, who would swap their own problems for Leicester’s any day of the week, are waiting anxiously for news of Mark Andrews, the World Cup-winning South African lock who has single-handedly transformed their fortunes since arriving on Tyneside after Christmas. Andrews is suffering from a suspected broken rib – an injury that forced him from the field in the agonisingly narrow defeat at Gloucester on Saturday. With big relegation struggles against Saracens and Bath scheduled for early May, Newcastle need him back sooner rather than later.Over in Wales, the restructuring of the domestic game is gathering pace.