A UNION says thousands of Swansea Council workers could miss out on their equal pay claim — after accusing the authority of breaking an agreement.

Public sector union Unison signed an agreement with the authority that all employees who had made an equal pay claim could be paid a maximum of 60 per cent of their potential equal pay claim, which was paid to several thousands employees in April and May.

But the union says employees who were recognised as having potential equal pay claims but who had not registered a claim would be paid a maximum of 35 per cent, and that Swansea Council has not honoured the agreement.

Unison regional organiser Eddie Gabrielsen said: "The situation has let to thousands of employees who had not made an equal pay claim prior to April now making claims, and Unison solicitors are in the process of merit assessing these claims.

"Since we have sent a letter out to our members, Swansea Council has indicated that it is willing to engage with us on a meaningful dialogue to resolve this issue.

"But we are still advising our members to submit claims to avoid running out of time, as there are very strict time limits which apply to starting ACAS early conciliation and lodging equal pay claims at employment tribunal."

Unison members are being urged to contact the union immediately, on 01792 483911, if they are planning to make a claim, or if their claim made before April was turned down.

A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "The council isn't in breach of the agreement reached with the trade unions.However, as we have always said, the council remains committed to continuing our current discussions with unions about remaining members of staff who may have a potential equal pay claim."

Nino Williams / nino.williams@swwmedia.co.uk / @ninominoli

Swansea

Labour this afternoon chose Carolyn Harris to fight Swansea East at next year's General Election.

 The 54-year-old will take over from her boss, Sian James, who has been MP there since 2005 and who had a majority of 11,000 in 2010.

 Mrs Harris has been Swansea East constituency manager during that time and is also senior Parliamentary adviser to Mrs James.

 She came out on top in an all women field of candidates, with the outcome announced after a three hour selection process at the Civic Centre.

  Mrs Harris held off the challenge of three rival candidates as the 250 members of Swansea East Constituency Party made their choice in person or by postal vote.

  The other three were Andrea Lewis, Helen Charles and Sonia Klein, while a fifth candidate Emily Warren withdrew yesterday due to a family bereavement.

   Mrs Harris told the Post: "I am delighted to have been selected for the constituency and to receive the support of the constituency party, I am aim to build on Sian James' majority of 11,000 and to work for all sectors of the community." 

  Mrs Harris, who has two sons, has lived and worked in the constituency all her life.

Chris Peregrine / chris.peregrine@swwmedia.co.uk / @Perers71

WITH its views of Underhill Park and its long driveway, Llinos McVicar's Mumbles home feels far removed from the bustle of daily life, yet sits just a short walk from the shops in Newton Road. Jenny White paid a visit...

WHEN Llinos McVicar and her husband Mark decided to buy the handsome Mumbles house belonging to Llinos's parents, they knew they were taking on a substantial project.

"It was a big renovation job – it needed a new roof, new bathrooms, a new boiler, new radiators, and a new staircase upstairs. We lived in a building site for about two years and spent all our life savings on rescuing this house!" she says.

There's no doubt that their efforts were worth it. Both inside and out, the house is a looker.

Surrounded by gardens and edged with a lovely Victorian conservatory complete with stained glass windows, it has a storybook charm that extends inside to the homely kitchen with its Aga, the grand hallway with its oak panelling and wood burner, and the broad upstairs landing where a delightful piece of furniture Llinos's children know as the 'Narnia wardrobe' has pride of place.

The house also has a superb location, at the top end of Newton Road overlooking Underhill Park.

"I like the location because you can walk into Mumbles, it's so accessible – I don't have to drive the children to their friends, and they can catch the bus at the bottom of the road," says Llinos.

"Where we lived before I spent two hours a day doing the school run and I would never want to do that again."

Llinos, who works for language and translation agency Veritas in SA1 and Mark, a property developer, have three children - Carys, 13, Istarin, 16 and Morgan, 9.

They also share their home with Ella the Labrador, Tigger the Siamese cat and four guinea pigs.

With six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a spacious sitting room and an equally roomy dining-cum-sitting room, the house accommodates them all nicely.

"I love the house because it's so big you can lose the kids," jokes Llinos, adding that her teenagers enjoy having the space to hang out with their friends, especially in the roomy dining room with its big red Chesterfields.

"I bought them at auction," says Llinos.

"They were dark brown but when I cleaned them all the brown came off and it turned out they were actually red. Luckily it goes better with the room anyway."

The dining room is an ideal place for listening to music on the stereo Llinos has had since she was a teenager. The unusual furnishings include a settle that Llinos's aunt bought from an auction house in America and a baby grand piano that was given to Llinos's father in payment for some building work he did prior to becoming an artist.

Llinos's sister Arwen Hilton is also an artist, and her work can be seen throughout the house.

The light, sunny living room is full of Arwen's pictures, which are given prominence by the simple décor and furnishings. Besides the paintings, the star of the show is the lovely view over Underhill Park.

"When we moved in we wanted to make the room lighter but I didn't want to lose all the original features," says Llinos.

"A lot of people go into a house and strip out all the things that give a house character.

"We stripped the floorboards, and we put the old radiators in. We had the old light fittings renovated and my parents had already sanded back the windows, window boxes and skirting.

"My favourite part of the room is the marble fireplace. The mirror above it has been there for years: when my parents bought this house the family they bought it from said they were leaving the mirror on the condition that they never moved it."

The eye-catching clock came from an auction, and is a reminder of the days when the family lived in Oxfordshire and Llinos bought and sold antiques.

"The problem was, I kept keeping too much!" she says.

Llinos's love of antiques is evident in the kitchen, which contains everything from quirky finds from French antique markets to a magnificent set of scales that came from an old sweet shop in Swansea.

The windows in the kitchen, and indeed in most of the house, are original, although Llinos had to get at least 18 of them re-glazed.

The most eye-catching windows are on the stairs, where the light floods in through hand etched birds and flowers, casting patterns onto the floor.

At the top of the stairs is a broad landing, at the end of which is a new staircase that has been skilfully designed to match the original staircase. It leads up to the children's bedrooms – originally the servants' quarters, reached by a pull-down ladder.

"It was hard to find builders who would build a staircase that looked like an old staircase," says Llinos.

"When we were working on the house it was a continual challenge to find people who had the skills to build things that looked like they'd always been there."

Off the main landing are an attractive bathroom with a slipper bath and the master bedroom, which is decorated with Arwen's pictures.

"We wanted the room to be very neutral, very light, because the paintings are so different and so eye catching you couldn't have a feature wall or a busy wallpaper pattern," says Llinos.

"It's got to be simple to show off the artwork."

Although the house looks complete, Llinos and her family have further plans, including the creation of a bigger kitchen. But they are also enjoying it the way it is.

"Its' got such a nice atmosphere – it feels like a friendly house," she says.

The house:

A large detached six bedroom Victorian house overlooking Underhill Park in Mumbles.

Who lives here?:

Llinos McVicar, her husband Mark and their children - Carys, 13, Istarin, 16 and Morgan, 9.

The look:

Eclectic and charming, with plenty of original features, antiques and original paintings. The décor respects the house's Victorian origins but feels fresh and light.

Lessons:

"The main lesson I learnt from the renovation was get everything in writing, even later additions to the work....if it's not in writing it does not exist! " says Llinos. "This is particularly important as concerns price too. Also try and make as many of the important design choices before work starts - changes half way through are very costly!"

Property

THE Welsh poppy should be adopted as a way of remembering the sacrifices of the country's soldiers, according to a Plaid Cymru MP.

Elfyn Llwyd said the distinctive yellow flower would be a fitting way to commemorate fallen Welshmen and women.

And said this year's centenary of the start of the First World War would be an appropriate time to adopt the national poppy - botanical name meconopsis cambrica,

Mr Llwyd said: "Every one of us in Wales has a story to tell about how the First World War touched the lives of our family and friends in one way or another.

"The centenary of the start of this devastating conflict is a fitting time to introduce a special way of remembering all those from Wales who lost their lives.

"That is why Plaid Cymru would like to see the Welsh poppy come to represent a symbol of remembrance and respect, not only for the victims of WWI but all subsequent conflicts.

"Earlier this year I attended the unveiling of the Welsh Memorial in Flanders to remember the fallen Welshmen and women of the war. Scotland already has its own poppy so it is only right that a Welsh poppy is adopted as a way in which we can all pay our respects here in Wales."

The MP also called for more respect and support for current and former soldiers, especially those suffering from the "mental and physical scars" of conflict. 

HE only cost Swansea City£10,000 back in 2007.

It was a fair bit for the club at the time.

But it has proved money well spent as Angel Rangel is set to start his 300th game for the club this afternoon.

The player signed for the Swans from Segunda B outfit Terrassa.

He came close to ending up at Blackpool in 2010, but the Swans clung on to their Spanish star.

And he has been a regular at the Liberty Stadium ever since.

But he has also won supporters for his off-pitch efforts.

These included taking unwanted food out to feed the homeless in a cold January in 2013, for which he received national acclaim.

He has also worked with a Food bank project, and an organisation helping young people kick alcohol and drugs into touch.

So if you're at the Liberty Stadium today and Angel Rangel takes to the pitch for game number 300 - give him an extra cheer. He more than deserves it.

Paul Turner / paul.turner@swwmedia.co.uk / @readmybook

Swansea City   Angel Rangel

We've all been there, rushing around, thinking you're late, only to turn up to something and find out that you're an hour early and the clocks have gone back.

But this year, rather than suffer that excruciating moment of embarrassment, wondering how you're going to explain yourself, simply try one of these excuses.

1. "I just really don't like sleeping in on a Sunday. Warm bed, cup of tea and a newspaper? Pfft, sounds like absolute hell."

2. Convince the other person that they're actually an hour late. They will be so confused by the time you're finished that they will have forgotten about you.

3. "The bendy bus times weren't flexible enough."

4. Act slightly annoyed at said person who has noticed you are early. A fake huff is all you need to distract from yourself.

5. Spider invasion. Abandoned house. All is lost. (Completely plausible too, given all the creepy crawlies around here lately.)

6. "I'm just really, super keen. Like really. Completely. Totally. Keen."

7. Say nothing at all. Just hide in the stock room/under your desk/at the back of the cafe until it's time for you to arrive. If anyone speaks to you, simply stare straight ahead. No one will think you're weird at all, honest.

8. The old tut and sigh. No words needed, just a dejected look.

9. "My partner/kids/goldfish locked me out."

10. I just really wanted to get the best seat.

11. "Great Scott! We need to go back...to the future!" (exit stage left)

12. And finally, tell your companion you underslept. It sounds so plausible it might just be true.

SWANSEA City won for the first time in six Premier League games as a Wilfried Bony double defeated Leicester. After a week of fall-out following Garry Monk's comments about diving, the result saw Swansea climb to sixth in the table. Bony exchanged passes with Gylfi Sigurdsson then smashed in at the near post before side-footing home when the Icelander again turned creator in the second half. Monk's men led at half-time after a sublime piece of Bony skill broke the deadlock. The hosts had struggled to break down a stubborn Leicester defensive effort until their Ivorian striker pounced 11 minutes before the interval. Bony back-healed Angel Rangel's pass into the path of Sigurdsson, then thumped past Kasper Schmeichel when the ball was returned to him. And last season's leading scorer made it four goals in his last three games just before the hour-mark. Sigurdsson's through ball split the Foxes defence and Jefferson Montero squared for Bony to poke low into the net. Swansea had chances to win the game more comfortably. Jonjo Shelvey sent a long-range effort crashing onto the bar and Wayne Routledge charged into the area before being tackled. Leicester mounted little threat at the other end until injury-time. Then Lukasz Fabianski produced a superb save to thwart Andy King before denying Esteban Cambiasso's follow-up. The ball was pushed onto the post before being cleared, while the visitors also struck the woodwork early in the second period. A Jonjo Shelvey touch send Liam Moore's long throw against his own crossbar.

You guessed it Heineken Man of the Match George North @SaintsRugbyhttps://t.co/GhK65jWanp

— EPCRugby Official (@EPCRugby) October 25, 2014

POLICE are renewing an appeal to help find "dangerous individual" wanted in connection with allegations of burglary and robbery.

Officers are advising people not to approach Ashley John Robert Bevan, but to call police if they have any information on his whereabouts.

Bevan, aged 30, is from Gendros, Swansea, and is known to frequent the Penlan area of the city.

A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: "Police in Swansea are appealing for information regarding the whereabouts of Ashley John Robert Bevan who is wanted in connection with burglary and robbery.

"Despite conducting extensive enquiries police have been unable to trace him.

"Police are advising the public not to approach Bevan who is considered a dangerous individual."

Can you help? Call South Wales Police in Swansea on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference number 1400385948

THE Scarlets' European campaign is up and running after digging deep for a deserved victory over Leicester Tigers at Parc y Scarlets.

Head coach Wayne Pivac had urged his side to replicate their gutsy effort in defeat over in Toulon six days earlier and he got his wish as the Scarlets took the spoils in a bruising Rugby Champions Cup encounter.

Having lost Jake Ball just before kick-off, skipper Scott Williams, No. 8 Rory Pitman, locks Richard Kelly and replacement Lewis Rawlins all picked up injuries during the match.

But the Scarlets battled courageously throughout, capitalising on an error-strewn display by the Tigers.

Wing Harry Robinson and man of the match Aled Davies claimed the crucial scores, but it could have been far more comfortable for the home side had they not missed 11 points at goal.

Davies produced an inspired display in the No. 9 jersey, while replacement flanker James Davies – on his 24^th birthday – lock Joe Snyman and centre Michael Tagicakibau also stood out.

The victory keeps the Scarlets very much in contention in Pool 3, although defending champions Toulon, who won at Ulster earlier in the day, remain hot favourites to progress.

With the home crowd in fine voice, it was the visitors' who started the brighter and bombed a glorious opportunity when centre Anthony Allen, spilled the ball with the line at his mercy.

Leicester's pressure was finally rewarded when Owen Williams –playing against the side he left last year - slotted a 14^th minute penalty after the Scarlets had been penalised for holding on.

But having dominated the early exchanges, Leicester - who had won six out of their seven previous European meeting against the Scarlets - then proceeded to gift their hosts the game's opening try.

And it was all down to a terrible error from wing Miles Benjamin.

Fielding a long kick and seemingly under little pressure, Benjamin lost the ball attempting to run out from his own line; Rhys Priestland gathered and fed right wing Robinson who had the simple task of touching down.

Priestland missed with the conversion from wide out then pushed a 45-metre penalty attempt wide.

After the international fly-half was off-target with his third shot, the kicking duties were handed over to replacement Steve Shingler – on for injured skipper Williams - and he made no mistake to make it 8-3 after 33 minutes.

Shingler was handed another shot at the posts after Tigers had infringed at a line-out, but his kick was off target, to the frustration of the home fans.

On the stroke of half-time, after Scarlets had infringed at the breakdown, it was Tigers fly-half Williams, who caught the bug, missing a long-range attempt with five points separating the sides at the interval.

Wing Kristian Phillips went close for the Scarlets early in the second half, then Fijian flyer Vereniki Goneva almost snaffled an interception for Tigers.

It needed some desperate defence from the visitors to keep the Scarlets out after a scything break from Priestland on 57 minutes.

But it wasn't long before the home fans were celebrating a second try and again it came from a Leicester error.

Scrum-half Ben Youngs went on an arcing blindside run, but lost the ball attempting to off-load. It landed in the arms of opposite number Aled Davies, who gratefully raced 40 metres unopposed to the whitewash.

Shingler converted to make it 15-3 and despite some late pressure, the Scarlets were able to see out the win, while denying the Tigers even the consolation of a losing bonus point. 

SCARLETS head coach Wayne Pivac hailed his side's battling spirit as the West Wales region overcame a glut of injuries to claim a courageous 15-3 European Rugby Champions Cup victory over Leicester Tigers at Parc y Scarlets.

The Scarlets were hit by a string of setbacks – before kick-off – and during the match, but still managed to see off the challenge of the twice champions with something to spare.

Scrum-half Aled Davies claimed the man-of-the-match accolade, but the Scarlets had heroes everywhere, with replacement James Davies playing a starring role on his 24^th birthday, while lock Joe Snyman was also outstanding.

"The boys wanted that really, really badly," said Pivac.

"I thought the players dealt with the injuries really well. With the amount of injuries we had it was always going to be a big test of character for the group.

"It was hard-fought, it has been a big seven days for the boys and there are a lot of sore bodies in that changing room.

"But it pleasing not just to come through and get the result, but also to stop Leicester getting a losing bonus at the end, which is important. We couldn't have asked for much more, to be honest."

Toulon remain firm favourites to top Pool 3 following their impressive win over Ulster in Belfast, but the Scarlets have given themselves a chance ahead of their December double header against Ulster.

"We have kept ourselves alive and that is what we intended to do," added Pivac.

"We were well aware that home games are vital in this competition, going into it there was pressure to win this game, otherwise we would have been well behind the top two.

"I also thought our crowd responded to the message in the week and they were full of voice and really spurred the boys on."

As for the injuries, lock Jake Ball had a hamstring issue going into the game, which forced him to withdraw minutes before kick-off. Pivac said he should be okay in a few days; No. 8 Rory Pitman picked up a shoulder stinger and left the field early, skipper Scott Williams and replacement Lewis Rawlins both suffered hamstring injuries, while lock Richard Kelly broke his arm midway through the first half.

"It is a matter of patching up the bodies and seeing what we have got for next week," added Pivac.

Meanwhile, Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill lamented an error-strewn display from his side.

"You can't make that many mistakes and expect to win a game at this level," he said.

"We gave away two pretty soft tries and our execution was poor.

"Take nothing away from the Scarlets, they played well and worked exceptionally hard, but you give points away and don't hold onto the ball you are going to lose and that is what happened."

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a pedestrian was killed on Maesteg Road between Croeserw and Cymmer.

Officers say a white Toyota Avensis taxi collided with a man at around 1.40am this morning. The male was pronounced dead at scene, and is yet to be identified.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw the incident - or anyone who saw the taxi being driven before the collision - to come forward.

A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: "South Wales Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic collision that occurred at approximately 01:40 hours British Summer Time on the A4063 Maesteg Road.

"Anyone who travelled along that road from between 0130 and 0145 hours BST is asked to contact police.

Can you help? Call South Wales Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111

A DISABLED fundraiser is being investigated by police for using someone else's X-Ray on his charity website.

Mike Petkovic, 38, downloaded the X-ray showing a severely damaged spine onto his fundraising page.

But the X-Ray was taken of someone else two years BEFORE Mike suffered spinal damage when he was trampled by a horse.

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau was called in after Mr Petkovic admitted using the picture of someone else's spinal injury to raise cash for himself.

Mr Petkovic, of Aberystwyth, said today: "It was a mistake. I messed up by not explaining about the X-rays being similar because I did not have mine to hand."

The X-Ray was cropped to remove a credit from the American website, learninradiology.com, where it was taken from.

Mr Petkovic, who is trying to raise £1,500 for a specialist wheelchair, has now altered the wording on his GoFundMe website to say: "X-ray of crushed spine (very similar to mine) image copyright of learninradiology.com."

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau confirmed the charity fundraiser was being investigated by officers.

A spokesman said: "It will be handed to the local police force who will do any investigation in earnest."

Mr Petkovic claims to be the unluckiest man in Wales after he was injured in a riding accident in 2012 when a horse called Max trampled over him.

He also claims to have been badly burned when he tried to rescue his two cats after his flat in Aberystwyth caught fire.

A GIANT graffiti mural showing a horse in a state of excitement has been censored by council chiefs after complaints it was too explicit.

The 30ft high painting shows a stallion about to mount its fallen rider and leaves very little to the imagination.

But locals complained that the picture was just too rude.

The graffiti is part of an international street art festival to brighten up run down buildings in the centre of Cardiff.

The mural called "Love Your Master" by Italian spray-can wizard Zed 1 was critically acclaimed by festival organisers.

But residents of an exclusive apartment block overlooking the artwork were not as impressed.

One resident said: "Can you imagine flinging open your curtains each morning to look out at that - a horse trying to have sex with a man?"

"There are families with small children living here and it's hardly the sort of thing they're going to want their little ones seeing."

The residents claim the artist added the horse's "appendage" last.

Office worker Paul Talbot, 23, said: "It's well done, don't get me wrong - but when I first spotted it I almost walked in to a lamp post.

"I'm surprised there haven't been any road accidents given the amount of drivers who've been doing double takes at it."

The festival's curator Helen Bur agreed to blot out the offending part of the graffiti and the artist went along with it.

She said: "We'd not had any negative comments ourselves, but when we found out some were unhappy with the art we were happy to change it.

"So we contracted Zed 1 and he agreed to us painting over the problem area - he said he'd rather that than have the whole piece white-washed over altogether."

A LIVE reading of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood, directed by Port Talbot actor Michael Sheen, will make its New York debut today.

The Hollywood actor will star in the "play for voices" on the same stage it premiered on in 1953 - the 92Y.

It marks 100 years since the poet's birth, on October 27, and takes place the same day as the Dylathon in Swansea Grand Theatre, which itself boasts stars including Ian McKellen and Jonathan Pryce.

Sheen said the live radio broadcast was an opportunity to celebrate him and his work, "in both New York - a city that became so important to Dylan - and, at the same time, in Wales, his inspiration and home."

Joining Sheen on stage will be Mark Lewis Jones, Francine Morgan and Matthew Aubrey.

Kate Burton whose mother and father, Sybil Williams and Richard Burton, took part in the very first reading, will also take part.

Meinir Davies, who was born in Llanelli but now lives in America, will be flying from San Francisco to New York to attend the event.

"I started to read Dylan's poetry at a young age and was enthralled by it," she said.

Paul Turner / paul.turner@swwmedia.co.uk / @readmybook

You can hear it live by clicking here.

Dylan Thomas   Dylathon

1. The Scarlets have raised their game in Europe

IT was a good time to be playing Leicester, given the English club's injuries, but a week earlier the English club had beaten Ulster and so would have travelled to Llanelli with self-belief. But the Scarlets responded to serious adversity themselves to chisel out a victory that keeps them in the mix in Pool 3. The setbacks came thick and fast for the hosts in Llanelli: Jake Ball was injured before kick-off, to be replaced by Richard Kelly; Scott Williams, Rory Pitman and Kelly left the pitch because of bumps before half-time; and then the replacement for the replacement, Lewis Rawlins, also picked up a knock, meaning the Welsh region finished the game with a wing, Kristian Phillips, at No. 8. But Wayne Pivac's team drew on their region's rich European heritage to send the Tigers packing. It was a performance of huge character and they will head for their back-to-back games with Ulster very much alive in the pool.

2. The Ospreys are not the finished article

In fairness, the Ospreys' coaches have been counselling caution all season. One defeat doesn't mean the Liberty boys have become a bad side, but they were heavily outgunned in the East Midlands and finished a long way second best, despite no lack of spirit. Strength in depth remains an issue, with Steve Tandy's team unable to absorb the loss of Andrew Bishop before the start of their game against Northampton. It meant they had to reshape their backline, shifting a wing into midfield, and well though Jeff Hassler did in attack he found the defensive demands challenging. Up front, the Welsh region also found the going tough, with the most powerful pack in England piling on the pressure for much of the first half, in particular. The Ospreys are still in the hunt in Pool 5, but they are a young side and against the very best teams their lack of years and experience is going to tell.

3. The French challenge is serious

Clermont Auvergne thrashed Sale 35-3 at Stade Marcel Michelin, while there were also away wins for Toulon, Toulouse and Racing Metro. After making heavy weather of seeing off the Scarlets the previous weekend, Toulon accounted for Ulster in Belfast with a significant amount to spare — a feat that will command respect around Europe. It helps when you start with a back row made up of Steffon Armitage, Chris Masoe and Juan Fernandez Lobbe, and it helps when you can terrorise opponents simply by reeling off some of the names on your bench, with Juan Smith, Ali Williams, Bakkies Botha, Fabien Barcella and James O'Connor among the Toulon replacements against Ulster. Toulouse also looked mightily impressive in winning in Bath, all power and panache, while Clermont bristled with power against Sale.

4. Glasgow are flying the flag for the Pro12

Scottish wins in France are not an everyday occurrence, so for Glasgow to prevail in Montpellier was an achievement worth applauding. Gregor Townsend's side have built a reputation in the Pro12 for playing expansive rugby, but they showed a different side to their game against Montpellier, defending as if their lives depended on it and managing a 91 percent success rate in the tackle. They were determined to get a result and they achieved their objective thanks to a lorry load of true grit. Toulouse will take some beating in Pool 4, but it is not inconceivable that two sides could go through, and with an away win already in the bag Glasgow will fancy their chances.

5. George North is an option for Wales in the centre

Operating in the centre for much of the game against the Ospreys, North was danger personified, a hard runner blessed with pace and power, with a nose for the try line. He scored four tries, two of them outstanding efforts, and with Wales having a number of injured players in midfield there have been calls for him to be looked at as a midfield option. There are worse ideas, but it is one thing to cause havoc against an injury-hit Ospreys backline, quite another to do the same against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The cream of the south would undoubtedly look to test North defensively if he played in midfield, and the jury remains out on whether he would be up to that particular challenge. But as an attacking threat, he is devastating.