British and Irish Lions

World Cup winning centre Jaque Fourie has been linked with French Championship runners up Clermont Auvergne.

Fourie turned the tide of the 2009 series against the Lions when he crossed for a crucial try with just minutes remaining of the second Test in Pretoria late last month.

The 26-year-old supplied a world-class finish to bring the Springboks back into the match at Loftus Versfeld, paving the way for Morne Steyn to break the Lions' hearts with a last-minute penalty that would clinch the three-match series.

Fourie currently plays his domestic rugby with Super 14 outfit the Golden Lions, with whom he is under contract until October of 2010, but Clermont Auvergne's vice-president Jacques Pineau has claimed a deal to bring the player to Europe is almost complete.

"There is an agreement between the club, the player and his agents. I think his arrival is going to happen," Pineau said in French publication L'Equipe.

Having become only the ninth Welshman to pick up a Heineken Cup winners medal, Gethin Jenkins is now getting ready for his next challenge - holding on to his British & Irish Lions Test spot.

Lions skipper Sam Warburton says the lessons he and his Welsh colleagues learnt in Australia last summer will stand them in good stead for their return visit with Britain and Ireland's elite next month.

Tom Youngs has enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top of the British & Irish game but he won't be resting on his laurels ahead of his first Lions adventure.