Tonight:
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London Irish are a big team made up of big personalities yet they are being driven by one of the smallest men in their squad. Scrum-half Paul Hodgson is the Little General who barks out orders to his team-mates, congratulating and admonishing with equal ferocity.
At 5ft 7ins, Alfredo Lalanne is the shortest player on their books but Hodgson, one inch taller, is by common consent, the player who best understands how to keep the Irish machine in top gear.
Hodgson's quest to earn a first start for England continues against the Scarlets in the Heineken Cup at Reading on Saturday as London Irish bid for European and domestic glory.
He is battling with Harry Ellis, of Leicester, and Harlequins' Danny Care for the England No9 jersey against Australia at Twickenham on 7 November.
Irish are vying for leadership of the Guinness Premiership having narrowly lost to Leicester in last season's play-off final and knocked over Heineken Cup champions Leinster 12-9 last Friday in Dublin.
The 27-year-old's electric start to the season won the Guinness player-of-the-month award for September and that form was evident throughout the intensely physical battle with Leinster at the Royal Dublin Showground.
He has made just three England appearances as a replacement to date, beginning against Ireland last year, and the most recent sighting came during the summer Tests at home and away against Argentina. Now, he is desperate to earn that first start and has been given licence to tell his team-mates exactly what they should be doing by Toby Booth, the Irish director of rugby, and no one gives him any stick in return. "If you get their respect then they listen," said Hodgson.
"If I can think for them then it's going to help the team, and some of the guys actually tell me to chase them in the match, bark orders to make sure they are performing well and while I do finish games feeling all I have done is shout at the guys, they come up and thank me. I find I talk for 80 minutes anyway and it seems to work!
"At Irish it is my responsibility to use swift distribution to unleash our lethal backs and that means demanding quick ball off the forwards and organising the whole team. It's a job I really enjoy and believe I can take into the England team."
With the Scarlets game offering Irish the opportunity to cement their place at the top of Pool Six, Hodgson knows Martin Johnson, the England team manager, will soon assemble his squad for the November Tests and club form is critical.
"I had a good chat with all the England coaches at the end of the Argentina tour and got some useful feedback," added Hodgson.
"Apart from the week we had as a squad in the summer, I haven't had any contact and all I can do is show enthusiasm. A couple of years ago there were only a couple of scrum- halves knocking about at England level and now we have many."
