The Springbok lock will be out until March, meaning that the champion Bulls will have to start their title defence without one half of their coveted second-row combination. Victor Matfield started alongside Andries Bekker in South Africa's final tour game against Ireland on Saturday and will now have another new partner to work with at domestic level.

The Bulls are also monitoring the fitness of centre Wynand Olivier following the end of the Springboks' tour. Olivier's knee injury is being managed by team doctor Org Strauss and he is expected to return to training in January.

The ground currently holds 24,000 fans and according to FIR president Giancarlo Dondi there are plans in place to expand. Italy successfully took their November Tests on the road, with 80,000 fans packing Milan's San Siro for the visit of the All Blacks.

"The tournament committee have told us either to expand the Flaminio to 40,000 seats or choose another venue or they'll do without us," Dondi told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "We have a plan ready to extend it to 42,000 and it would not take long to do but it depends on the Rome City Council.

"If they give us guarantees, the work will be completed for the 2012 edition, then maybe they'll let us play at the Flaminio in 2011. Otherwise we will stage the 2011 Six Nations somewhere else."

Januarie is the only specialist scrum-half in the Ospreys' Heineken Cup squad after injuries to Mike Phillips, Jamie Nutbrown and Tom Isaacs. With Shane Williams, a former No.9, now sidelined until the New Year with a hamstring injury the Ospreys' coaches have been forced to look elsewhere. Hook played all of Wales' November Tests at fullback and has played in both centre positions and at fly-half domestically this season.

"It is an unprecedented and incredible situation," Ospreys coach Sean Holley told The Western Mail. "The three designated scrum-halves in our European squad are injured and the fourth in that squad, who would have provided cover, was Shane. It was an extra blow for us to lose him last weekend. The situation means we have made the move to bring in Ricky and he arrives this week.

"From a Magners League point of view we have scrum-halves available to us. But in the Heineken Cup, we are looking at an emergency and the type of players who would fit that bill are back-row men and outside-halves. They are close to that scrum-half role and they are the type of characters we are looking at.

"James is one who has played there, has had a bit of experience and he may be an option. In the past Steve Tandy and Marty Holah, when we have been on a yellow card situation, have filled in there. We have to look at every contingency."

Cardiff face Toulouse home and away in pivotal ties in the coming weeks and Laulala is all too aware of their disappointment last season, when they were knocked out in a penalty shootout by Leicester at the semi-final stage.

"It was good to leave Canterbury on a high having won the Air New Zealand Cup but I was ready for a change," he said. "I wanted a change of lifestyle and living in Europe certainly appealed. However I also wanted a change of environment on the rugby front having played for the same team for 7 years, so I was looking for something different.

"Playing in the Heineken Cup would be incredible. I watched the big Heineken Cup games on TV last season and they were awesome, but unfortunately the semi-final was decided on a kicking contest, which was a bit pathetic."