Bernie in perfect form for a battle; UPDATE.

BERNIE STORTONI is convinced his Test battle with Ireland has toughened him up for Glasgow's clash with the hard men of Cardiff.

The Argentine rugby star played the final 20 minutes ofa fiery clash in Dublin last weekend.

And he looked on it as perfect preparation for the Magners League tie with the Welsh.

Stortoni said: "It was a bit like a war zone in Dublin - as is always the case nowadays when the Pumas face the Irish.

"A lot of our guys don't like the Ireland guys and the sentiments are obviously mutual.

"Cardiff are also a tough team to be up against and we are definitely looking forward to the challenge."

Meanwhile, Simon Webster will rack up his 100th appearance for Edinburgh in their Magners League showdown against Ospreys at Murrayfield.

TENNIS: Scot Jamie Baker beat Portuguese qualifier Pedro Sousa 6-2 6-0 to earn a last-eight clash with Russian Andrey Kumantsov at the ITF Futures event in the Dominican Republic.

HANDBALL: Great Britain women face Turkey in Holland tonight in a bid to put their World Championship qualification back on track after defeats from the Dutch and Lithuania. They also meet Czech Republic and Greece this weekend.

ICE HOCKEY: A round-robin midweek tournament featuring Fife Flyers, Paisley Pirates, Dundee Stars and Edinburgh Capitals' second team is to be sponsored.

Lochgelly-based Fire Flood Damage Reinstatement (FFDR) have stepped in with a package. Gaelic TV channel Alba will screen Sunday's Celtic Cup clash at Dundee where Stars meet Fife Flyers.

TABLE TENNIS: Scottish No.1 Gavin Rumgay failed to qualify for the Polish Open in Warsaw after losing 9-11 11-9 8-11 13-11 9-11 11-9 7-11 home hope Jakub Perek.

CRICKET: Fred Jones, who once scored 88 against India, will be the senior "Caledonian" at the biggest reunion of past and present Scotland cricketers tonight. Jones, 81, is one of more than 50 capped players who will attend Cricket Scotland's annual international awards night in Edinburgh.

SKIING: Huntly's Andrew Musgrave competes in this weekend's World Cup race in Kuusamo, Finland, after winning a junior Nordic race in Sweden earlier this month.