So, that’s that then. No Conor Murray next month. Possibly Ireland’s most important player and he’s unavailable for the visit of the All Blacks, writes Brendan O’Brien.

The show was almost over by the time Simon Zebo’s moment presented itself against Ulster late on Saturday night, writes Brendan O’Brien

Billy Connolly’s love of football, like a slick passing move from one penalty box to another, can be traced back through the length of his long career, writes Brendan O'Brien

Irish rugby, to borrow a phrase made famous by Harold McMillan, has never had it so good, says Brendan O’Brien.

It’s hard not to think that Joe Schmidt spent a good chunk of Saturday evening sitting in the stands of the Aviva Stadium with an inner glow of satisfaction insulating him against any looming October chill.

You can’t say that the GAA isn’t on trend, writes Brendan O’Brien

There’s still a few days to be crossed off the calendar but we’ll go out on a limb here and suggest that the first September in living memory without a pair of All-Ireland men’s senior finals at its core will come and go without the sky falling in and the very fabric of the GAA having been ripped asunder.

Conor Gormley gave us ‘The Block’. Fifteen years later and its claim as the most iconic and influential split second in modern Gaelic football remains pretty robust.

You know something isn’t quite right when a Dublin great is sitting across the table and expressing the hope that his boys will be put to the pin of their collar on Sunday.