This may be viewed as a case of the masters against the pretenders with La Rochelle contesting their first Heineken Champions Cup semi-final but Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster know that they face a massive challenge

Donal Lenihan identifies the four key elements on Warren Gatland’s to do list over the last year with the announcement of his 35-man Lions squad only eight days away

As a former Lions captain in South Africa and as a player who operated under Warren Gatland on the 2009 and 2013 tours, Paul O'Connell has a firm understanding of Gatland’s ways

It appeared written in the stars that La Rochelle, under the stewardship of Ronan O’Gara, would end up facing Leinster

I was really impressed with Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle on Friday night. They play a magnificent brand of running and offloading rugby but the subtle difference with them compared to other French clubs is they appear more tactically astute

All too often, Munster fail to play to the maximum of their ability on the days that really matter

High-flying Toulouse are just about the last team Munster would choose to face after the disappointment of last weekend

A change in the format next season, when the new PRO16 will incorporate the top four South African provincial teams. That’s why there was a feeling of “now or never” for this group of Munster players.

The three talking points ahead of today’s derby decider in Dublin

A Six Nations championship that keeps on giving, at a time when distractions of any sort are so welcome, has even reserved one last sting in the tail