Events over a seven-day period between April 30 and May 6 highlighted a worrying trend for Irish rugby

With a decent-looking schedule, a win over Connacht last Friday night would have made it very difficult for others to close the gap and put Munster in pole position for an enticing Rainbow Cup final berth

While James Ryan's timing couldn't have been worse, Jack Conan, who might not even be the best No 8 in Leinster, now finds himself with the hottest ticket in rugby

A touring veteran at this stage, Gatland knows better than most that getting your squad selection right remains the most critical element in winning the series

Ronan O’Gara’s men had nothing to lose but played like a side in a hurry to make their mark and capture silverware

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