Dan Leavy has a face you don’t want to argue with. Every crease, crevice, and scar speaks of a personality which doesn’t take a backward step, neither physically or metaphorically. 

The Crusaders got a week off after the Chiefs game up in Hamilton. Some of the squad went off to Fiji for R&R. I’m using the time for a bit of a recharge before heading to Brisbane today ahead of the first test.

It’s rare now I get an instant buzz from something that’s not on a pitch in front of me, but such was the sensation, even in a different hemisphere, when Joey Carbery confirmed his career direction yesterday.

Three weeks ago, on these pages, I wondered aloud why Munster weren’t in the frame for Joey Carbery.

The one they left after them? Presumably the Racing 92 players and management recognise it was a Champions Cup final they should have won.

In the Racing 92 training complex at Plessis-Robinson in Paris, there they were, writes Ronan O’Gara

Five miles outside the bustling city of Sydney is Coogee, a beautiful beach area with little, winding streets and cafes with coffee to die for.

In my early weeks in Christchurch I picked up some helpful pointers from the Crusaders’ head coach Scott Robertson, writes Ronan O’Gara.

No I haven’t walked the 200 feet of tunnel that reputedly leads from renowned London wine merchants Berry Brothers and Rudd to Buckingham Palace, but I am assured such a route exists, writes Ronan O’Gara.