JJ Hanrahan admits that Munster’s young guns are keeping the established players on their toes.

Wales picked out Tadhg Furlong for special criticism.

New Wales defence coach Byron Hayward has told his side to blitz Ireland out of the game as they go in search of their first win in Dublin since 2012.

Mark McCall’s public confession that Saracens may have to sacrifice the Champions’ Cup in order to preserve their domestic status will have fallen on stony ground all over Europe.

They once boasted one of the strongest playing rosters in European rugby and were famously labelled the ‘Galacticos’ of Welsh rugby.

Move over Dean Richards, Harlequins, and ‘Bloodgate’, there is an even bigger bad news story to overtake you in the annals of English club rugby history, writes Rob Cole.

The four tries were selected by a panel of former players, including former Try of the Year winners Jamie Heaslip and Bryan Habana.

With the cream having risen to the top and the four best sides left standing in the tournament providing two contrasting semi-final shootouts, we are left, with a potentially explosive final with rugby north and south of the equator set for a fascinating head to head.

Peter Jackson picks his XV for the Heineken Champions Cup Team of the Tournament.

Steffan Thomas rates the players of both sides of the Heinken Champions Cup final.

Leinster boss Leo Cullen named an unchanged starting line-up from the semi-final win over Toulouse for Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup final showdown with Saracens but insisted it was a far from straightforward selection process.

A fifth win for Leinster tomorrow will make them the most successful side in the history of the competition.

It is a measure of the quality in play at tomorrow’s Heineken Champions Cup final that there is so much mutual respect between the two teams, respect borne out of the shared experience of a successful British & Irish Lions tour two summers ago.

Mark McCall, the Saracens director of rugby, handed Munster a crumb of comfort in the aftermath of his team’s 32-16 Champions Cup semi-final win in Coventry.

Ever get that feeling that the stars are aligning for some special purpose?

Milestones and long-awaited comebacks feature aplenty in the Saracens team picked by Mark McCall, who makes 10 changes from the side which lost at Bristol Bears last week.

This time 12 months ago, Munster and Leinster felt bulletproof as they approached their respective Champions Cup semi-final deciders against Racing 92 and Scarlets, with both squads densely fortified with players from Ireland’s all-conquering Grand Slam team.

Johann van Graan gave no indication about the quality of his Sunday night’s sleep but given the Munster boss watched a playback of Saracens’ seven-try demolition of Glasgow Warriors before bedtime, a fit of the night terrors would have been understandable.

The European Champions’ Cup emerges from hibernation next week offering a ray of sunshine for those Irish players hung out to dry after the deluge and days of cascading criticism.

If Carlsberg could do Grand Slam-winning opening salvos, they would replicate what Wales delivered in the opening 70 seconds of action in Cardiff last Saturday.

Wales have completed the Grand Slam after beating Ireland 25-7 in their Guinness Six Nations match in Cardiff.

The Principality Stadium roof will be open, Storm Hannah’s wet and windy weather won’t make for a classic, but Wales will nonetheless be backed by an entire nation in Cardiff this afternoon.

Robin McBryde believes Wales will face “arguably the best side in world rugby” when they go for Six Nations title and Grand Slam glory on Saturday.

So much for the Anglo-French carve-up. Four years on from the distasteful rupture that did for the Heineken Cup, and only two since the PRO12 failed to earn a single invitation for the quarter-finals, and here we are with three Celtic sides jostling with Racing 92 for a ticket to Bilbao in May.

Few games present themselves on a canvas decorated with such broad and simplistic brush strokes as Sunday’s meeting between Leinster and Saracens.

Wales secured runners-up spot in this season's NatWest 6 Nations Championship after edging out France at the Principality Stadium.

Wales moved up to second in the NatWest 6 Nations table behind champions Ireland after claiming an expected bonus point victory over Italy.

Taulupe Faletau will captain Wales and Scarlets flanker James Davies makes his Test debut in Sunday's NatWest 6 Nations clash against Italy in Cardiff.

Even watching from the family sofa, Jacob Stockdale could see that Six Nations rugby was at a different level to anything else in the game.

The tiny margins that will shape today’s Six Nations clash at the Aviva Stadium.

Fine margins, this fixture has been determined by them time and time again over the past decade and everything points to a similar scenario when Ireland and Wales lock horns once more in Dublin this afternoon.

Warren Gatland will be wondering what Joe Schmidt can throw at Wales, writes Ronan O’Gara

If it’s Ireland-Wales in the Six Nations then chances are Rhys Ruddock will be nudged in front of the media at some point or other in the week leading up to it — the Leinster back row’s current absence through injury didn’t change that yesterday.

Ireland half-backs Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton have been warned they’re in Welsh crosshairs for Saturday’s pivotal Six Nations clash at Lansdowne Road.

Joe Schmidt has backed Ireland’s “great decision makers” to successfully adapt to whatever conditions or opposition gameplan they face when Wales visit Dublin for this Saturday’s crucial NatWest 6 Nations showdown.

Is it any wonder the structure of the professional game in Ireland is the envy of so many of our international counterparts at present?

Josh Adams admits it is “a surreal feeling” to have realised a rugby dream and be picked for Wales.

Wales are hopeful that wing George North will be in the selection mix for Saturday’s NatWest 6 Nations opener against Scotland.

An irritated Gatland suggested the option of surgery on the problem should have been taken up earlier.

Peter Jackson gives his progress report on the best and worst teams, players and moments of the Autumn Internationals.

Wales 18 New Zealand 33: Wales could be minus a third of the team beaten by New Zealand for next Saturday’s autumn series finale against South Africa.

Wales huffed and puffed their way to an unconvincing 13-6 victory over Six Nations wannabes Georgia after being pushed to the limit.

Saracens back-rower Billy Vunipola could miss the first month of the Aviva Premiership season in England as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery.

The frustration for Warren Gatland was already beginning to subside the morning after the night before the draw.

Warren Gatland hailed Sam Warburton's diplomacy skills as crucial to the British and Irish Lions' drawn Test series with New Zealand.

There’s not much riding on Eden Park tomorrow only immortality for a group of lads from Britain and Ireland, writes Ronan O’Gara.