Johnny Sexton will return to the Ireland starting line-up on Thursday as Joe Schmidt’s team bids to reignite their World Cup Pool A campaign against Russia with a much-changed XV.

Leo Cullen says Ireland’s shock World Cup loss to Japan will only damage them if the players allow it to do so.

Leo Cullen says Leinster are “in the dark” over Jack Conan's foot injury.

Garry Ringrose could be pressed into a third successive World Cup start this Thursday after Ireland’s midfield stocks were reduced by a concussion for Chris Farrell.

Shock in Shizuoka as Japan claim vital win against Ireland

Jamie Joseph makes four changes to the Brave Blossom starting XV that defeated Russia 30-10 in the World Cup opening match last Friday.

Ireland supporters are about to discover whether their team’s trials and tribulations of the past few months will have been worth it when the World Cup squad gets put through its final paces before Japan at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow.

Brendan O’Brien Conan: We didn’t play the Leinster rugby that got us to the final

Leinster’s bid for a record fifth European crown came up short at St James’ Park on Saturday as Saracens reclaimed the Heineken Champions Cup for their third title in four seasons.

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

Leo Cullen saw this coming.

Jack Conan has set the bar high for this weekend’s crunch clash with Toulouse, labelling it a tougher assignment than any they faced last season when overcoming all-comers on the way to a fourth European title.

Donal Lenihan looks at three statements Munster need to make today to beat Leinster.

Almost two years ago to the day, Jack Conan faced the media and attempted to make something clear.

Simon Lewis picks out three players who put their hands up...

Sorting out Cork people for years...

Jack Conan won’t lie. Epic as Leinster’s Champions Cup success last Saturday was, it will be tarnished if the club doesn’t go on and add the Guinness PRO14 title to their collection before the end of the season.

Routine is everything to players.

“They’ve been hugely impressed with how fast he’s gotten to the stage he’s at.”

Robbie Henshaw’s season looked to be over when he dislocated a shoulder against Italy in the Six Nations. Seven weeks later and things have changed for the better.

Leinster started the season with 14 players who could conceivably feature in their back row and yet they badly need three of their most prominent practitioners to return to fitness in time for Sunday’s European quarter-final against Saracens.

Dan Leavy may be part of Ireland’s bright future, but in the build-up to his first Six Nations start in Dublin today, the 23-year-old’s pre-game thoughts will be sound-tracked by the soothing sounds of 70s disco.

Josh van der Flier may have joined a growing band of brothers from the back row union in casualty, but CJ Stander is certain that Ireland’s resources in the department remain adequately stocked.

Jack Conan doesn’t so much speak as project his voice around the room.

The physicality endemic to modern professional rugby is asking ever more of the game’s elite players but none reach the top without a thick skin.

Benetton 10 Leinster 36: Leinster had to wait eight months to see James Lowe touch down on Irish soil after the province announced him as their marquee signing for the season.

Ireland’s back row for Saturday’s Guinness Series opener against South Africa appears to be cut and dried after forwards coach Simon Easterby revealed Tommy O’Donnell, Dan Leavy, and Jack Conan had all missed some training this week.

It was not as if Leinster put Ulster to the sword in a lively, if disjointed Guinness PRO14 derby at the weekend, they simply sliced and diced them!

Leinster weathered the huge hits and the heavy bruising from Montpellier’s giants on Saturday – but the five points are what will leave the biggest mark after a winning start to their Champions Cup challenge.

It took a while in coming, but this was a more than decent start to the new Guinness Pro14 season for Leo Cullen’s Leinster as they emerged deserved winners over the Dragons.

Floyd Mayweather Jr has said he is "coming straight ahead" at Conor McGreogor but also stated he was "taking the bigger risk," writes Ciara Phelan.

It’s been a long time since Jack Conan looked ill at ease in any jersey, but the Leinster back row couldn’t help but fidget and squirm in the new Ireland number he was asked to sport at the kit’s launch on Dublin’s southside.

You’d imagine the Irish management will be hoping for a tougher test from Japan in the concluding test in Tokyo next Saturday as there will be little to be gained from another landslide win.

Ireland made a blistering start to their summer tour with an emphatic 55-19 victory over the US Eagles at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.

Scarlets reached their first ever Guinness PRO12 final after defeating much-fancied Leinster 27-15 at the RDS despite having Steff Evans sent off before half-time.

Leinster moved to the top of the Guinness PRO12 table after hammering Newport Gwent Dragons 54-22.

“The quarter-final is set for the first weekend in April, with the semi-final three weeks later.” It’s been a while since I came across such bullish confidence from a bunch of Munster supporters, but that was the thrust of the conversation I overheard between a few diehards last Friday morning at Shannon Airport in advance of boarding the plane for Munster’s pool- defining trip to Glasgow.