I thought my days of accumulating caps finished a long time ago, but not so. Thirty-three years after featuring for the British and Irish Lions as part of the IRB’s centenary celebrations in Cardiff, test recognition yielded just that.

IT’S been a testing week for the Munster set-up despite that bonus point win over Zebre, writes Donal Lenihan. 

Johnny Sexton’s nomination for the IRB World Rugby Player of the Year Award gives him a chance of becoming the first Irishman since inaugural winner Keith Wood to take the prestigious honour.

Although Ireland’s rugby management team dare not look too far ahead, things appear to be settling nicely into place in advance of the 2015 World Cup in England.

Ireland’s bid to host the 2023 World Cup has been given a huge boost after IRB chief executive Brett Gosper described the country as “a wonderful candidate”.

Seven of the Irish women’s rugby team who were in action in Milan yesterday, are due to fly out to China tomorrow for the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series event.

If Ireland were glad to have avoided the southern hemisphere’s big guns and dangerous sides in band three, it was clear the French and Italians were equally as relieved to have been pooled with the Irish.

IRFU chief executive Philip Browne has cast doubt on the likelihood of an Ireland Sevens team going to the Olympics in 2016.

IT COULD have been one of the greatest Lions victories of all time, in fact even a draw would have offered something tangible to play for in Johannesburg next Saturday. To lose that opportunity and the series as a whole to a last ditch penalty converted from five metres inside the opposition half makes the second Lions test defeat even more harrowing.

IAN McGEECHAN let the cat out of the bag the other week when he expressed a preference for a forward to captain the Lions in the forthcoming tour of South Africa.

ARGENTINA have never required extra motivation when facing Ireland but it will be there in abundance on Saturday when the Pumas seek to strengthen their World Cup aspirations and destabilise those of their hosts.

The Irish team trained today in Osaka University just as Japan named their team for Sunday's first Test prior to the IRB deadline.

Barry Coughlan

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan described his side’s hard-earned 55-6 win over the United States at Lansdowne Road as “a tough day at the office“.

PETER O’BRIEN has been given the chance to push for a regular place on the Irish U-21 World Cup squad after being named in the team to take on Scotland at Newbury today (5 pm).

Wales coach Steve Hansen beat the IRB 48-hour deadline by minutes as he named his team to take on world champions Australia in Sydney on Saturday night.

The official line is that it’s outside of their own control, there’s nothing they can do about it, their hands are tied... but there is also a deep rooted frustration in the Irish rugby camp.