On the one hand, Andy Friend is delighted that only Bundee Aki is missing on Six Nations duty as Connacht prepare for a real 10-pointer against a Cardiff Blues side who are just below them in the table.

Some players refuse to look beyond the next 80 minutes, the next opponent, or even the next training session.

Ask any Munster supporter their thoughts on the Saracens personnel coming to Thomond Park this evening and they will take the matchday squad named by Mark McCall yesterday in a heartbeat. Ask the Munster coaching group the same question and they will not be taking anything for granted.

Munster have been playing with a much more varied gameplan this season, backing their skills in areas where previously more traditional, conservative traits

Munster supporters will finally get their wish this evening when Conor Murray partners Joey Carbery at half-back for the first time in provincial colours.

For the second week in a row, the quality of rugby on offer across the Heineken Champions Cup pool fixtures has been overshadowed by decisions made by referees and their interpretation of tackling laws, writes Donal Lenihan

This was the sort of day we feared might be beyond Irish clubs again.

The hat-trick heroes are dwindling in ever greater numbers.

Devin Toner is already the proud owner of three Heineken Cup medals and yet there is a sense that a first Champions Cup trinket would outweigh them all.

Officials from England and France sold visions of a bright new order, when they took a wrecking ball to the Heineken Cup, writes Brendan O’Brien

Swapping high summer in Sydney for the winter cold of the English East Midlands might not seem a palatable prospect, never mind for a job that on face value appears something of a hiding to nothing.

Keith Earls summed it up neatly when asked this week about what sort of pedigree Saracens will bring to Saturday’s Champions Cup semi-final.

The organisers of a 10,000 capacity music festival expect it to sell out well in advance after announcing a raft of artists will appear alongside Manic Street Preachers, The Coronas and Sigma.

Ireland legend John Hayes on facing England, attitudes towards concussion, and life outside rugby.

Three-time European cup winner Shane Jennings has announced that he will retire at the end of the season.

Two wins from two for Leinster and Munster, and after uncertain starts to their Pro 12 seasons, it might be one of the more satisfying openings to a European season either province has had.

Devin Toner accepts he will be one of those senior players expected to plug the leadership gap in Leinster’s pack created by Leo Cullen’s off-season move upstairs to coaches’ office.

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony has urged his squad to play every game this season as if it was their last as the province aims to return to the winner’s enclosure in both the Guinness Pro12 and Europe.

It may be the Rugby Champions Cup now, but the inaugural pool draw for the new competition will have elicited reactions that are all too familiar from the days when the tournament was known as the Heineken Cup.

Leinster fans will be smiling today with the news of their pool draw for next season’s European Rugby Champions Cup.

The RaboDirect Pro12 will be approached in a more serious fashion by Munster, and all competing sides from next season, according to Munster chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald.

James Downey believes Munster’s proud Heineken Cup history can be an important factor behind their bid to reach a fifth European final on Sunday.

Leinster captain Jamie Heaslip knows they can use their big-game Heineken Cup experience to underpin a demanding quarter-final mission against reigning European champions Toulon on Sunday.

The IRFU stands to benefit to the tune of €1.35m in the event that all three provinces win their Heineken Cup quarter-finals this weekend, while wins for Leinster and/or Ulster would bring about a financial bonanza for the Dublin economy.

Ian Madigan believes that pride in, and attachment to, their home province will prove to be the difference next Sunday when Leinster travel to take on Toulon’s European champions at the Stade Felix Mayo.

Simon Zebo has said this weekend’s meeting of Leinster and Munster will be like playing in a “Heineken Cup Final”.

Welsh official Nigel Owens will take control of Munster’s Heineken Cup quarter-final with Toulouse, with tournament organisers ERC appointing England’s Wayne Barnes as referee for Leinster’s trip to Toulon.

David Wallace believes Croke Park must be given serious consideration as a venue for any potential Heineken Cup semi-final meeting between Leinster and Munster later this season.

HEINEKEN CUP POOL 6:

Edinburgh have become “fiercely competitive” according to Munster coach Rob Penney, who admitted the Scottish side’s development has unnerved him.

Heineken Cup. France. Must-win.

The future of rugby in Europe remains uncertain.

English rugby chief Ian Ritchie was embroiled in a last-ditch attempt to solve the European rugby crisis on Thursday as he met union bosses in Dublin.

Ospreys 21 Castres 12

The IRFU has warned parents, coaches and players of their responsibility to be extra vigilant for signs of concussion among amateur rugby players.

HEINEKEN CUP POOL ONE:

Munster coach Rob Penney says his side won’t be taking the Dragons lightly tomorrow evening in the Rabo Direct Pro 12.

The latest twists in the already serpentine bid to reach agreement over the future of European club rugby’s flagship competitions came last night with what was, ultimately, a hardening of resolve on both sides of the barricades.

Irish players are amongst those being left at increased risk of concussion-related injuries due to the failure of the PRO12, Heineken Cup and Six Nations to adopt IRB guidelines, according to a leading player advocate.

It's official - it doesn't matter if you're his teammate or even his coach, Paul O'Connell will make you feel intimidated.

European champions Toulon will not take part in the proposed Anglo-French tournament and will remain in the Heineken Cup as a protest against the French league’s plan to limit the number of foreign players, club president Mourad Boudjellal said.

Jimmy Gopperth says he was delighted to get his first Heineken Cup start last weekend and is looking forward to another chance to play in the competition.

Leinster may have lost Jonathan Sexton to France over the summer but the province has gained an element of unpredictability at out-half which the most inventive of tens would be unable to match.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprise group has said any proposal to increase sick pay benefits would put significant pressure on employers.

Tim Visser grabbed a late try for Edinbugh as they registered their first Heineken Cup win in 18 months with a surprise 29-23 victory over Munster.