Gareth Thomas had to stop and gather himself more than once today. His voice faltered. It choked with emotion. Who knows how many times his nerves were betrayed by an subconscious impulse to tug at his right ear?

It’s no secret that my Ireland career didn’t end the way I would have liked, and if this week is the end for Gordon D’Arcy, it’s certainly not how he would have wanted to finish up either.

Samoan rugby star Alesana Tuilagi has been spared a jail term and a criminal record after he pleaded guilty to a drink-fuelled attack on a man in Dublin three years ago.

The importance of securing a home European quarter-final for Irish provinces extends well beyond the field of play, Munster’s annual financial report has revealed.

Ulster have been left with a considerable casualty count following their Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat to Saracens on Saturday.

The message from the Munster camp this week in anticipation of today’s Heineken Cup quarter-final may have been delivered in a variety of tones but it all boiled down to the same thing: It will take their best performance of the season to give them any hope of beating Toulouse this afternoon.

Paul Gustard admits he is ’left-field’, which is short-hand for saying he is a strange man, with unusual methods.

Conor Murray knows the Thomond Park cauldron can work in Munster’s favour tomorrow, it is coping with the tornado Toulouse will bring with them that concerns the Ireland scrum-half.

Donncha O’Callaghan has warned his team-mates not to underestimate the motivation driving Toulouse in this weekend’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

Munster are likely to take a gamble on captain Peter O’Mahony’s fitness when head coach Rob Penney names his starting line-up to face French powerhouse Toulouse in tomorrow’s Heineken Cup quarter-final at Thomond Park.

Memo to Munster fans from Ronan O'Gara : Get into Thomond Park a good 45 minutes before tomorrow’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

Toulouse prop Census Johnston has been ruled out of Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Munster.

Ian Keatley has warned Toulouse’s “monsters” that they will have to overcome Munster’s pack mentality to get the better of them in Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final at Thomond Park.

Rob Penney has called for better communication between coaches and referees, having admitted he has no idea if his obligatory post-match reports on officials ever reach the men in the middle.

When news filtered into the press room 30 minutes before kick-off that Peter O’Mahony was a Munster absentee, the odds on a visitors’ success dropped a fathom.

We have become programmed to expect the worst when we travel to Paris in the spring but mercifully this Irish team failed to read the script and accept the inevitable.

HEINEKEN CUP POOL SIX:

IN the days before last year’s Heineken Cup quarter-final for Munster against Harlequins, I was asked about retirement by the press. I said at the time if anyone was enjoying their career as much as I was, why would they want to walk away from it?

Having failed in three successive League finals, there is an almost manic desire on Leinster’s part to rectify that situation tonight

Munster are set to name a new main shirt sponsor, the province said yesterday, on a day the Thomond Park Stadium Company Ltd reported its operating profits had almost halved last year to €354,000.

Warren Gatland has absorbed much advice over the last 12 months in relation to what he should and shouldn’t do on the 2013 Lions tour to Australia.

Harlequins have launched an investigation after claiming “many” of their supporters sold tickets to rival Munster fans for last Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final at the Twickenham Stoop.

Ulster head coach Mark Anscombe has decided to omit international duo Paddy Jackson and Andrew Trimble from his extended 25-man squad for Friday night's RaboDirect PRO12 game against Newport Gwent Dragons at Ravenhill (7.05pm).

Harlequins 12 Munster 18

Munster forward David Kilcoyne has come a very long way in a very short space of time.

There is mixed news for Munster on the injury front as Simon Zebo returns from injury for Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Halequins (2pm) but skipper Doug Howlett misses out through a shoulder injury.

After four months out with a knee injury, Ulster winger Tommy Bowe is poised to make his return, having been named in the match day squad to face Saracens in the Heineken Cup quarter-final at Twickenham tomorrow evening (6.30pm).

Under-pressure Munster head coach Rob Penney has received “100%” backing from one of the province’s rising stars with Ireland prop Dave Kilcoyne calling criticism of the New Zealander’s game plan “completely unfair”.

Having gotten back to winning ways against Leinster last weekend, Ulster prop John Afoa can sense the confidence in the squad as they prepare for Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens in Twickenham (6.30pm).

Munster say that they will wait until later in the week to make a decision on whether or not Simon Zebo will be fit for Saturday's Heineken Cup quarter-final against Harlequins.

Having played his first senior Munster game since October on Saturday night, lock Paul O’Connell is confident his fitness will be up to standard for the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Harlequins in two weeks.

Harlequins familiar home venue, the Twickenham Stoop, will stage their Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Munster on Sunday, April 7 (2pm).

Ulster have been hit with another blow in their back-row after number eight Roger Wilson picked up a hamstring injury in the win over Castres.

Saracens are in discussion with Barnet Council over the possibility of staging their Heineken Cup quarter-final against Ulster at their new Allianz Park home.

Paul O’Connell refused to rule out making a third Lions tour this summer but suggested the odds would be long given he is likely to miss the RBS 6 Nations this spring.

Ospreys 17 Toulouse 6

Ian Humphreys believes Ireland have been neglectful not to include London Irish teammate Tomás O’Leary in the current set-up.

Ronan O’Gara, Conor Murray and Keith Earls have all been made available for Munster’s trip to Ulster at Ravenhill on Friday evening.

Dean Richards vowed he will never cross the line again as he prepares to return to rugby after serving a three-year Bloodgate ban.

Brian McLaughlin has named Stephen Ferris in his starting XV for the massive Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Munster on Easter Sunday (1.45pm).

Munster are set to delve deep into their reservoir of young talent with the near certainty that hooker Mike Sherry will start Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

ALL eyes may be on Thomond Park and the Aviva Stadium this weekend, but the more discerning Munster and Leinster supporters will also be keeping tabs on proceedings at the RDS this evening.

Concrete updates on Stephen Ferris’ ankle injury were thin on the ground in Belfast yesterday but all the indications are that the Ireland flanker will be named in the Ulster team to face Munster in Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

Tony McGahan was a relieved man yesterday as he watched his stars cruise through a tough training session four days before the Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Ulster at Thomond Park.

Leinster are refusing to take Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Cardiff Blues for granted despite the Welsh region’s myriad of problems on the pitch and off it.

Ireland and Ulster winger Andrew Trimble believes he and his teammates can upset the Thomond Park faithful when they take on Munster in the Heineken Cup quarter-final on Sunday but admits they will need to be firing on all cylinders.

Stephen Ferris has been rated as highly unlikely to make Ulster’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Munster on Easter Sunday.

Brian O’Driscoll has dropped the strongest hint yet that he will still be around when the Irish team embarks on its next Rugby World Cup campaign, in England, in 2015.

Even the sizeable Leinster contingent in the full house at Thomond Park on Saturday departed believing they had been short changed.

On a bleak night for Munster, Tony McGahan will be cheered by the fact that injured trio Paul O’Connell, Donnacha Ryan and Conor Murray remain on course to feature in Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Ulster.