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!

Aida Austin explores the Baroque heritage and scenic landscape of central Europe with a luxurious river cruise on the Danube.

The Shortest History of Germany by James Hawes Old Street Publishing Review: Des Breen

Ulster 17 Leinster 13: Thankfully it wasn’t all about the game itself on a bright summer’s day at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday. At least two stand-out moments came from the two Ulster players who were bidding farewell to a venue they had graced on numerous occasions.

Sinéad O’Halloran is a 22-year-old cellist from Blackrock, Cork. She is the co-founder and artistic director of the Ortús Chamber Music Festival, which is taking place in Midleton, Cork city and Cobh this weekend. She is currently based in Düsseldorf where she is studying for her Bachelor of Music.

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.

Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend believes his side will have to play even better against Racing 92 if they are to repeat last week’s historic win.

Leo Cullen has played down fears of Johnny Sexton being forced to take an extended break from rugby, with the Leinster head coach suggesting the 31-year-old will be out of action for around three to four weeks.

Eddie Jones insists the key to defeating Fiji and extending England’s winning streak to 12 Tests is to “bore them to death”.

The Springboks are back with a bang and Andy Farrell believes Ireland had better learn to deal with them if they are to claim history for themselves and secure a series victory at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium today.

South Africa offered no excuses for their disappointing defeat against Ireland on Saturday with coach Allister Coetzee ordering his players to go and “fix it”.

Conor Murray believes any intimidation targeted towards team-mate CJ Stander during Ireland’s Test series with South Africa this month will merely serve to motivate the Munster back row.

Leinster 50 Benetton Treviso 19: It’s only two weeks since Ulster sent Leinster retreating down the M1 in disorder, but some in the northern province could be forgiven for harbouring a sense of foreboding ahead of the sides’ next meeting in the Guinness PRO12 semi-final.

It may have been a day of drama and calculators across most of the Guinness PRO12, but Leinster strolled to the most straightforward and expected of victories against a mostly awful Treviso side at the RDS this afternoon.

Dancing horses, apple strudel, sun, Schubert, and birthday celebrations — it was all part of the experience for nine Cappamore Guild members when they took a mid-week break in Vienna just after Easter.

Glasgow Warriors 27 Ulster 17: Title holders Glasgow Warriors extended their winning run in the Guinness PRO12 to five matches with a hard-fought 27-17 victory over Ulster at Scotstoun.

Italy 20 Scotland 36: Jason O’Halloran hopes Scotland can shake off their mental shackles after finally halting their long RBS 6 Nations losing streak.

South Africa 34 Scotland 16: Stand-off Duncan Weir hopes his stunning second-half burst against South Africa on Saturday will help seal his place in coach Vern Cotter’s plans as Scotland look to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

Scotland 45 Japan 10: The neutrals may have left Kingsholm disappointed not to have witnessed another monumental Rugby World Cup upset, but Scotland will not care one jot after this bonus-point success kicked their Pool B campaign off in the perfect fashion.

Irish coach Joe Schmidt insisted during the week that places in the World Cup squad were still up for grabs. After yet another defeat to the Barbarians at Thomond Park last night, he will go home for another re-think after a performance he described as “a bit inaccurate.”

Glasgow 16 Ulster 14: Glasgow left it late to book a place in the Guinness Pro12 final after a nail-biting 16-14 win over Ulster at Scotstoun.

Ulster signalled its serious intent for tonight’s Guinness Pro12 semi-final at Glasgow Warriors by naming its strongest possible side.

Glasgow 32 Ulster 10

Edinburgh 23 Leinster 36