Dublin city was awash with Christmas parties tonight but few could have matched Leinster's Heineken Champions Cup knees-up at Bath's expense for intoxicating thrills.

Chris Ashton had his blushes saved by a moment of individual brilliance from Toulon’s new France international Anthony Belleau after his howler almost gifted Bath a notable away win in the Champions Cup.

2,000 years of history, John Chambers finds there’s more to the historic town of Bath than buns and Jane Austen.

Police have closed down an illegal rave underneath a railway line.

The daughters of a woman who died in the bath on a mental health ward despite her telling a psychiatrist she intended to drown have said lessons must be learned.

Leinster scrum-half Luke McGrath is expecting a “tough battle” as the province prepare to take on Bath in the European Champions Cup on Saturday (5.30pm).

Bath fly-half Rhys Priestland will be available for Wales after all this season.

Ford nailed the game’s final kick in front of watching England head coach Eddie Jones.

Bath 19 Leinster 16

The province travel to face Bath in the Recreation Ground, hoping to get their Champions Cup campaign back on track after last week’s 33-6 defeat.

Asking a player if they are out to avenge a previous defeat is normally the most futile of exercises, but Bath’s Leroy Houston is full of surprises.

Sam Burgess has left Bath with immediate effect.

Dual-code international Burgess is set to head back to rugby league after completing only one year of a three-year deal at Bath.

He's also wearing sunglasses.

Leinster’s failure to make the Guinness Pro12 play-offs was always likely to hurt them come yesterday’s European Champions Cup draw and so it proved, with the three-time winners being landed in a pool alongside triple champions Toulon, English runners-up Bath and Wasps.

Elizabeth O’Neill is delighted by the majestic city of Bath, the setting of Jane Austen’s novels and a world heritage site.

Saturday’s quarter-final was Leinster’s 19th knockout game over the last four seasons... the fact they won 15 of those shows their understanding of what’s required on these occasions, writes Donal Lenihan.

Leinster survived a late scare from Bath at the Aviva Stadium today to book a place in the Champions Cup semi-finals.

Look in isolation at Leinster’s Rugby Champions Cup quarter-final with Bath at the Aviva Stadium today, and it is tempting to ponder what, if anything, has changed in this tweaked version of Europe’s premier club competition.

You could forgive Francois Louw if his last trip to Leinster caused him to wonder whether he had made a mistake in moving to Bath.

And it's bloody adorable.

Speak to people close to Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson or George Ford and they all talk of ‘wow moments’.