Leo Cullen wandered back towards the familial bosom of the Leinster dressing room glad to be able to finally stop thinking about rugby, for a couple of weeks at least.

IT WAS James Lowe who voiced what everyone at Leinster must have been thinking last weekend when, with Munster beaten, he suggested that the stars might be aligning for a fairytale ending with today’s Guinness PRO14 final.

Jonathan Sexton and Leo Cullen were deep into the third quarter of yesterday’s pre-match press conference when the conversation spooled back 12 months to Leinster’s Guinness PRO12 semi-final loss to Scarlets.

Nestled at the end of the second paragraph of the IRFU’s official statement on Jamie Heaslip’s retirement was the fact that the Leinster No 8 had appeared 95 times for his country and played the full 80 minutes for 72 of them.

"I’ve been so proud to be part of it all, but every journey sadly must come to an end."

Tommy Bowe says he does not want to end his Ulster career without adding to the Celtic League trophy he won 11 years ago.

Michael Bradley admits it: His Italian isn’t up to much.

Leinster 16 Scarlets 27: And, just like that that, Leinster’s season is over.

The loss of Charles Piutau through injury has been softened by Tommy Bowe’s return to the Ulster side for the first time this season for tonight’s derby with Connacht at the Sportsground.

It’s hard to escape the sense that the time must be now for Ulster.

2001

Regan King is used to leaving defenders not knowing where to look, but Leinster could tonight be forgiven for thinking they were suffering double vision.

Munster rugby supporters face another shock in the next day or two when news of Donncha O’Callaghan’s departure will be made official.

 

For a while there, during the seven years when Irish sides claimed the Heineken Cup five times, there was a tendency to dismiss a Celtic League title as a trifling thing.

Ospreys v Munster

Two of Ulster’s young international hopefuls are preparing themselves for a real Thomond Park battle against Munster.

Ulster's Director of Rugby David Humphreys is leaving the province to take a job at Gloucester, it has been announced.

Leinster 34 Glasgow 12

Rob Penney has given Simon Zebo the all-clear for Munster’s RaboDirect Pro12 semi-final trip to Glasgow on Friday night.

It may be a dead rubber in the eyes of some but for Munster’s Damien Varley, Saturday’s clash with Ulster holds plenty of reasons to put on a show at Thomond Park.

So, that’s that then. It’s 10 months since Jonathan Sexton left the throne vacant with his departure for France, but it was only yesterday with his appearance on Leinster’s team-sheet for tonight did Ian Madigan bend his knee to take possession of the crown.

When Nigel Owens called a halt to Leinster’s tussle with Castres on Sunday, it prompted a pitch invasion that, win or lose, is par for the course in a number of the oldest rugby strongholds in the south of France.

There will be more than just home comfort when Munster return to Thomond Park on Saturday to face inter-provincial rivals Leinster, with James Downey believing the southern province is in a much better place to finally beat their old foes than they were last season.

Departing coach Joe Schmidt hopes to sign off by ending losing streak in RaboDirect Pro12 deciders

RABODIRECT PRO12 SEMI-FINAL:

Munster rugby chiefs are in talks with potential new sponsors ahead of the end of their relationship with Toyota next year.

Tony McGahan welcomed Ronan O’Gara back to Munster squad for the first time in a month ahead of tomorrow night’s RaboDirect Pro12 semi-final at Ospreys but revealed Damien Varley’s injury may be worse than first feared.

Paul O’Connell is a major doubt for Ireland’s summer tour to New Zealand after the Munster captain was ruled out for the next four to six weeks due to a knee injury.

There’s a positive buzz around Connacht rugby at the moment.

Never mind which Irish province will win the Heineken Cup, which of the three Irish coaches still involved in the tournament has the best chance of guiding his side to European glory?

Connacht will view this evening’s Pro12 fixture against Glasgow Warriors at the Galway Sportsground (5.30pm) as a must-win if they want to improve on last season’s league finish.

NIALL RONAN has spent most of his Munster career living in the shadows of David Wallace, begrudgingly accepting of scraps from the master flanker’s table.

Paul O'Connell has signed a new Ireland international contract that will see him remain in Ireland to play his rugby with Munster for a further two seasons until 2014.

MANY elements combine to produce the unique chemistry of a Leinster-Munster fixture and one of the more fascinating in recent years has been the head-to-head rivalry between the province’s out-halves.

Cian Healy has revealed that “insulting” criticism of Ireland’s front row inspired them to develop into one of the World Cup’s strongest units.

WHEN you have captained the British & Irish Lions, you know a leader when you see one. And in this Wales side, Paul O’Connell sees them in places most of us would not expect to look.

WITH a Heineken Cup medal in his back pocket, a Magners League Grand final against his native province to come and the likelihood of a starting spot in the World Cup, things couldn’t be a whole better right now for Mike Ross.

TWO groups of death, two middle of the road and two soft pools for the top seeded teams.