Head coach Dave Rennie will almost certainly leave Glasgow Warriors at the end of this season, most likely to take charge of Australia, although he has also been linked with the New Zealand and Italy jobs. His legacy in Scotland will depend almost entirely on how his team fares in this European Champions Cup campaign, which kicks-off when Sale Sharks visit Scotstoun tomorrow afternoon.

The Irish provincial video analysts will be busily plugging into footage of the French Top 14 ahead of this season’s European Champions Cup. All four representatives have been handed French assignments over the next three months - with Connacht getting a double helping.

Head coach Dave Rennie will almost certainly leave Glasgow Warriors at the end of this season, most likely to take charge of Australia, although he has also been linked with the New Zealand and Italy jobs. His legacy in Scotland will depend almost entirely on how his team fairs in this European Champions Cup campaign, which kicks-off when Sale Sharks visit Scotstoun Saturday afternoon.

Champions Cup spots were up for grabs today.

"Coming to Munster I wanted to become part of the community, and every day I get to experience that sense of belonging with my family and I settled in from the very beginning."

Josh van der Flier’s season looks to be over after confirmation that the Leinster and Ireland flanker has had surgery on a groin injury.

Marcell Coetzee marked his comeback for Ulster with one of their five tries in a 33-19 Guinness PRO14 win over the Southern Kings.

Munster coach Johann van Graan believes that his squad’s recent contract extensions mean that Munster’s hand will be stronger than ever going into tomorrow’s extremely testing clash with the Scarlets in Llanelli and for the remainder of what promises to be an demanding programme of matches in the PRO14 and the European Champions Cup.

The time has come for Ireland rugby to believe the hype and go to Japan this year confident they can and will win the World Cup.

Five years on from the acrimonious restructuring of the European Champions Cup, the tournament’s new organisers, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) have finally stumbled across what appears to be the best balance between the old Heineken Cup, as driven by the Dublin based European Rugby Cup (ERC), and the new entity.

Champions Leinster will begin the new Guinness PRO14 season by tackling Cardiff Blues in the Welsh capital.

The directors of Staid Cois Laoi, the company tasked with running the redeveloped Páirc Uí Chaoimh, will meet in the next fortnight, with Munster rugby games, financial compliance, and naming rights for the stadium expected to feature on the agenda.

To describe this great team of Jim Gavin’s, Ciarán Whelan turns to capital sage Jimmy Rabbitte for inspiration.

TG4 retain some rights, although eir will have exclusive rights to the Leinster-Munster derby matches.

For a certain type of Irish sports fan,European Champions Cup rugby weekends like the one just gone will always be a reminder of when life got that bit more awkward, writes Tommy Martin.

Johann van Graan wasn’t concealing his own personal disappointment and the deep frustration in the Munster camp as players and management reflected on the error-ridden first half hour in Bordeaux on Sunday that condemned the province to yet another semi-final defeat in the European Champions Cup.

Ulster kept their play-off hopes alive after edging past Edinburgh in a breathless encounter at BT Murrayfield.

Munster head coach Johann van Graan has serious concerns about Keith Earls’ fitness as the province prepare for crucial Guinness PRO14 and European Champions Cup games over the next month.

Six Nations Grand Slam hero Keith Earls has joined Munster’s ever-increasing injury list.

Johann van Graan has been delighted at the way Ireland have pieced victory after victory together over the past six weeks and can now complete the Six Nations Grand Slam by beating England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Taulupe Faletau will captain Wales and Scarlets flanker James Davies makes his Test debut in Sunday's NatWest 6 Nations clash against Italy in Cardiff.

Munster coach Johann van Graan is at a loss to understand why his side were able to reap a reasonable return from their away games in the European Champions Cup but are struggling to achieve any degree of consistency from their travels in the Guinness PRO14.

Maro Itoje and Alun Wyn Jones will shift from friends and former room-mates to rivals when England host Wales on Saturday.

Simon Zebo looked his customary cheerful, ebullient self at the University of Limerick yesterday as Munster prepared for Saturday night’s Guinness Pro14 clash with Zebre at Thomond Park.

Wales are hopeful that wing George North will be in the selection mix for Saturday’s NatWest 6 Nations opener against Scotland.

Wasps 26 - Ulster 7: Wasps ended their European Champions Cup group campaign on a winning note with a convincing 26-7 victory over Ulster at the Ricoh Arena.

The Scarlets secured a European Champions Cup quarter-final place as Pool Five winners after toppling Toulon.

For the first time in 15 years Leinster have won all six pool games in the European Champions Cup.

Eddie Jones refuses to believe that Ireland’s national set-up gives them an advantage over his England team.

France centre Mathieu Bastareaud has apologised after being cited for appearing to direct homophobic abuse at a Benetton player during Toulon’s 36-0 European Champions Cup win.

James Haskell was sent off for a dangerous tackle as Wasps collapsed to a dramatic 33-28 defeat by Harlequins that all but ends their European Champions Cup quest.

CJ Stander believes Johann van Graan will have headaches finalising his back-row trio for next Sunday’s all-important European Champions Cup game against Racing 92.

Ulster Director of Rugby Les Kiss could hardly have been more candid in describing his team’s performance when he responded to a post-match query in Galway on Saturday night after his side capitulated to Connacht in the Guinness PRO14.

The key moment, talking point and key man from an intense game at Welford Road.

Anthony Watson scored two sparkling tries in front of England boss Eddie Jones as Bath produced some champagne rugby to down French heavyweights Toulon.

Racing 92 kept alive their European Champions Cup quarter-final hopes by claiming a comfortable Pool Four victory over Castres in Paris.

Montpellier kept themselves in the hunt for the European Champions Cup quarter-finals by making it back-to-back victories over Glasgow with a bonus-point 36-26 win in France.

Former Munster assistant Ian Costello is relishing the chance to further his coaching career with a move to English Premiership big guns Wasps next season.

Leinster are the team to beat, the No. 1 in Europe’s power rankings. And Munster are No. 2, writes Ronan O’Gara.

The England star will undergo further testing to determine his recovery period.

Despite them getting far greater visibility in recent years, the president of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) Sarah Keane has warned that women in sport are “in danger of losing our audience”.

Former international rugby referee David McHugh has launched High Court proceedings against the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) over the governing body's decision to dismiss from his employment.