Ian Keatley is under no illusions of the task ahead in his first Heineken Cup start at out-half in Thomond Park tomorrow afternoon.

Rory Best has urged Ulster to use the pain of a crushing Heineken Cup final defeat as motivation for next season's tournament.

Leinster 42 Ulster 14

New Zealander Brad Thorn could create rugby history in tomorrow’s Heineken Cup final between Leinster and Ulster at Twickenham.

Ireland head coach Declan Kidney has thrown down the gauntlet to Saturday’s Heineken Cup finalists on the fringes of the Test side to prove they are worth a place on next month’s tour to New Zealand.

The Ireland Management has today announced the squad for the summer tour game against the Barbarians in Gloucester on May 29.

The sight of Glasgow’s players doing a lap of honour in the wake of defeat in Saturday’s RaboDirect PRO12 play-off captured perfectly the fact this was a game where they had everything to gain and Leinster everything to lose.

London Irish have confirmed the signing of fly-half Ian Humphreys from this season’s Heineken Cup finalists Ulster.

ALL rational thinking suggests that only the Thomond Park factor can save Munster from a second Heineken Cup defeat at the venue when Northampton Saints come calling on Saturday.

THE government is asking the country’s three biggest sporting bodies to cough up the bulk of the finance needed to construct the first phase of the National Sports Campus on Dublin’s northside.

The victorious Leinster Rugby team arrived back at Dublin airport in the early hours of this morning to a rapturous welcome from fans.

Leinster centre Brian O’Driscoll revealed some “inspirational” words from man-of-the-match Jonathan Sexton helped men in blue turn the Heineken Cup final on its head as they beat Northampton 33-22 in Cardiff.

FRENCH referee Romain Poite has been handed the whistle for Leinster’s Heineken Cup final against Northampton Saints at the Millennium Stadium on May 21.

Northampton 23 Perpignan 7

HEINEKEN CUP FINAL: Biarritz v Toulouse (Stade de France, 5pm)

BIARRITZ centre Damien Traille has lost his battle to be fit for the Heineken Cup final after failing to recover in time from a fractured forearm.

They’ve been one of France’s most successful club sides over the last decade yet what Biarritz Olympique truly crave is some European silverware, argues Ian Moriarty in Biarritz

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL yesterday admitted his squad felt ‘disappointed and deflated’ after the Republic of Ireland’s controversial World Cup play-off defeat to France on Wednesday night.

STEVE MEEHAN admits it will take “a really good effort” for Bath to reach this season’s Heineken Cup quarter-finals following their shattering defeat against French giants Stade Francais.

Shane Jennings accepts “the whole of Ireland” will probably rank Leinster as underdogs in tomorrow’s Heineken Cup semi-final showdown against holders Munster.

Alan Gaffney has urged Saracens to seize their moment in tomorrow’s Heineken Cup semi-final showdown against Munster.

INTERNATIONAL Rugby Board chief Dr Syd Millar has delivered an upbeat verdict on the Heineken Cup’s future.

LEICESTER boss Pat Howard has dismissed the Tigers’ Guinness Premiership demolition of Wasps as an irrelevance when it comes to their European showdown at Twickenham next month.

Biarritz 19 Munster 23

Munster star Ronan O’Gara has rejected notions of French champions Biarritz being a dour and uninspiring team as the sides prepare for a Heineken Cup final showdown in Cardiff tomorrow.

Munster centre John Kelly expects Leinster to provide the twice-Heineken Cup finalists with a Herculean challenge at Lansdowne Road tomorrow.

French giants and reigning European champions Toulouse are braced to meet Wasps’ power game head-on in the Heineken Cup final at Twickenham this weekend.

English champions Wasps are ready for the biggest game in their history on Sunday as they chase European rugby’s ultimate knockout prize.

CHRIS WHITE will referee the Heineken Cup final between Perpignan and Toulouse at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, on May 24.

There are no plans to switch the Heineken Cup final from Dublin’s Lansdowne Road – even though it involves two French teams.

Leicester meet Munster in the Heineken Cup final in Cardiff next month after a dramatic win over Llanelli in Nottingham.

Gregor Townsend looks to have played his last big game for Castres following the French club’s Heineken Cup semi-final demise against Munster in Beziers.

Irish international Peter Clohessy has made an amazing recovery from burns to take his place in the Munster line up for tomorrow’s Heineken Cup semi-final against French club Castres in Beziers.