Ian McKinley said that heading to Japan with Italy next month, 10 years after featuring there for Ireland in the Junior World Cup, would circle a remarkable rugby journey.

Ireland U20s coach Noel McNamara insists his full focus is on the upcoming Junior World Cup despite suggestions that he could be a possible candidate for a role with Munster under Johann van Graan.

Ireland Under-20 captain Charlie Ryan vowed his team will take the momentum from sealing Six Nations Grand Slam glory into this summer’s World Rugby Under-20 Championship.

The prospect of an Irish U20s jersey must have seemed a distant dream to a 16-year-old Tom O’Toole, as he looked out the window of Campbell College, in Belfast, on his first night at the school, and thought about the family he had left 10,000 miles behind, in Australia.

It’s the job of the Ireland U20s coach to push and prod the players of tomorrow further down the development line but Noel McNamara found himself talking about one from the past yesterday.

Alex Wootton needs no encouragement to grab his chance to impress Munster’s new head coach Johann van Graan and if he continues his current try-scoring run, he will soon find himself in pole position for a Champions Cup wing berth.

The Irish U21 women’s side had their status in the top tier of European competition assured thanks to an EHF executive board decision this week which keeps alive their hopes of playing in the 2020 Junior World Cup.

“Once the scrum goes unopposed it’s like a game of rugby league. I’m an old fashioned boy from the Welsh coal-mining towns so the scrum was the platform and that differentiated the game more than anything. I would like to see a directive that you’d have two specialist props and a hooker on the bench.”

Fears that Munster fly-half Johnny Holland’s career was in jeopardy were confirmed yesterday when the province announced the 25-year-old had been forced to retire with immediate effect.

After the sobering sight of four World Cup semi-finalists coming from the southern hemisphere, last weekend offered a glimmer of hope for European rugby. The question now is, was it an aberration or a line in the sand?

There are few more stunning backdrops to an international rugby stadium than the one that greets you on your arrival at Newlands Stadium. Nestled to the rear of the imposing, rugged features that define Table Mountain, it sets the scene perfectly for what lies ahead. This is South Africa, this is Springbok rugby.

January 2015. Nigel Carolan is sitting in the Bective Rangers clubhouse at Donnybrook Stadium explaining his coaching philosophy before the upcoming Six Nations campaign that will be his first in charge and it is a recipe few supporters would refuse.

Connacht Academy players Sean O’Brien and Peter Robb have secured senior contracts with the province.

When Ulster coach Neil Doak named 33 players in his matchday panel for tonight’s friendly with Leinster (7.30pm), he said he was throwing down a challenge in his squad.

Francis Saili, Munster’s big name signing from Auckland, is set to make his first appearance in the red jersey in Friday’s friendly against Connacht at Thomond Park.

Warren Gatland rarely fails to take an opportunity to rile Ireland and even before a so-called warm-up game — and the mischievous side in him could still play a trick or two on Wales’ rivals.

Isa Nacewa has failed in his attempt to bring ‘the next Joe Schmidt’ to Leinster.

An exact return date remains unclear, but the signs are that Cian Healy will not just make the Rugby World Cup but that the powerful prop will feature in the warm-up clashes.

Irish rugby was relatively slow to cotton onto the benefits accrued from assimilating players with southern hemisphere backgrounds into the national team, but that process has belatedly taken hold in recent years.

It hasn’t been the greatest few months for Ireland’s batch of indigenous coaches, what with the struggles of Anthony Foley’s Munster and Neil Doak’s Ulster, but Nigel Carolan hopes to change that trend.

More misery for Munster with the selection of just four of their players on Nigel Carolan’s expanded Ireland squad of 30 for the U20 Six Nations.

Munster’s personnel issues in midfield have prompted the signing of the young and inexperienced South African centre Pat Howard on a three-month contract from Western Province.

Still only 21, Serfontein has already established a reputation as something of a dump truck.

Temperatures in Johannesburg are expected to reach 26 degrees this week.

Mike Ruddock is to step down from his role as Ireland Under 20 head coach, the IRFU has said in a statement.

The debate rages from day to day, week to week, month to month... Ian Keatley or JJ Hanrahan at out-half for Munster? It puts those of us old enough to remember in mind of the Ollie Campbell-Tony Ward argument back in the 1980s.

Ireland’s most-capped hooker, Rory Best, will be back in familiar territory when he captains Ulster against Italian side Zebre this evening at a packed Kingspan Stadium.

Munster’s new coaching ticket won’t be introducing an "all singing, all dancing" brand of rugby, new assistant coach Brian Walsh says.

Munster Sevens coach Colm McMahon is banking on his players’ enthusiasm to make up for any lack of experience when the province hosts the Limerick World Club Sevens tournament at Thomond Park this weekend.

Although Ireland’s rugby management team dare not look too far ahead, things appear to be settling nicely into place in advance of the 2015 World Cup in England.

England 42 Ireland 15

INTERNATIONAL TEST:

Ireland U20 assistant coach Grieg Oliver is hopeful centre Dan Goggin will recover from a rib injury in time for their Junior World Cup semi-final on Sunday.

U20 WORLD CUP:

The fastest try in rugby history was scored today by 19-year-old Welshman Dafydd Howells.

Mike Ruddock has lauded the Irish professional rugby model as being close to perfection and predicts there is ‘more to come’ as Joe Schmidt’s side bid to claim more silverware.

U20 SIX NATIONS: