Leinster have enjoyed some great days at the expense of Northampton Saints but Leo Cullen has learned to approach games against the English club with his eyes open and on full alert.

Brian Ashton was a prophet in a land that couldn’t understand his message when he took over as Ireland head coach in the 1990s.

Munster’s South African influence looks like deepening still further with reports that World Cup winners — centre Damian de Allende and lock RG Snyman — are to join the province

They may be trying to end each other’s World Cups tomorrow but both Steve Hansen and Joe Schmidt have revealed the camaraderie that exists between the New Zealand and Ireland coaching staffs ahead of their quarter-final at Tokyo Stadium.

Eddie Jones has issued a ‘do-or-die’ call to arms ahead of England’s World Cup battle against Australia.

Forty-five years after making my Ireland debut, 55 years after watching my country play for the first time, I’m struggling to think of a week when we produced back-to-back performances as poor as these.

Some things don't change with the All Blacks. Though they can play rugby with a terrifying beauty, there is a robotic consistency to the way they put opponents to the sword.

The prospect of an Ireland versus South Africa World cup quarter-final remains a possibility after the Springboks did their bit by beating Italy 49-3 in Shizuoka on Friday.

And they say lightning doesn’t strike twice? That’s consecutive World Cups in which Japan has produced the seismic moment of the tournament.

TOKYO — The funny thing about World Cups is that they help the All Blacks find their inner Zen.

An emotional Eddie Jones choked back the tears as he reflected on what it meant to guide England into the 2019 World Cup.

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Brian O’Driscoll believes Ireland can back up their World No.1 ranking by winning the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Brian O’Driscoll could probably relate to some of the thoughts swirling around Rory Best’s head right now.

Eir sport has unveiled a "new and fresh" looking Rugby World Cup team of experts, with Gordon D’Arcy, Peter Stringer and Jerry Flannery fronting studio analysis for Japan in the autumn.

Summertime and the living is easy. Chance would be a fine thing.

As expected, Ireland have overcome Gibraltar thanks to an own goal and a late Robert Brady strike. Ger McCarthy runs the rule over the lessons learned.

Monika Dukarska is a member of Ireland’s elite rowing squad and bidding to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the women’s pairs.

Ireland’s world champion sculler Sanita Puspure demonstrated the age-old funding quandry faced by elite Irish athletes at the announcement of Kinetica’s major new sponsorship of Rowing Ireland yesterday.

Johann van Graan has hinted any additions to his coaching team will have an emphasis on bolstering Munster’s attacking threat.

Mick McCarthy arches his eyebrows the way he does when a question comes from a bit out of left-field.

The medals won by Irish riders at the Track Cycling World Cup in Pruszkow last week were impressive by any standards.

Here's your morning bulletin.

Some people say TV has ruined sport but there’s a strong case to argue that the opposite is true, writes Brendan O'Brien

“I don’t think there’s another Joe out there,” says Ronan O’Gara, when guided toward the topic of life after Joe Schmidt.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has claimed England have nothing to fear against Columbia and has backed them to get to the semi-finals.

Germany 2 Sweden 1

Do you remember the first time?

Interviewing Michael Owen, in Dublin last Sunday, the talk was always going to be dominated by his old club, Liverpool, and their latest quest for European glory, writes Liam Mackey.

Kieran Shannon examines what makes Joe Schmidt tick... and keep Ireland’s engine motoring

Gavin Hastings fears Scotland could suffer a Leinster-inspired hammering from Ireland at Lansdowne Road on Saturday.

Craig Fulton has expressed frustration that little movement has been made to support Irish athletes – both from hockey and beyond – who work full-time in addition to representing their country.

Martin O’Neill last night confirmed he has agreed a new contract to stay on as manager of Ireland.

The saying down Munster way used to claim that Superman wore Paul O’Connell pyjamas.

So much for transparency. For all the good intention of overseeing the most open, least questionable bidding process for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, governing body World Rugby is this morning as big a loser as South Africa, whose bid it unanimously recommended on October 31.

World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper has hinted that Ireland’s timing hasn’t been right as the country finds itself ranked behind “two masters of the universe in terms of putting on major world events” in the race to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Frontrunners at breakfast, dirt-trackers by brunch.

SPORT is political, sometimes deeply so. It is a conduit to our higher ambitions. It gives voice to our better angels and, unless corrupted, can distil principle more powerfully than any policy document drowning in caveats or derogations.

Donal Lenihan looks at three key areas the Lions must address.