Rassie Erasmus' Munster have been drawn against their old mate Ronan O'Gara and his Racing 92 outfit in the Champions Cup 2017/18 group stages.

Leinster’s South African star Zane Kirchner says Ruan Pienaar has been left “heartbroken” by the IRFU decision to block Ulster’s plans to re-sign the star.

For Munster supporters there is every reason to feel like the Grinch coming up to Christmas. Last Saturday’s Thomond Park defeat to Leicester Tigers made sure of that, writes Simon Lewis.

Racing Metro 13 ASM Clermont Auvergne 13: Johnny Sexton expressed his bemusement with the French Top 14 countdown clock for goal-kicking after he was penalised for taking too long over a penalty in Racing Metro’s drawn league game with Clermont.

The big guns are back from Ireland duty, Thomond Park is a sell-out and Munster fans are finally getting the Saturday evening European blockbuster they have craved.

Potentially seismic back-to-back clashes with Clermont Auvergne await Munster in December after the fixtures for the new European Rugby Champions Cup were confirmed yesterday.

It may be the Rugby Champions Cup now, but the inaugural pool draw for the new competition will have elicited reactions that are all too familiar from the days when the tournament was known as the Heineken Cup.

The ERC have set the times and dates for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals in April.

Four Irish players have been included on the longlist for the ERC European Player of the Year award for 2014.

HEINEKEN CUP POOL ONE:

Will Gloucester’s rotation policy come back to bite them?

Racing Metro 13 ASM Clermont Auvergne 9

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt admits he is worried about his players following Jonathan Sexton to France but has questioned whether his star forwards would want to sign up for the grind of French Top 14 rugby.

Leinster coach Matt O’Connor is confident Jamie Heaslip and Sean O’Brien will not follow in Jonathan Sexton’s footsteps and swap their home province for the Top 14.

ASM Clermont Auvergne 15 Toulon 16

It may be an all-French affair when ASM Clermont Auvergne and Toulon clash at the Aviva Stadium this evening in the 18th Heineken Cup final, but there will be no escaping an Irish tinge to events in Dublin.

As impressive as he has been since he took the Leinster job three seasons ago, Joe Schmidt strode into the Ireland hot seat with the aim of ushering in an era of new hope for the national team.

Booed like a B-movie villain at the Saturday morning picture show, and embraced by old foes at the end of the reel come Saturday evening, Paul O’Connell got through another indefatigable 80 minutes at rugby’s highest level to end what must have been a trying two weeks for the Munster icon.

It was around midnight on Saturday when the first of the cars, horns blaring and flags flying, pulled off the A75 and headed towards the centre of Clermont-Ferrand.

If Ronan O’Gara still has some sleeping to do on the matter of his plans for next season, Munster head coach Rob Penney must be praying that the fly-half’s dreams are all of his glory days in red.

Heineken Cup semi-final

Munster head coach Rob Penney revealed last night that he believes Ronan O’Gara will have a pivotal role to play if the two-time Heineken Cup champions are to upset the odds and beat ASM Clermont Auvergne in Montpellier today.

Munster centre believes he can get his team on the front foot against Clermont

Munster head coach Rob Penney has reignited the war of words with Leinster counterpart Joe Schmidt regarding Paul O’Connell’s accidental kick to Dave Kearney’s head 11 days ago.

Munster Rugby and the IRFU were both maintaining a dignified silence last night following accusations in a French newspaper that pressure had been applied to avoid Paul O’Connell being cited for the alleged striking of Leinster’s Dave Kearney.

Harlequins 12 Munster 18

Clermont Auvergne 36 Montpellier 14

Jonathan Sexton may not be the only big name to walk out on the boys in blue

Connacht have announced the signing of lock Aly Muldowney on a three-year contract from Aviva Premiership club Exeter.

Munster sensation Simon Zebo, inset, and Ulster’s Rory Best are the only Irish players in contention for the ERC European Player of the Year Award.

Earning a home tie in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals is a massive advantage — just one in four of all the last-eight matches have been won by the away team.

Connacht’s search for Eric Elwood’s successor looks to have been reduced by one after former Ospreys coach Sean Holley said he has turned the western province down.

The Leinster management have received a boost with the news that several key players look set to return to the fray ahead of the province’s RaboDirect PRO12 showdown with Edinburgh in Murrayfield on Friday night (7.35pm).

Leinster could be set for the perfect new year tonic after head coach Joe Schmidt revealed Brian O’Driscoll, Rob Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald could all return to action on January 4.

The Leinster medical team report no major injury concerns after Saturday night’s bonus point victory over Zebre ahead of Sunday afternoon's Round 3 Heineken Cup clash away to ASM Clermont Auvergne in Stade Marcel Michelin (4pm local time).

Ask a Kiwi, Aussie or Springbok to talk about Ireland and the response is guaranteed to mention Brian O’Driscoll and/or that hoary old nod to passion. Beyond that, the well of platitudes tends to dry up.

Having ruled out any imminent possibility of succeeding Declan Kidney at Ireland, Leinster head coach Joe Schmidt signed a one-year contract extension that will see the New Zealander remain with the European champions until the end of the 2013/’14 campaign.

Leinster Rugby has today announced that coach Joe Schmidt has signed a one-year extension to his deal and will remain with the province until the end of the 2013/14 campaign.

Leinster Rugby will open their bid for an historic three Heineken Cup titles in a row with a home match against tournament newcomers Exeter Chiefs at the RDS on Saturday, October 13, it was announced today.

The pool draw has today been made for the 2012/13 Henieken Cup.

The Leinster squad trained in UCD this afternoon ahead of Saturday night’s RaboDirect PRO12 play off visit of Glasgow Warriors to the RDS (KO: 7.35pm).