Manoeuvring a 55-person touring party and more than 10 tonnes of equipment around Japan for a month-and-a-half through half a dozen transfers is not many people’s idea of time well spent but Ger Carmody would not have it any other way.

Tadhg Furlong was a rookie prop at the last World Cup, not only a blossoming tighthead but also covering the loosehead side of the front row.

IRFU Performance Director David Nucifora backed Johann van Graan as the right man to take Munster forward and pledged to surround the head coach with experience and support in the province’s new-look backroom staff.

It is a measure of the quality in play at tomorrow’s Heineken Champions Cup final that there is so much mutual respect between the two teams, respect borne out of the shared experience of a successful British & Irish Lions tour two summers ago.

What Munster Rugby’s latest Hall of Fame inductee would have given to have played more than 100 times for his province.

Ulster and Ireland captain Rory Best has confirmed that he will retire from professional rugby when his contract expires after the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Saracens would have hoped for a quieter week than the one just gone but Maro Itoje, for one, is aiming to block out the outside noise against old foes Munster in the Champions Cup semi-final on Saturday in Coventry.

Ulster have announced that Leinster loose-head Jack McGrath will join the province in the summer.

Shaun Edwards is irreplaceable in the Wales set-up after another master class from the defence guru put Warren Gatland’s side on the brink of a Six Nations Grand Slam.

Peter O’Mahony’s pain as he rose from the bench to celebrate Ireland’s victory was as excruciating as the preceding minutes had been for those in the Aviva Stadium to watch on Saturday night.

Donncha O’Callaghan is hoping he can boost the work of Unicef Ireland by donating all the monies raised by a Testimonial Gala Ball in his honour in November to the organisation he has long served as an ambassador.

Conor Murray has insisted the Ireland squad’s minds could not be further from the beach as they turn their focus towards Saturday’s series decider with Australia.

Michael Cheika still adores Johnny Sexton and the Leinster veterans he coached to a Heineken Cup victory in 2009 but the love-in with a player he calls “the maestro” will have to go on hold tomorrow as Australia attempt to close out their Test series with Ireland.

 

Andy Farrell is hoping the pain of defeat to Australia will reveal the size of Ireland’s heart for the battles ahead on this tour Down Under.

Joe Schmidt described choosing the 32 players he will take to Australia next month as the most difficult process of his tenure as Ireland head coach but it is clear he has selected a squad with a series victory over the Wallabies at the top of his priority list.

Everything may be rosy at Toulon following a 49-0 win over Clermont, but as they prepare to storm Thomond Park tomorrow, All Black Malakai Fekitoa has warned his superstar team-mates to expect a different challenge altogether from Munster.

Ireland’s bid for Grand Slam glory sees them travel to Twickenham on Saturday for their Six Nations finale with England.

Johnny Sexton will be teeing the ball up at the Aviva Stadium this morning, working away with skills coach Richie Murphy on his day off to keep his kicking routine ticking over as the countdown to Twickenham continues.

Peter O’Mahony hates playing against him when Munster face old rivals Leinster but that is what makes Dan Leavy such a delight to play alongside when the flankers combine in the green jersey of Ireland.

It may have escaped many people’s notice that, as word emerged yesterday of Jamie Heaslip’s decision to retire from the game he had graced at the highest level for a decade, the Scarlets were announcing the end of another rugby career.

Andy Farrell gave a revealing insight into what makes him tick, as Ireland get ready to face NatWest 6 Nations rivals Wales on Saturday.

Joe Schmidt has praised Chris Farrell’s all-round game and form in confirming the Munster centre is at the head of the queue to replace Robbie Henshaw in Ireland’s midfield to face Wales in Dublin on February 24.

Jack McGrath is back in a good place, enjoying his rugby once more and grateful for another opportunity to prove his worth to the Ireland cause.

Conor Murray is already acknowledged as being a breed apart in terms of his scrum-half play but the Munster and Ireland number nine is fast becoming a rugby man of remarkable talents.

The relief around Munster was palpable yesterday as the IRFU confirmed CJ Stander had followed Peter O’Mahony in signing a new three-year contract to keep him at the province until at least the summer of 2021.

Joe Schmidt was under no illusions as he surveyed the fast-approaching 2018 Six Nations Championship.

The Munster squad returns to training today ahead of the Guinness PRO14 trip to Italy to face Zebre in 11 days, while the province’s medical staff have received a fresh influx of injured Ireland players.

Bundee Aki and Darren Sweetnam stand poised to complete very different but equally demanding journeys into Test rugby when they pull on an Ireland jersey in Dublin tomorrow evening.

Ireland’s back row for Saturday’s Guinness Series opener against South Africa appears to be cut and dried after forwards coach Simon Easterby revealed Tommy O’Donnell, Dan Leavy, and Jack Conan had all missed some training this week.

His boss may be treating Saturday’s clash with Leinster as a tune-up for the Champions Cup pool games which follow, but Niall Scannell is not giving either Castres or Racing 92 a second thought when there are interprovincial foes to battle.

Reports linking Munster and Ireland wing Simon Zebo with a move to France next summer offer a timely reminder that the annual contracts circus for players is already in full swing.

It says much about the character of Colin Meads that when he unveiled a bronze statue of himself in his hometown of Te Kuiti earlier this summer, the All Black legend felt the need to apologise to the large crowd that had gathered in tribute to him.

It took a while in coming, but this was a more than decent start to the new Guinness Pro14 season for Leo Cullen’s Leinster as they emerged deserved winners over the Dragons.

The dawn of a new era is upon us as the expanded, Springbok-tinged Guinness Pro14 kicks off tonight in Belfast but at the same time in Cork it is the departure of South African talent that will, alas, mark the opening weeks of the fledgling league campaign.

New Zealand have appealed against how Sonny Bill Williams' suspension is applied following his dismissal against the British and Irish Lions.

The frustration for Warren Gatland was already beginning to subside the morning after the night before the draw.

The Lions have drawn with New Zealand in a dramatic deciding test.