Trinity are using the visit of Folau’s new club Catalans Dragons in their opening home game to celebrate inclusivity in rugby league by inviting LGBT groups to the game.

Ireland U20s assistant coach Kieran Campbell expects his side to be more ruthless in tonight’s Six Nations second round clash with Wales at Musgrave Park (kick-off 7.15pm).

Six Munster players have signed new contracts with the province, including three academy players who have been promoted to the senior squad.

Johann van Graan has rated fly-half JJ Hanrahan’s chances of facing Racing 92 on Sunday in Paris as 50/50 with the Munster boss preparing to decide between rookie Ben Healy and Rory Scannell as his starting number 10 in the absence of Joey Carbery.

As Joey Carbery and Jacob Stockdale lined up against each other at Ravenhill, it was noted that four years ago, at the time of the 2015 World Cup, neither had made their provincial debuts.

Simon Zebo and Donnacha Ryan will remain central to Racing 92’s bid to strengthen their grip on Pool 4 when they start for the Parisians at home to Ospreys tonight.

Leo Cullen makes nine changes to the Leinster team which edged past Zebre 3-0 for tomorrow's game against the Dragons.

Fergus McFadden, who suffered an elbow injury in training, is unlikely to make the European clash with Benetton on November 16

Quirke was last night ratified as Laois football manager, with Horan heading up an impressive backroom team.

Munster GAA chiefs want to remove the possibility of a penalty shoot-out at the end of next year’s Munster minor finals, with one Cork official proposing a “more humane” approach to deciding games — which involve teenagers — on the day.

Five-try Connacht picked up their second bonus-point victory in a week as Andy Friend’s side overwhelmed Dragons at Rodney Parade.

The new PRO14 campaign may be in its infancy but for the Cheetahs their clash with Munster this evening kick-off 5.15pm) has a real end-of-season feel to it in Bloemfontein.

Andy Friend has knocked down a few barriers since arriving in Galway 15 months ago, and this evening (kick-off 7.35pm) hopes to win in Wales for the first time since he took charge of Connacht.

Dave Kearney returns for defending champions Leinster for their Guinness PRO14 clash with Edinburgh at the RDS tomorrow evening.

Munster back row Jack O’Donoghue knows there will be a tougher test at altitude next week in Bloemfontein but insists they also have their work cut out to deal with the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth today.

Munster have made four changes to their team for the Guinness Pro14 clash against Southern Kings.

Following three promotions in just five seasons, Cork side Highfield are set for a huge leap forward when they begin their All-Ireland Division 1B campaign against Malone at Woodleigh Park tomorrow afternoon.

Munster head coach Johann van Graan knows all there is to know about South Africa’s major domestic competition, the Currie Cup. Given that the Cheetahs — one of his side’s two Guinness PRO14 opponents over the next fortnight — were recently crowned champions of the 130-year-old tournament, he is aware of the challenge awaiting his team.

It mightn’t have been a performance to set the pulses racing but Munster still got the new campaign off to a five-try, bonus point start by hammering the hapless Dragons - even without a dozen of their World Cup-tied players on duty in Japan.

Dragons new head coach Dean Ryan has described this afternoon’s Guinness PRO14 visit to Thomond Park as “a massive challenge”. His forwards coach, Ceri Jones, went a stage further in calling it “the acid test”.

With 15 players away with the Ireland team as World Cup preparations intensify, Munster front row forward Stephen Archer says there is a great opportunity for the province’s young stars to stand up and be counted.

It was just one week before South Africa played Ireland in Aviva Stadium in November 2017 that Rassie Erasmus bid an emotional farewell to Munster.

In Australia's National Rugby League a number of dubious decisions have meant that they are considering bringing in HawkEye technology to determine forward passes.

Munster will begin their 2019/20 Pro14 campaign by welcoming the Dragons to Thomond Park while reigning champions Leinster face an away trip to Benetton.

Munster received a tough draw against reigning champions Saracens in next season's Champions Cup pool stages.

Glasgow Warriors “know what not to do” as they prepare for Friday’s PRO14 semi-final visit of Ulster, says assistant coach Jonathan Humphreys.

Even with a 747 at his disposal, Marco Polo would probably have thought twice about rushing to map out Rory Best’s last rugby journey, from Armagh to Yokohama.

Champions Cup spots were up for grabs today.

Number eight Uzair Cassiem scored two tries as Scarlets grabbed the bonus point victory they needed to keep their Guinness PRO14 play-off hopes alive in a 42-0 thrashing of Zebre.

Cheetahs fly-half Tian Schoeman scored 18 points as his side claimed a bonus point win over Dragons in Bloemfontein.

Jack Carty stands alone among Irish goalkickers this season with not even Johnny Sexton able to keep him

Ulster wing Craig Gilroy has revealed the back injury that wrecked his season was so debilitating a few months ago he was struggling to put his socks on.

Four tries from full-back Dan Evans kept Ospreys in contention for Champions Cup qualification with a 29-20 victory over Dragons in Swansea.

Voice of experience Cave nears end of line

CJ Stander is back in the Munster team for tomorrow's Pro 14 match against Zebre at Thomond Park.

For people strolling Lapp’s Quay and Albert Quay in Cork the long boats knifing through the water, crews paddling furiously, are a familiar sight.

Warren Gatland says there is “no doubt” his Six Nations title and Grand Slam-chasing players have been distracted by Welsh rugby’s current domestic situation.

The Ospreys chairman Mike Jones has resigned over the “catastrophic mismanagement” of plans to overhaul Wales' rugby regions.

Ulster moved third in PRO14 Conference B following a 28-15 bonus-point victory over bottom side Dragons in Newport.

Jim Stokes Auckland-born Sean Reidy makes his 100th appearance for Ulster tomorrow against the Dragons at Rodney Parade - the same opponents he faced when making his debut five years ago.

If the Cheetahs thought they might get an easy run out against Leinster during the Six Nations, the South Africans were sadly mistaken.

It is little surprise to hear Ulster’s Peter Nelson admitting he is really enjoying his rugby.

Ulster have been given a boost ahead of their PRO14 encounter against Ospreys with the return of Iain Henderson from injury.

Even though he’s between coaching jobs after parting ways with the Dragons, Bernard Jackman is still a man in demand at home and abroad, writes Kieran Shannon