There will be a time, hopefully in the not too distant future when rugby’s administrators will look back on the decision to shut down their sport due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic as the easy part, writes Simon Lewis.

Should Saracens lose the points for their win over Racing, Munster would be deemed to finish second in Pool 4, however it would be Glasgow Warriors who would be next in line to take their quarter-final place as the next-best runners-up.

Munster team doctor Jamie Kearns has been hit with a €2,000 fine after he faced a misconduct complaint for verbally abusing Saracens player Jamie George in a Heineken Champions Cup match on December 14.

Dr Kearns faces a charge of bringing the game and the competition into disrepute for alleged comments towards Jamie George during the course of this match.

Ulster will be without Will Addison for their back-to-back Heineken Champions Cup games with Harlequins.

It’s not often that you’d find yourself sympathising with sports bodies.

Three Leinster players are in the running for the European player of the year award.

In a statement, European Professional Club Rugby said: “EPCR does not condone the entry of a spectator to the field of play.

Former Ireland team manager Michael Kearney has been appointed to the board of European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR).

Five years on from the acrimonious restructuring of the European Champions Cup, the tournament’s new organisers, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) have finally stumbled across what appears to be the best balance between the old Heineken Cup, as driven by the Dublin based European Rugby Cup (ERC), and the new entity.

Officials from England and France sold visions of a bright new order, when they took a wrecking ball to the Heineken Cup, writes Brendan O’Brien

The last free-to-air European Cup game broadcast in Ireland was Munster’s 2006 final victory over Biarritz.

The European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) officials, including board chairman and former England international Simon Halliday, congregated in the tunnel outside the palatial dressing rooms at the U Arena and had every reason to be pleased with themselves.

“These are people who sell morality when they do not have it.”

France centre Mathieu Bastareaud has apologised after being cited for appearing to direct homophobic abuse at a Benetton player during Toulon’s 36-0 European Champions Cup win.

A war of words has erupted between Clermont and Champions Cup organisers over the handling of their aborted European clash with Saracens.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) have launched an inquiry into Munster’s handling of a head injury to Conor Murray during Saturday’s Champions Cup win over Glasgow Warriors.

Champions Cup boss Vincent Gaillard may be French but he does not want to see European rugby’s premier club competition dominated by clubs from the Top 14 or England’s Aviva Premiership.

Saracens winger Chris Ashton has been ruled out of England’s entire RBS Six Nations campaign after being handed a 10-week suspension.

European Championship and Challenge Cup ties postponed over the past fortnight are unlikely to be played in midweek following discussions between clubs involved in all three participating leagues, the Aviva Premiership, Guinness Pro12 and French Top 14, and a favoured date would now appear to be the weekend of January 2/3.

Bath say they are desperate to play their postponed European Champions Cup game with Toulon but have warned tournament organisers they are risking player safety if it takes place in midweek.

Ulster’s Team Manager, Bryn Cunningham, has backed the decision of tournament organisers to postpone the Champions Cup clash with Oyonnax on Saturday, following the tragic events in Paris on Friday night.

Saracens encountered few problems as they launched their European Champions Cup campaign with an emphatic victory over French heavyweights Toulouse at Allianz Park.

Irish attempts to reclaim the country’s place at the summit of European club rugby next season look like becoming even more difficult if the news from France that Marseille is being lined up to host the 2016 Champions Cup final rings true.

Former New Zealand lock Brad Thorn is retiring at the end of the season following a glittering 21-year career in which won the biggest prizes in rugby league and union.

The wind-up costs of the Dublin based company that oversaw the runaway success of the Heineken Cup are to total over €3.83m.

News last week the appointment of a chairman and a director general have had to be put on hold for the time being offered a timely reminder of the difficulties faced in satisfying the diverse interests of the stakeholders on the board of European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), says Donal Lenihan.

Ashley Johnson believes the current Wasps side are ready to move out of the shadow of Lawrence Dallaglio — starting against Leinster at ‘fortress’ Ricoh Arena on Saturday.

European rugby bosses have confirmed internal wrangling and moving competition headquarters from Dublin to Switzerland could delay the appointment of a figurehead chairman for the revamped continental game by five months.

England international Delon Armitage has been described as "an habitual offender" with "an appalling disciplinary record" in the written judgement of his latest appearance before rugby union disciplinary chiefs.

Toulon’s former Leicester prop Martin Castrogiovanni has received a suspended four-match ban after he admitted a misconduct complaint, European Professional Club Rugby has announced.

Harlequins second row Charlie Matthews could be handed a lengthy ban after he was cited for allegedly making contact with the eye area of Leinster flanker Dominic Ryan during Saturday’s European Champions Cup match at the Aviva Stadium.

Munster Rugby are urging fans to give themselves plenty of time to get to this evening’s Champions Cup pool clash with Saracens at Thomond Park as roadworks continue to disrupt travel between Cork and Limerick.