Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

Concussion is a “very hard injury” to deal with because people can’t see any physical symptoms, warns Tipperary hurler and All-Ireland man of the match, Seamus Callanan.

Rob Kearney has opened up on his disastrous 2015/16 season, admitting the drip feed of injuries left him heartbroken and even uncertain as to whether his playing career had found a cul de sac.

BJ Botha and Denis Hurley headlined a list of departing players from Munster as plans for life under incoming director of rugby Rassie Erasmus continue to take shape.

Munster 31 Scarlets 15: Given the trials and tribulations of Munster’s season, there was more than a tinge of irony this five-try victory on the last day of an utterly frustrating campaign had no bearing on the Guinness Pro12 standings.

Munster secured their place in next season's Champions Cup after a hard-fought 31-15 victory over the Scarlets at Thomond Park earned them a sixth-place finish in the Guinness Pro12.

Andrew Trimble was the first player to enter Ulster’s 200-cap club this year and is also their record try-scorer. He has resumed his spot as a regular on the wing for Ireland after injury and is a member of the IRUPA (Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association) executive committee...

Figures released by the Irish Rugby Union Players Association (IRUPA) yesterday indicate as many as eight of their members would not encourage their children to take up the game now or at some point in the future.

Rob Kearney believes player attitudes towards concussion have changed and their voices have to play a vital role in ensuring vulnerable amateurs are educated about brain injuries.

Rob Kearney has confronted the atmosphere of doom and gloom that has descended on Irish rugby in recent weeks and countered talk of players being earmarked for lucrative moves abroad by stressing the benefits of staying loyal to the provinces.

If a member of a sports team takes a knock to the head they should immediately be removed from live play so their wellbeing can be properly assessed, according to the Irish Rugby Players’ Association (IRUPA).

Last week, Tyler Bleyendaal, Munster’s major signing from New Zealand, made his first appearance in the red jersey after dealing with 12 months of deep frustration because of a career-threatening injury. He came through in style.

IRUPA, the representative body of Irish professional rugby players, is hoping a mandatory concussion module will be in place for all players before the start of the season in the wake of a New Zealand study, which revealed 94% of former elite players had sustained at least one concussion.

Rob Kearney has rejected suggestions that Paul O’Connell’s switch from Munster to Toulon will kickstart a trend of senior Ireland internationals ending their careers in the financially flush Top 14.

A 24-hour support helpline for rugby players past and present will be launched tomorrow by Irish Rugby Union Players Association (IRUPA) who are concerned by the results of two recent studies.

I began running because I loved it and because I was pretty good at it.

Whatever mystery remained over the end of Paul O’Connell’s rugby career evaporated last night as the Munster icon and Ireland captain signed a one-year deal with three-time European champions Toulon.

Niall Ronan knows all about preparing for big games and in the context of Kildare hurling, today’s Christy Ring Cup semi-final against Kerry is a huge affair.

Hamish Adams is a New Zealander living and working in Ireland for 15 years. Formerly player services manager with IRUPA, he is now chief executive of Rowing Ireland who have sent a 14-person team to Poznan, Poland for this weekend’s European Rowing Championship.

Paul O’Connell was lifting trophies again last night as the Ireland captain was voted the Hibernia College IRUPA Players’ Player of the Year 2015 by his fellow professionals.

I think a relationship between the player and employer of mutual respect will not only benefit our players but benefit the game. The proof is in the pudding.

As it stands, the provinces enjoy limited access to those players who are regular members of Joe Schmidt’s squad and, though this has been the case for some time now, calls for more flexibility have been louder this year.

It’s as if he’s always been the ideal backup to the stars.

I noted last week that there was a position vacant on the Kilkenny hurling team — that of full-back, given the departure of JJ Delaney into retirement. I think there might be even more significant vacancies in Irish sport, however.

Ireland full-back Rob Kearney believes the swift way in which his new three-year IRFU contract was resolved can only benefit the national team if his team-mates get the same treatment.

Andrew Trimble’s Six Nations-winning campaign with Ireland gained further acclaim last night when he was named Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year 2014.

For about 12 years my life had a routine and every September I would take stock and decide what I wanted for the following 12 months, writes Derval O'Rourke.

Retired Irish athlete Derval O’Rourke has been given the role of player development manager, working with the Munster rugby team.

Louis Ludik, Franco van der Merwe and Wiehahn Herbst will make their debuts for Ulster against Scarlets at Parc Y Scarlets, tomorrow afternoon (kick-off 2.40pm).

Some of the country’s top rugby stars are being trained in how to prevent suicide and raise awareness of mental health issues through a joint initiative between the rugby players association and the charity Console.

Simon Best will become the 14th player to be inducted into the Irish Rugby Union Players Association (IRUPA) Hall of Fame next week.

Marcus Horan enjoyed a phenomenal playing career with Munster and Ireland, winning two Heineken Cups and a Grand Slam. But retiring from professional rugby was something the Clare native didn’t find so easy.

Injured Munster skipper Peter O’Mahony, Leinster lock Devin Toner and Ulster winger Andrew Trimble have been nominated for the Hibernia College IRUPA Player of the Year Award.

Olympic walker Colin Griffin believes Irish athletes need some kind of representative body similar to the GPA (Gaelic Players’ Association).

Your career will last seven to ten years. If you’re lucky. There is a fair chance that you will struggle to adapt to the ‘real world’ once the boots are hung up and then there will quite possibly be physical repercussions too.

The chief executive of the IRFU, Philip Browne, has blasted the sabre-rattling of English and French club rugby chiefs while the future of the Heineken Cup continues to be discussed, describing their contradictory actions as “deplorable”.