I thought my days of accumulating caps finished a long time ago, but not so. Thirty-three years after featuring for the British and Irish Lions as part of the IRB’s centenary celebrations in Cardiff, test recognition yielded just that.

Munster defence coach JP Ferreira is the first to acknowledge that Faf de Klerk and Craig Casey are at contrasting points in their careers but he can think of nobody better than the World Cup winner for the young Limerick scrum-half to follow.

Ireland’s so-called ‘green sweep’ on the opening weekend of the Heineken Champions Cup was always unlikely to be replicated in Round 2 given the quality of the French opposition for the Irish quartet.

In the clamour for football ‘content’ we are now flies on every wall, forever ‘behind the scenes’.

Whatever about losing the World Cup final, English rugby had every right to be feeling good about itself and the future of the game after a successful tournament in Japan — until, of course, they found themselves with a PR nightmare on their hands with revelations about Saracens and their manipulation of the Premiership salary cap.

The prospect of Munster being without Joey Carbery for several weeks has underlined Johann van Graan’s assertion that to win trophies the province will need a squad deep in quality.

Munster’s South African influence looks like deepening still further with reports that World Cup winners — centre Damian de Allende and lock RG Snyman — are to join the province

When the baseball-capped Nelson Mandela danced his famous jig in the No.6 Springbok jersey, Siya Kolisi would not have paid a blind bit of notice.

As if we ever needed reminding, Saturday’s World Cup final highlighted that so much of modern-day sport is played out in the head.

When Nelson Mandela wore a Springbok shirt and cap at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final in Johannesburg he made one of the most powerful statements of forgiveness, unity, inclusion, and healing ever offered.

An hour's drive north of Yokohama, where tomorrow's Rugby World Cup final will be played, lies the Ajinamoto Stadium.

Donal Lenihan outlines where the game will be won and lost.

There is no escaping what the symbolism of Siya Kolisi lifting the Webb Ellis Cup could mean for South Africa, given his well-documented story of poverty to success.

Battered and bruised and ultimately beaten, Wales and Warren Gatland’s World Cup dream ended at the hands of a giant South African outfit for the second successive tournament.

With the cream having risen to the top and the four best sides left standing in the tournament providing two contrasting semi-final shootouts, we are left, with a potentially explosive final with rugby north and south of the equator set for a fascinating head to head.

If the Springboks go on to make the Rugby World Cup final, or… gasp… win the title for a third time next weekend, then they should probably ask for an extra medal or two to be sent to Munster.

This World Cup serves to remind us that previous form or results counts for little. The fact that Ireland had won two of their previous encounters against New Zealand only handed Steve Hansen and his coaching staff a template to beat us when it mattered most.

New Zealand and South Africa have won five of the eight Rugby World Cup titles between them. Ahead of the semi-finals — and a potential NZ v SA final — Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh sat down with Munster duo, Kiwi Alby Mathewson and Springbok Arno Botha, to talk World Cups, Test dreams, beer and chocolate.

Size isn't everything. Even for the Springboks.

It may have taken time to make an impact, but this World Cup has finally captured the interest and imagination of the Japanese public — thanks in no small part to the exploits of their national team.

The prospect of an Ireland versus South Africa World cup quarter-final remains a possibility after the Springboks did their bit by beating Italy 49-3 in Shizuoka on Friday.

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.

Rassie Erasmus tried to play the game.

The scenarios in Pools A and B may already became clearer ahead of Ireland’s kick-off against Scotland yesterday but asking South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus about quarter-final permutations following this defeat was a fool’s errand.

Brendan O’Brien The news that a foreign coach had been co-opted onto the Springboks ticket before leaving for Japan stirred fond memories for Bryan Habana.

This time four years ago, Mike Ross was trying to figure out how to impress his fellow World Cup squad members.

There will be a strange dynamic surrounding Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 semi-final between Leinster and Munster at the RDS. It’s been a difficult ten days for both Irish provinces but for different reasons.

Marcell Coetzee hasn’t given up hope of a late call-up to the South African World Cup squad and hopes his superb form for Ulster will help get him to Japan.

We’ve been down this road before, on seven different occasions now since Paul O’Connell, in tandem with Ronan O’Gara, lifted the Heineken Cup aloft in Cardiff 11 years ago after Munster beat the tournament’s greatest side to that point in a memorable 16-13 win over Toulouse.

Ahead of Saturday's eagerly awaited Heineken Champions Cup semi-final clash between Munster and Saracens we look back at previous titanic clashes between these two old rivals.

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

Cheetahs prop Ox Nche has received an eight-week ban for his head hit on Leinster's Fergus McFadden.

The 23-year-old Springbok was sin binned at the time but referee Nigel Owens decided not to send him off.

Peter O’Mahony is acutely aware of the threat Gloucester pose to Munster’s European quarter-final qualification hopes and the Ireland back-row star is rolling up his sleeves for a tough battle up front at Kingsholm, not least with their Springbok forward Franco Mostert.

Over the years, when their backs were firmly pressed against the wall, Munster always found a way to prevail in Europe, writes Donal Lenihan.

Just when Munster were offered a bit of breathing space with Exeter Chiefs recording an excellent away win over Gloucester at Kingsholm on Friday night, Johann van Graan’s side were unable to take advantage, conspiring to lose an eminently winnable game against Castres, writes Donal Lenihan

Rassie Erasmus will step down from his role as coach of the Springboks after next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Fly-half Billy Burns has come through HIA protocols and will take his place alongside 11 internationals for Ulster’s Pool 4 trip to Scarlets this evening.

Here's your morning bulletin.

Deysel joined Ulster in 2017 following a stint at Munster and made 16 appearances for the northern province.

Peter O’Mahony believes Joey Carbery’s talent and rapid adjustment to life at Munster is helping the young Ireland fly-half quickly get on the same page as his new team-mates.

Jean Kleyn is adamant Munster can hit the ground running in Europe when they open the new Heineken Champions Cup campaign at Exeter Chiefs on Saturday.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has included two uncapped players but made no selection surprises in his squad for this season’s Rugby Championship.