Connacht centre Dave McSharry has been forced to retire from professional rugby due to a concussion injury.

Munster Rugby’s poor performances and falling attendances have seen its annual deficit forecast soar to almost €1.95 million for the soon-to-end financial year.

Joe Schmidt will unveil his new captain tomorrow as he names the squad he hopes can get Ireland’s bid for a third successive RBS 6 Nations title off to a flying start.

This time 12 months ago Jack Conan’s focus hardly strayed further than earning a second provincial cap.

Johne Murphy will decide on his post-Munster future in the next week.

James Cronin and Stephen Archer will get their opportunity to show national coach Joe Schmidt that they can be relied upon for the World Cup after both Munster props were selected for the Emerging Ireland squad.

Johnny Sexton will put his black eye and facial stitches in the firing line in Paris tonight as he bids to clock up some more game time ahead of Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations showdown with England in eight days. 

Tommy Bowe believes Ireland’s heartbreaking defeat to New Zealand has inadvertently brought the feelgood factor into Irish rugby.

Andrew Conway was regarded one of the country’s finest ever schoolboy players and a star of the future when he left Blackrock College in 2009 with Leinster Schools Senior and Junior Cup medals among his possessions.

Joe Schmidt effectively called tomorrow’s clash with France a must-win game for Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations title hopes and that tells you all you need to know about his selection decisions.

Guinness Pro12: In the absence of their big name international stars, Leinster’s side for Sunday’s Guinness Pro12 tie against Newport Gwent Dragons at the RDS will have an unfamiliar look to it.

If there was one bum note that accompanied Ireland’s comprehensive Six Nations opener in Rome last week, then it was the camera shots of Sean O’Brien sitting glum-faced in the Stadio Olimpico stands as the Italy game passed him by.

England appear to have stumbled on the missing ingredient of a cutting edge that has eluded them for years.

RBS Six Nations: Italy v Ireland: A fit and functioning Conor Murray holds the key to a successful start to Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations title defence in Rome today.

Joe Schmidt has rolled the dice for tomorrow’s RBS 6 Nations opener in Italy as his Ireland squad begins its title defence at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

Mike Ross makes no bones about it: He feared his Ireland career was over.

“We certainly didn’t necessarily see Sean (O’Brien) starting this week but we felt he did well in the Wolfhounds game.“

Joe Schmidt has declared his confidence in Munster out-half Ian Keatley, who will wear the number ten jersey for Ireland against Italy on Saturday.

The week before the first Six Nations games is fertile ground for cliches, says Brendan O’Brien.

Conor Murray and Jamie Heaslip remain in contention for Ireland ahead of their RBS Six Nations opener in Rome this Saturday.

Joe Schmidt finally had some good news to share as he named a trimmed-down Ireland squad for the first two rounds of the RBS 6 Nations, with first-choice scrum-half Conor Murray expected to be fit to face Italy in Rome on Saturday.

Whatever Dominic Ryan’s personal fortunes regarding a place in Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations squad, the Leinster and Irish Wolfhounds back-rower was clear there would be plenty to work on ahead of Saturday’s championship opener in Italy.

The Ireland coaching staff has named a 38 player squad for the first two rounds of the RBS 6 Nations Championship.

’A’ International

Ireland Wolfhounds 9 England Saxons 18

Forget the two operations on the same shoulder. Forget the infection. The months out of the game and in rehab. The elongating list of injuries on his CV and the questions over whether he is long for life as a professional rugby player.

Gone are the days when these A internationals were mere consolation prizes for those who missed out on Test caps. Tonight’s clash of Irish Wolfhounds and English Saxons at Musgrave Park represents a full-blown RBS 6 Nations audition, writes Simon Lewis.

Joe Schmidt has challenged Ian Keatley and Ian Madigan to help him not have to pick first-choice fly-half Johnny Sexton once he is cleared to return from a 12-week concussion lay-off.

Ian Madigan endured a tormenting day with the boot for Leinster against Wasps last weekend but the man who knows his kicking abilities best has backed him to bounce back against Italy on Saturday week, says Brendan O’Brien.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt’s options at scrum-half for the RBS 6 Nations are still no clearer after Conor Murray and Eoin Reddan received their first medical assessments from the national team’s medical staff.

The Ireland coaching staff has today named an extended squad of 46 players for the upcoming RBS 6 Nations matches against Italy and France, as well as the Ireland Wolfhounds fixture against the England Saxons.

Cian Healy and Sean O’Brien could kick-start their fight for Six Nations fitness in Ireland Wolfhounds’ clash with England Saxons.

GUINNESS PRO12:

Rugby League: Ireland will be cast in the familiar role of underdogs as they launch their European Championship campaign against France in Dublin today, but this time they are not without hope.

The scale of the task facing Munster’s new centre signing Andrew Smith was made clear yesterday when the man he is set to replace was named in the RaboDirect Pro12 Dream Team for the season about to end.

Conor Murray has welcomed Anthony Foley’s coronation as Munster coach-to-be and believes the core leadership group in place at the province can help the new man bring further success to the province.

Saying ‘yes’ was the easy part, but having fulfilled his ambition to be Munster head coach Anthony Foley will lean on the coaches he faithfully served as he prepares to take charge of his beloved province next season.

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

Eoin Reddan and Luke Fitzgerald could be in line to start for Leinster on Friday night in the Rabo Direct Pro 12.

Munster chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald admits it is “common sense” to install Anthony Foley as a leading contender to succeed Rob Penney as head coach but that the search for the New Zealander’s replacement goes beyond one man.

Johnny Sexton believes he is in much better shape heading into Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations campaign this weekend than he felt before the November Tests following his move to Racing Metro.

The first cut is the deepest.

Jordi Murphy can breathe a sigh of relief.

Joe Schmidt has kept his options open for filling the Ireland back-row vacancy created by injury to Sean O’Brien but has culled wings Simon Zebo and Craig Gilroy from his squad to face Scotland in Sunday’s Six Nations opener.