Andy Farrell has handed Leinster No.8 Caelan Doris a Test debut against Scotland this Saturday at the expense of Peter O’Mahony.

First, the good news for Connacht. Yes, there is some.

Connacht produced a frustrating and sloppy performance on their way to a bonus point victory over Southern Kings in the PRO14 on Saturday.

Bundee Aki celebrated his three-year IRFU contract extension with the opening try in Connacht’s 24-12 Guinness PRO14 win over the Isuzu Southern Kings at the Sportsground.

The IRFU and Connacht Rugby have confirmed that the Ireland international has signed a three-year extension.

Brendan O’Brien Connacht coach Andy Friend has sounded a highly encouraging note on Bundee Aki’s contract situation.

Tom Farrell’s hopes of playing in next year’s Six Nations have been dealt a blow with the Connacht centre set to be sidelined until the New Year with a fractured shoulder.

Connacht coach Andy Friend is hopeful of Bundee Aki committing his future at the Sportsground as he continues to build his squad.

Connacht have been boosted by confirmation Bundee Aki will be available to face Leinster in their first interprovincial game of the season, as well as their return to Champions Cup rugby the following week.

The difference between Ireland and New Zealand can be summed up in a few words after Saturday’s defeat.

Joe Schmidt will ask his team of All Blacks slayers to do it all over again this Saturday as Ireland attempt to win a World Cup quarter-final for the first time in their history.

Cian Healy has praised Bundee Aki’s resilience in the face of a tournament-ending suspension after the centre gave his all in Ireland’s first training session for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand.

No one could know it at the time but Ireland’s relationship with the All Blacks changed irrevocably in November of 2013.

Ireland's bid to overturn Aki's red card sanction proves unsuccessful.

Bundee Aki will head into a disciplinary hearing in Tokyo today to decide his World Cup fate with the backing of old friends from the Samoa camp as Ireland hoped for clemency for their centre ahead of this weekend’s quarter-finals.

Bundee Aki’s tackle may have been the topic of most conversations after Saturday’s defeat of Samoa but it was far from the only hit to take the breath away.

The biblical scale of the devastation began to emerge from the crack of dawn: landslides, floods, minor earthquakes, mass evacuations and, worst of all, the ever-rising death toll.

Donal shows us some of the reaction to Japan's win from his hotel before reflecting on the significance of the host nation's victory.

Ireland looked back to their ruthless, clinical best in a dominant 47-5 win over Samoa in Fukuoka.

Simon Lewis provides an on-the-whistle report of the main talking points from Ireland's win over Samoa.

Joe Schmidt chose his words carefully but he was clearly fuming about the fact that Ireland were playing rugby today while others got to take the weekend off.

Ireland booked their place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a comprehensive victory over Samoa.

Openside flanker TJ Ioane dismissed the suggestion earlier this week that the Pacific Islanders would be preparing a special welcome for Ireland's Kiwi-born centre with Samoan roots

England’s World Cup bid was just minutes old when Billy Vunipola launched himself into contact off the back of a lineout and Tonga’s Zane Kapeli floored him with a tackle that landed the big No 8 flat on his arse.

Irish Examiner rugby writers Brendan O'Brien and Simon Lewis try hard to extract the positives from Ireland's scrappy World Cup win over Russia.

This was a game that Ireland could not afford to labour in, but labour they did all the same.

The rain came and it was good. Gone was the suffocating humidity that had tortured every pore inside the enclosed Kobe Misaki Stadium for the first two World Cup games here.

Garry Ringrose could be pressed into a third successive World Cup start this Thursday after Ireland’s midfield stocks were reduced by a concussion for Chris Farrell.

Seeing Joe Schmidt is happy to do so, let’s start with Jack Carty. Even as recently as a week ago, if an Irish team to face the World Cup hosts had been named with Jack at 10, the general reaction might be best characterised by raised eyebrows.

Ireland will welcome back Keith Earls and Rob Kearney to the back three for Saturday’s Pool A clash with Japan, but there will be no Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony, or Bundee Aki in the starting XV.

Forty-five minutes before kick-off, Joe Schmidt and Gregor Townsend shot the breeze on the side of the pitch while their respective squads warmed up in intense humidity behind them.

Well, that’s one itch scratched. Partially, anyway.

A 21st-minute replacement for Bundee Aki, who would not return from a Head Injury Assessment, Farrell more than held his own at inside centre in a midfield battle that he and Garry Ringrose won hands down.

Peter O’Mahony and Bundee Aki face a race against the clock to prove their fitness for Ireland’s meeting with World Cup hosts Japan this Saturday following failed Head Injury Assessments in the win over Scotland.

Ireland aren’t the only country to have embraced the residency ruling.

Away from the goldfish bowl of a World Cup, how do Ireland's rugby stars relax and cool the jets?

Brian O’Driscoll believes Garry Ringrose’s place in the Ireland starting XV is in doubt.

CJ Stander has never shied away from the dirty work. Picture the Munster back row in action and it’s highly likely the image will involve a freeze frame of him with ball tucked under an armpit and ducking his head into contact for the umpteenth time.

Ireland supporters are about to discover whether their team’s trials and tribulations of the past few months will have been worth it when the World Cup squad gets put through its final paces before Japan at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow.

Joe Schmidt on ...

Jacob Stockdale’s interception of a wayward Aaron Shingler offload on 28 minutes was expertly finished by the Ireland wing to notch his second try of the first-half and establish a 12-point cushion that allowed the Irish to release the pressure valve that had been tightening for the past week.

Joe Schmidt gave an upbeat assessment on Joey Carbery’s injured ankle following the Ireland fly-half’s worrying withdrawal from the victory over Italy on a medical cart.

A 78th-minute try from Marcell Coetzee helped Ulster book a place in the PRO14 semi-final after beating Irish rivals Connacht 21-13 in a closely-fought encounter at the Kingspan Stadium.

Connacht and Ireland player Bundee Aki has taken to Instagram to address "mistakenly" liking the controversial post by Israel Folau.