Brian Ashton was a prophet in a land that couldn’t understand his message when he took over as Ireland head coach in the 1990s.

Cork C of I and UCC face off in eye-catching Irish Senior Cup derby at Garryduff tomorrow (2.30pm) with a quarter-final place on offer.

Ursuline Thurles were the last team standing as they survived five rounds of a sudden death shoot-out to beat Mount Mercy in the Munster Schoolgirls Junior A Cup final.

Andrew Salter’s power-slap 130 seconds from time saw Ashton win the Munster Schoolboys Senior Cup crown, breaking Villiers hearts right at the death in Dooradoyle.

A last-second Hannah Matthews strike saw Cork Harlequins leave Grange Road with their hearts broken, and helped move Loreto back to the top of the women’s EY Hockey League.

Ireland’s women finished on a high in Santiago with a 3-0 victory over their Chilean hosts in the final game of a four-match series.

Irish coach Graham Shaw rang the changes as they drew their first game since the World Cup - a scoreless tie against Chile.

Catholic Institute face the biggest test to their impressive early-season credentials with tomorrow’s trip to Monkstown.

Caoimhe Perdue’s strike gave Cork Harlequins a big lift as they defeated Muckross at Farmers’ Cross to get them back in contention for a top-four EY Hockey League play-off place.

Chris Ashton boosted his England chances with a debut hat-trick as Sale thumped Connacht 34-13 in the Challenge Cup.

Dave Egner has divided loyalties this weekend as the Cork Harlequins side he plays for face the UCC team he coaches in the Irish Hockey Trophy.

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

Ciara Moloney’s pair of penalty corner goals saw Catholic Institute win the first part of a potential cup double this week as they annexed the Munster Senior Cup at Garryduff on Easter Monday.

How special it was to witness a Munster side prevail, once again, against a team packed with serial game-breaker, writes Donal Lenihan

Veteran Argentine international Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe is doubtful for Saturday’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Munster but the task facing Peter O’Mahony’s men was laid out in no uncertain terms in Toulon yesterday.

Bandon’s drive for a treble continues with their men hot favourites to overcome Ashton in a Munster Senior Cup semi-final.

The Scarlets secured a European Champions Cup quarter-final place as Pool Five winners after toppling Toulon.

UCC coach Dave Egner is anticipating a far tougher encounter in the Peard Cup final against Cork C of I B than when the sides met in the Munster Division One in October.

Sarah Torrans gave a glimpse of her huge talent as a much changed Irish senior women drew 1-1 with Scotland at Stormont.

It’s part of the gig. Meeting agents. There’s been quite a few in the past two weeks and I’m never sure whether I’m energised or anxious at the amount of money sloshing around in rugby.

Cobh Ramblers Football Club have announced their coaching ticket of Stephen Henderson and Stuart Ashton have extended their deals.

A gunman who killed a man and took a woman hostage before dying in a police shoot-out had been acquitted of plotting a terror attack at a Sydney army base years earlier, Australian police said.

A coroner has concluded that the death of a 10-year-old boy in the UK who died after getting tangled up in a makeshift curtain was an accident.

Saracens’ trophy hunters may not have achieved greatness yet, but Billy Vunipola believes they are striving to bring Barcelona-esque levels of domination to European rugby.

Munster’s squad needs stability and another two seasons under the watchful eye of the former Springbok, writes Donal Lenihan.

Police in Australia have detained five suspects who were allegedly planning a series of Christmas Day bomb attacks in the heart of the country's second largest city.

Crescent College Comprehensive’s defence of the Munster Senior Schoolgirls Cup remains on course after they dispatched Bandon Grammar with a last-minute winner in West Cork on Wednesday.

Munster U18 coach Chris Blaney is leading calls for the boys interpros to be moved from its November slot after cold weather again played havoc with the tournament.

Munster’s boys teams will hope to find the cohesion necessary to challenge at this weekend’s U16 and U18 interpros in Belfast.

Paula Burns sees some similarities with Nicole Scherzinger. Mostly it’s their cougar status. Is age really just a number in the dating game?

They’re calling it the Christmas-Tree Formation, but it’s no longer typical of any moves gracing football stadiums.

Parents of premature twin boys born within a few days of a set of quads and triplets in Limerick, have praised staff at the city's maternity hospital neonatal unit, for heroically nursing their newborns back to health, after the tiny siblings were rushed to intensive care following their dramatic birth.

Ireland’s hopes of World Cup qualification have been dealt a serious blow after captain Megan Frazer was ruled out for up to nine months.

The ever-growing gap between the EY Hockey League and the provincial leagues was evident as big scorelines littered the women’s Irish Senior Cup first round on Saturday.

UCC’s new-look women’s outfit will be given the sternest of early tests as they reacquaint themselves with Munster hockey.

Chris Ashton and Danny Cipriani have failed to make the cut for Eddie Jones' 45-man provisional England squad for the forthcoming Autumn series.

Chris Ashton believes Saracens are “in a good place” after positioning themselves for another full-blown assault on major European silverware.

Saracens took another giant stride towards a possible domestic and European double as they booked their place in next month's Champions Cup final by beating Wasps 24-17 at the Madejski Stadium.