As Leinster and Munster discovered to their cost in Europe this past month, knowing the threat that is coming your way and being able to deal with it are different matters entirely.

For Felipe Contepomi it’s on a par with River Plate v Boca Juniors; for CJ Stander and Johann van Graan a reminder of Bulls versus Stormers games.

It is a recurring theme in a coach’s lexicon when discussing the loss of players to both injury or poor form that one player’s misfortune is another’s opportunity.

A defiant Peter O'Mahony insists that another Six Nations title is not beyond Ireland.

CJ Stander’s Guinness Six Nations campaign could be at an end after the Ireland back row suffered facial injuries in the 32-20 loss to England.

Munster coach Johann van Graan has acknowledged the influence of fellow South Africans Johan and Ruan Ackermann on Gloucester, the side Munster face in Thomond Park tomorrow.

It is difficult to imagine Ireland’s season being remembered as anything but an unheralded success after a Six Nations Triple Crown, Championship and Grand Slam was secured on the back a 12-Test winning run.

Ireland scrum coach Greg Feek believes there is plenty of leadership within the current squad that can make up for the absence of veteran captain Rory Best.

Southern Kings 22 Munster 39: There was a carnival atmosphere at Outeniqua Park on Saturday and while it seemed for a time that the Southern Kings were going to spoil CJ Stander’s homecoming, Munster’s superiority shone through in the end as they cantered home.

The instruction leaving the accommodation in Cape Town to get to George was pretty straightforward, ‘turn right on to the N2 and drive’ … all 430 kilometres along the same road.

Munster hooker Niall Scannell has happy memories of his only other trip to South Africa when he captained Ireland to a stunning victory over the Baby Boks in the opening match of the 2012 Junior World Cup.

It will be a special occasion for CJ Stander to play in his hometown George on Saturday, says Munster coach Johann van Graan.

The Munster squad arrived into 25°C heat in South Africa at the start of a two-match tour which will also double up as preparation for their Champions Cup semi-final showdown with Racing 92 in Bordeaux.

Ireland’s bid for Grand Slam glory is acting as a motivational tool for Billy Holland who leads Munster in Friday night’s rearranged Guinness PRO14 game against Edinburgh.

South Africa-born back-rower CJ Stander says Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam bid against England is now the biggest game of his career.

Joe Schmidt declared rookie Leinster star Jordan Larmour ready for Test rugby as he backed the 20-year-old to thrive off the bench in Ireland’s push for tries in Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Italy.

Duncan Williams will make his 150th appearance for Munster in Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 clash with Zebre at Thomond Park. It’s a game that provides the 32-year-old Corkman with another opportunity to show how he remains a highly valuable member of the squad.

It doesn’t take Marcus Horan long to highlight the most notable contrasts between his playing days and the current crop of men proudly wearing the red of Munster.

The relief around Munster was palpable yesterday as the IRFU confirmed CJ Stander had followed Peter O’Mahony in signing a new three-year contract to keep him at the province until at least the summer of 2021.

Try as hard as they might, world-class rugby players prefer to do their talking on the pitch rather than seek the limelight in the media — unless contract renewal time has come round again.

Conor Murray insists the speculation over Peter O'Mahony's future will not disrupt Munster's preparations for the upcoming Champions Cup games against Leicester.

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony will put province before personal business while his future is being decided over the next few weeks, writes Simon Lewis.

Billy Holland knows Munster will need to take heed of the French lessons learned in Castres two days ago as they look ahead to another, tougher, Gallic test on Saturday.

His boss may be treating Saturday’s clash with Leinster as a tune-up for the Champions Cup pool games which follow, but Niall Scannell is not giving either Castres or Racing 92 a second thought when there are interprovincial foes to battle.

Brian O’Driscoll believes Munster’s possible appointment of South African Johann van Graan as its new director of rugby is a leap of faith in the judgement of outgoing boss Rassie Erasmus.

There are no soft caps to be won in Irish and Munster rugby these days, all the more so if you ply your trade in the back row of the scrum. Few appreciate that better than Waterford’s Jack O’Donoghue, one of the most talented and committed players in the country.

The dawn of a new era is upon us as the expanded, Springbok-tinged Guinness Pro14 kicks off tonight in Belfast but at the same time in Cork it is the departure of South African talent that will, alas, mark the opening weeks of the fledgling league campaign.

I would never have put Warren Gatland down as a man who cared too much abut outside opinion, but it’s an easy conclusion to arrive at given some of his decisions in recent weeks, says Ronan O’Gara.

Jamie Heaslip believes all five Leinster players could feature in next month’s Lions Tests against New Zealand — but fears the Munster and Ulster contingent face a tougher battle to earn starting spots.

It may have been a good news day overall for Munster boss Rassie Erasmus ahead of Saturday’s European semi-final with Saracens but Conor Murray’s shoulder injury continues to provide a dark cloud over preparations.

Rassie Erasmus is no more than “hopeful” of having a full deck from to choose from when Munster take on holders Saracens in the semi-final of the European Champions Cup at the Aviva Stadium on April 22. 

Ronan O’Gara knew Munster were good. He just didn’t realise quite how good. He could laugh about it afterwards, though it was a hollow effort quickly dispensed with. There just wasn’t an inch of him that found solace in the fact it was his province filleting his Racing 92 colleagues.

Many might feel intimidated facing a 6 ft 8 inch, 18-stone South African boasting a thick black beard and sporting a black eye.

Theresa May and the rest of Europe still remain bamboozled about this Brexit conundrum.

A number of players facing uphill – some would say impossible – tasks in forcing their way into the Munster team on the biggest days played influential parts in last week’s impressive victory over Ulster in Belfast.

Just when he thought it was safe to go back onto the wing, Keith Earls could be pressed into service in Munster’s injury-hit midfield.

Devin Toner arrived in South Africa under the darkest of clouds following the death of his father, but there was never any question of the lock missing a shot at Irish rugby history.