There has been no shortage of praise for Leinster’s latest batch of youth, but to watch Max Deegan give another Man-of-the-Match performance yesterday in Ballsbridge could make you think that they perhaps haven’t been lauded enough.

Munster have moved to ease their fly-half problems by adding academy number 10 Ben Healy to their Heineken Champions Cup squad.

This isn’t the team that Joe Schmidt envisaged naming against Samoa.

It’s easy to forget just how big this weekend will be for the players.

Malcolm O’Kelly has told Devin Toner not to switch off after he was sensationally left out of Joe Schmidt’s 31 man Rugby World Cup squad.

The IRFU named the group that will travel to Japan today, six days earlier than planned, after the shock demotion was leaked.

Eddie Jones believes “Kamikaze kids” Tom Curry and Sam Underhill can smash England straight through any World Cup turgidity.

Dan Leavy was injured maybe a month or so, his prognosis having confirmed a catastrophic knee injury and a watching brief at the upcoming World Cup, when he posted a message on social media explaining how such a sudden plunge in fortunes was “haunting” him.

And before we know it, another season comes to a sudden and dramatic end.

The long road starts here as the race to make Ireland’s World Cup squad for Japan this September ramped up, after Joe Schmidt named a 44-player training squad.

The squad includes two uncapped players –Mike Haley and Jean Kleyn

The full-back's contract expires in November after the Rugby World Cup.

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.

Leinster may be shaken by last Saturday's Heineken Champions Cup final loss to Saracens but Leo Cullen's side have at least emerged from the experience with relatively little in the way of fitness worries ahead of Munster's visit to Dublin.

Donal Lenihan on the players and performances that could shade today’s meeting of the European superpowers in Newcastle.

You may have heard by now that Leinster have used 56 players this season.

New Zealand's Damian McKenzie is the latest high-profile player to be ruled out of the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Some of their frontline players may have their feet up this weekend, but for those Leinster players in the RDS tonight, there’s a priceless opportunity to top up their credit with coach Leo Cullen.

Josh van der Flier says Dan Leavy’s horror injury has helped him to put his own bad luck into perspective.

Four stunning quarter-finals, three of which were decided by a single score, made for a sensational weekend of Champions Cup rugby.

Ulster captain Rory Best has been ruled out of Friday's Guinness Pro14 game against Glasgow Warriors.

Leinster qualified for their 11th European Cup semi-final just 36 hours earlier, but a “bizarre mood” hung over the province’s HQ on Monday morning.

Ireland flanker Dan Leavy is set to miss the Rugby World Cup.

Leo Cullen saw this coming.

Brexit may have been delayed this week but Ulster have crashed out of Europe despite their best efforts tonight.

Jonathan Sexton’s mood was one of the talking points in a disappointing Six Nations campaign for Ireland and it’s unlikely that his humour has improved given his absence from today’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final between Leinster and Ulster.

No Jonathan Sexton, Rob Kearney on the bench and Jack McGrath given the weekend off.

Rhys Ruddock will captain the Leinster Rugby team taking on Ulster tomorrow, while Johnny Sexton has been ruled out following an injury.

Josh van der Flier’s season looks to be over after confirmation that the Leinster and Ireland flanker has had surgery on a groin injury.

Edinburgh remain in the running for a Guinness PRO14 play-off spot after posting a comfortable 28-11 win over defending champions Leinster at BT Murrayfield.

Munster fans may watch tonight’s PRO14 clash between Edinburgh and Leinster with more intensity than supporters of the visiting side at Murrayfield.

An injury doubt over Iain Henderson could open the door for Munster lock Tadhg Beirne to make a surprise Guinness Six Nations debut on Saturday when Ireland play Wales in Cardiff.

Finally, the pieces are falling into place for Ireland, just as their Guinness Six Nations campaign draws to a close.

Ireland will be without Joey Carbery and Robbie Henshaw for Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations home game with France but team management has insisted the dropped Sean Cronin still has a Test future despite his omission.

Cronin has been dropped from the 37-man squad just a week after his first Six Nations start in 68 international appearances.

Of all the theories put forward for Ireland’s Six Nations wobble the suggestion that Jonathan Sexton’s bark has bitten into the team’s morale seems to be the biggest stretch.

Rob Kearney has dismissed the suggestion that Jonathan Sexton’s fits of temper are having an adverse effect on the Ireland squad.

There were also updates on Joey Carbery, Dan Leavy, and Andrew Conway.

Edinburgh gave themselves a confidence boost ahead of their crucial European Cup quarter-final match against Munster next Saturday at BT Murrayfield with a forward orientated bonus point win over Leinster last night.

The sight of Jonathan Sexton and Joey Carbery watching from the sidelines while their Ireland colleagues went full throttle with the U20s in Belfast yesterday prompted mixed emotions.

Seán Cronin must have thought it was easy.

Rhys Ruddock looks set to miss Ireland's Six Nations match against Italy in Rome on Sunday.

There will come a point soon, after the Six Nations is done for another 12 months and Leinster’s elite return to the day job for another battle on two fronts, that the question of hunger will surface.

The raft of players coming back into contention for Champions Cup selection this weekend across the provinces bodes well for Joe Schmidt as he prepares to name his first Six Nations 2019 squad this afternoon.