A grim night for the visitors to the RDS. And it could have been much worse.

With the clock ticking and Munster trailing 13-6, the home side won a crucial penalty inside the Leinster 22 after a sustained period of pressure and kicked for the corner.

An experimental Dublin side got their Walsh Cup campaign off to a winning start with a comfortable eight-point win over Westmeath.

Seven tries last week, another seven tonight.

The four Irish provinces have named their teams for this weekend's Champions Cup clashes.

Leinster were relieved to leave Lyon with their winning record intact in the European Champions Cup after a nervous end to their win in Stade Matmut de Gerland.

All the GAA action is here.

Louth left the disappointment of 12 months ago behind them as goals from Katie Flood, Niamh Rice and Lauren Boyle sealed their third TG4 All-Ireland Junior title.

Dublin manager Mick Bohan has made two changes in personnel to the team that lined out against Cork for Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Senior Football Final against Galway at Croke Park.

Cork manager Ephie Fitzgerald has opted for one change in personnel ahead of Sunday’s mouth-watering TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Senior Football Championship semi-final against holders Dublin at Croke Park.

There has been no wielding of the axe by the Clare management in the wake of last weekend’s 13-point hammering at the hands of Tipperary, with the team named for tomorrow’s game against Limerick showing just one change in personnel.

Carlow's first home game in this year's Leinster senior hurling championship may have made for a heartwarming tale but Kilkenny have never been ones for romance or fairytales.

Martin Kavanagh fired 11 points for Carlow, but he was unable to get them over the line for victory as Galway claimed the win in their Leinster SHC opener at Pearse Stadium.

PRO 14 Scoreboard here with this one Leo Cullen said Sunday’s Champions Cup semi-final will be a litmus test for him and his coaching team’s player management system.

Leo Cullen says the coming week will be a “big” one for Devin Toner, as the Ireland second row prepares to make a well-timed return to fitness.

Douglas won by a single point in yesterday’s low-key Cork SFC first round at Páirc Uí Rinn. A repeat of the 2018 tie that went the way of Bishopstown, but this city derby never rose to any great heights and while the winners were the better team, they failed to capitalise with some really bad wides.

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

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

Offaly’s two top forwards Joe Bergin and Shane Dooley hit a combined 4-4 as the Faithful County claimed their first Allianz Hurling League 1B points of the campaign with a deserved victory over Carlow in a game which started in a downpour and ended in a snowstorm at Netwatch Cullen Park.

OFFALY'S two top forwards Joe Bergin and Shane Dooley hit a combined 4-4 as the Faithful County claimed their first NHL Division 1B points of the campaign with a deserved seven-point victory over Carlow in a game which started in a downpour and ended in a snowstorm at Netwatch Cullen Park.

If the Cheetahs thought they might get an easy run out against Leinster during the Six Nations, the South Africans were sadly mistaken.

So far, so good for Paraic Fanning in Division 1B of the Allianz League.

This looked kinda promising on paper.

Simon Lewis Dragons coach Bernard Jackman is under no illusions about the size of the task his side face when they welcome Guinness PRO14 champions Leinster to Rodney Parade this evening.

Tonight will tell Stuart Lancaster a lot.

Leinster 17 Newcastle Falcons 42

Carlow manager, Colm Bonnar, has refused to rule out a shock result against Limerick, after claiming significant silverware at Croke Park for the second season running.

Munster’s love affair with the B&I Cup came to an end yesterday when they bowed out to arch-rivals Leinster at the quarter-final stage of a competition that will cease to exist after this season.

Leinster A 17 Munster A 6: Munster A were stripped of their B&I Cup title by Irish rivals Leinster A at Energia Park, Donnybrook today in a tight match that was in doubt for much of the 80 minutes.

OSPREYS 32 LEINSTER 18: Leinster limped back into Dublin late on Saturday night having fluffed their lines in their dress-rehearsal for the Champions Cup quarter-final with Saracens and licking their wounds after a mauling by the Ospreys.

It has been a hard road for Southern Kings, the whipping boys of the Guinness PRO14, and things are unlikely to get easier for the South Africans at the RDS tonight.

A game badly compromised by the absence of almost two dozen Six Nations stars was rescued by another star turn from Leinster’s James Lowe who continued to entertain long after the final whistle on Saturday afternoon.

Today seemed to be tailor-made for Joey Carbery.

Benetton 10 Leinster 36: Leinster had to wait eight months to see James Lowe touch down on Irish soil after the province announced him as their marquee signing for the season.

Garry Ringrose’s first start of the season and a debut for Kiwi flyer James Lowe give an exciting edge to the Leinster backline for the Guinness PRO14 trip to Treviso’s Benetton Rugby (3:30pm Irish time).

Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen has handed a first start to Josh Murphy in tonight’s Guinness PRO14 clash with the Dragons at the RDS Arena (7.35pm).

Kilcormac-Killoughey will contest their third Leinster senior club hurling final in six seasons after they recorded a landslide win over Mount Leinster Rangers of Carlow yesterday afternoon, but a straight red card to county midfielder Cillian Kiely will be a huge blow to their chances of upsetting All-Ireland champions Cuala on Sunday week.

There was some degree of befuddlement in UCD earlier this week when Ross Byrne and Ross Molony found themselves being quizzed on the possibility of featuring in a Rugby World Cup in Ireland in 2023.

LEINSTER 21 - EDINBURGH 13: A late shot of whiskey helped Leinster to a narrow win over Edinburgh with Jamison Gibson-Park’s try coming as last orders were being called at the RDS last night.

Johnny Sexton will skipper Leinster tonight as four of the province’s British & Irish Lions return to action for the first time this season. 

The great sporting occasions have always seen their attendances inflated over time, with fans falsely claiming presence at an historic event with the vigour of great grandfathers discussing their role in the GPO.

It took a while in coming, but this was a more than decent start to the new Guinness Pro14 season for Leo Cullen’s Leinster as they emerged deserved winners over the Dragons.

Leo Cullen is expecting a Dragons side revitalised under new ownership and the guidance of former team-mate Bernard Jackman when Leinster open their Guinness Pro14 campaign at Rodney Parade in Newport this afternoon (3:15pm).

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