Brian O’Driscoll’s comments about Ulster being a “bit of a basket case” has certainly hit a raw nerve around Ravenhill.

Brian O’Driscoll’s comments about Ulster being a “bit of a basket case” has certainly hit a raw nerve around Ravenhill.

Former Munster and Ireland scrum-half Michael Bradley is being touted as a contender to take charge of Ulster.

It's been confirmed that Ulster head coach Jono Gibbes is returning to New Zealand.

Bring back Brian McLaughlin, all has been forgiven!

Ulster are set to lose head coach Jono Gibbes at the end of the season, just over a month after director of rugby Les Kiss departed the province by 'mutual consent'.

Ulster are making no official comment on speculation in New Zealand and Australia that their newly appointed head man Jono Gibbes is being hunted by Wallaby coach Michael Cheika.

Ulster head coach Jono Gibbes says his players are eager to take on Pool One leaders La Rochelle in the Champions Cup at Kingspan on Saturday, spurred on by the prospect of reaching the quarter-final stages for the first time since 2014.

Ulster Director of Rugby Les Kiss could hardly have been more candid in describing his team’s performance when he responded to a post-match query in Galway on Saturday night after his side capitulated to Connacht in the Guinness PRO14.

Ulster’s head coach Jono Gibbes knows all too well what lies in store for his side when they travel to face the ebullient La Rochelle outfit in the second stanza of Champion Cup action on Sunday.

In Clermont they call it the “malédiction”, the curse that has seen them lose all but one of their 14 finals.

The Ospreys have announced former Ireland international hooker Allen Clarke's appointment as their new forwards coach.

Ulster are expected to announce the signing of a southern hemisphere backs coach within a week or so following the news that they have whisked former Leinster forwards supremo Jono Gibbes away from Clermont Auvergne to take over from departing head coach Neil Doak at the end of the season.

Connacht’s search for a successor to Pat Lam will continue without two of the fancied contenders following confirmation that former All Blacks Tony Brown and Jono Gibbes are not in the running.

Ospreys forwards coach Chris Gibbes reckons tonight’s out-half showdown between Dan Biggar and Jonny Sexton will be one to savour.

Ireland’s teamsheet in Cardiff last Saturday held within it no shortage of heart-warming subplots.

Another of the early front runners for the Leinster job has withdrawn himself from the race with Jono Gibbes committing himself to Clermont Auvergne until 2018.

Munster can turn their Rugby Champions Cup campaign around with a win over Clermont at the Stade Marcel Michelin — but it will take their greatest performance in 20 years of European rugby to do so, suggests Ronan O'Gara.

Clermont forwards coach Jonno Gibbes said they have spent all week preparing for a Munster backlash but he doesn’t expect the level of celebrations by his players at full time to be a factor.

Clermont Auvergne will have to improve if they are to score back-to-back Champions Cup victories over Munster on Sunday, their forwards coach Jono Gibbes has warned his players.

Munster would be crazy not to use their small representation in Ireland’s Six Nations squad as motivation when they meet Leinster in the RaboDirect Pro12 this weekend, according to Rob Kearney.

Forwards coach Jono Gibbes praised Leinster's resilience as they came from two converted tries down to beat Castres Olympique 29-22 at Stade Pierre-Antoine.

Leinster forwards coach Jono Gibbes believes it would be a massive mistake for Jamie Heaslip and Sean O’Brien to move to France, warning they would not be treated as well outside the IRFU’s player welfare programme.

Sean O'Brien will likely miss Ireland's Six Nations campaign with a shoulder injury picked up over the weekend.

Leo Cullen may well be Leinster’s forwards coach in waiting but no one was willing to confirm as much yesterday as rumours linking the club to Kiwi hooker Quentin MacDonald met with the same non-committal stone wall.

Leinster 34 Cardiff Blues 20

Lote Tuqiri has landed in Dublin. The Fijian born superstar is to pen a short three-month deal with Rabo Direct Pro 12 and Amlin Cup Champions Leinster.

RABODIRECT PRO12 FINAL:

Jono Gibbes spoke yesterday about his ambitions to become a head coach one day — possibly at Leinster — but not before he furthers his education as an assistant to Matt O’Connor, who will replace Joe Schmidt as top dog in the province this summer.

Jonno Gibbes has refused to be drawn on whether or not he is interested in succeeding Joe Schmidt at Leinster if the latter’s coronation as Ireland’s head coach is given the expected thumbs up by the IRFU.

With news of Jamie Hagan’s departure to London Irish, Leinster have reaffirmed their confidence in hooker Michael Bent on foot of a glowing report from forwards coach Jonno Gibbes.

Jono Gibbes concedes that Irish prop Cian Healy struggled to contain his emotions when he stamped on the ruck-occupying ankle of England’s Dan Cole last Sunday.

Ireland prop Cian Healy’s ban for stamping descended into farce today as confusion reigned over his availability for provincial duty this weekend.

Ireland fly-halves Ronan O’Gara and Jonathan Sexton are giving their respective provinces plenty to think about for very different reasons ahead of crucial final Heineken Cup pool games this weekend.

Clermont’s Stade Marcel Michelin, with its high-banked tiers packed with vociferous supporters, has earned a reputation as European rugby’s most robust fortress but Isa Nacewa believes Leinster will bring their own 16th man to France next Sunday.

The Munster-Leinster rivalry that exists today is a far cry from that which existed when the four provinces first began playing rugby against each other back in the 1880s but the evolution of that relationship will pick up a gear again tomorrow.

Leinster 45 Newport G’went Dragons

Already a game that was struggling to escape the shadow of next week’s Heineken Cup final, tonight’s RaboDirect PRO12 play-off has been relegated to the margins yet again by yesterday’s injury news concerning Brian O’Driscoll and Rob Kearney.

Leinster forwards coach Jono Gibbes has dismissed reports in New Zealand linking Joe Schmidt with the soon-to-be-vacant Super Rugby head coach role at the Auckland Blues.

TABLE-TOPPERS Leinster have named a close to full-strength team for today’s Rabo Pro-12 match against Cardiff.