After finishing third last year, Oisin Spillane of Mercy Mount Hawk, Tralee, proved to be the strongest over a testing 6000m course at the Irish Life Health/Munster Schools Cross-Country.

Gareth Hanrahan is garnering quite a reputation as a fantasy author. He tells Ed Power how some of his novels’ settings are inspired by old Cork.

Results over the weekend ended Munster’s slim chances of qualifying before a turnstile opened in Thomond Park on Sunday, writes Tom Savage.

In the 19th minute of the pivotal Pool 4 Champions Cup meeting in Paris last Sunday, JJ Hanrahan and his Munster colleagues jogged back behind halfway to receive a Racing 92 restart.

Gardaí in Limerick have arrested a Romanian national in connection with the murder of Rose Hanrahan.

Munster lock Jean Kleyn has emerged as an injury doubt for Sunday’s Heineken Champions Cup pool finale at home to Ospreys, with Johann van Graan insisting his side is still alive in the competition.

In the end, there was simply too much firepower for Munster to cope with. They had battled hard for 70 minutes, taking a 22-20 lead into the endgame and keeping hopes of another European miracle alive.

While a win over Ospreys is well within their compass, the fact that holders Saracens can still advance as a best runner up will suit them just fine.

Munster head coach Johann Van Graan admitted Racing 92’s late sucker punch was a bitter pill to swallow as his team’s Heineken Champions Cup hopes were all but ended.

It says much about Munster’s standing in rugby country that their current state of ill health is consuming more column inches and debate than Leinster’s relentless march towards further glories.

The Munster head coach was able to select JJ Hanahan as his starting fly-half to face Racing 92 in Sunday’s crucial Heineken Champions Cup pool clash at La Défense Arena.

There is no disguising the links that have bonded Munster and Racing 92 since Ronan O’Gara began his coaching journey in Paris in 2013. Donnacha Ryan, Simon Zebo, and Mike Prendergast have since found their way to the Top 14 outfit while the relationship between the European rivals has also been strengthened on a deeper emotional level by the tragic and sudden death of Anthony Foley in the city i

Johann van Graan has rated fly-half JJ Hanrahan’s chances of facing Racing 92 on Sunday in Paris as 50/50 with the Munster boss preparing to decide between rookie Ben Healy and Rory Scannell as his starting number 10 in the absence of Joey Carbery.

Steps to prevent the Football Association of Ireland descending into insolvency will intensify this week with the announcement of independent directors and a roadmap to financial stability.

Joey Carbery looks set to come to Munster’s rescue in Belfast on Friday night with the fit-again Ireland fly-half covering the possible absence of JJ Hanrahan with a hamstring injury.

Johann van Graan was left counting the casualties as he turned his focus towards this Friday’s visit to Ulster having lost more players to injury in the 13-6 home defeat to Leinster on Saturday.

Given the trail of destruction Leinster have left in their wake on visits to opposition grounds this season, it would be easy to portray Munster as just another hapless victim of a superbly efficient rugby machine.

Johann van Graan was left to rue Munster’s failure to break down Leinster’s defences as Leo Cullen’s defending champions continued their 100 per cent start to the Guinness PRO14 campaign with a hard-fought victory at Thomond Park.

Carbery has spent the last two months rehabbing an ankle injury.

Jack O’Donoughe’s first-half try and a perfect kicking performance from JJ Hanrahan gave Munster the honours in this feisty inter-pro, which saw them stretch their lead at the top of the PRO14 Conference B standings.

"It’s good but it can be intimidating and if you’re not expecting it, it’s a very challenging place to go."

Just a few days to go until the big Christmas Dinner. Stop — allow yourself to slow down for a few minutes. Ask yourself, on a scale of one to 10 how vital is it to dash to the shops once again to buy those last few things?

The match point total will tell you all you need to know about the result. 4-0 Saracens. 5-4 across the head-to-head.

Johann van Graan backed his players to make the right on-pitch decisions after Munster missed a chance to rescue a losing bonus point in a 15-6 defeat at Saracens today.

The Mike Quirke era of Laois football began with a defeat in the opening round of the O’Byrne Cup against neighbours Offaly on Saturday.

Captain Peter O’Mahony claimed a crucial lone try as Munster overcame Saracens 10-3 in a scrappy Heineken Champions Cup contest at a weather-beaten Thomond Park.

Ask any Munster supporter their thoughts on the Saracens personnel coming to Thomond Park this evening and they will take the matchday squad named by Mark McCall yesterday in a heartbeat. Ask the Munster coaching group the same question and they will not be taking anything for granted.

Andrew Conway’s regular note-taking should be a more than pleasurable task these days.

It is with some relief that JJ Hanrahan chooses not to bring his impressive footwork into his dealings with the media.

Watching Munster on Saturday was both frustrating and exciting. The excitement came in a performance that gave glimpses of the talent and potential that lies in a squad loving life and enjoying its work under the province’s new coaching ticket.

Ireland’s so-called ‘green sweep’ on the opening weekend of the Heineken Champions Cup was always unlikely to be replicated in Round 2 given the quality of the French opposition for the Irish quartet.

Some revealing facts can be laid bare today about the once symbiotic relationship between Munster and the drop goal, a weapon that never seemed to fail in the hands of Ronan O’Gara.

So a draw then. If you’d offered that to most of the fans at Thomond Park Saturday night around the 50th minute, they’d have likely snatched it off you and sprinted off towards the Shannon Bridge.

There are three changes to the team that defeated Ospreys.

Munster are hoping JJ Hanrahan and Rhys Marshall successfully come through this week’s two main training sessions to have a chance of making their comebacks against Racing 92 at Thomond Park on Saturday.

JJ Hanrahan could be back to ease Munster’s fly-half fitness concerns this Saturday following an upbeat update on his recovery from a hamstring injury by Johann van Graan.

This may be a pool of death Munster are facing into as the 25th Heineken Champions Cup campaign gets underway this weekend but the fixture schedule has at least handed Johann van Graan’s side the most palatable of introductions, albeit away, with a trip to off-form Ospreys.

Having been through the wringer as often as he has in his rugby career, Tyler Bleyendaal has learned to make the most of his on-field opportunities when they arise and this weekend will be no exception.

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

Munster are holding out hope that JJ Hanrahan will pass fit to face Ospreys in their Heineken Champions Cup pool opener in Wales on Saturday but the province will definitely be without Dave Kilcoyne for the first two rounds at least of the European campaign.

Andrew Conway provided a match-winning try of real class as Munster battled past Ulster in a 22-16 Guinness PRO14 derby win at Thomond Park.

Head Coaches Johann van Graan and Dan McFarland has named his side for Satuday's Guinness PRO14 Interpro derby this Saturday at Thomand Park.

Stephen Larkham earned himself a deserved reputation as one of the most stylish rugby players of his generation when representing Australia on 102 occasions.

Munster were ruthless and clinical as they ended a two-year wait for a win at the Arms Park by putting Cardiff Blues to the sword to leave the Welsh capital with a priceless bonus-point.