Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline

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.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen hailed his returning international contingent after their 33-19 bonus point victory over Benetton Rugby in their Heineken Champions Cup Pool One opener.

He was part of an impressive collective effort back in his home city for Benetton in the opening round of the Heineken Champions Cup.

Garry Ringrose is still sporting a bandage to cover the head injury he picked up in Japan but a hat-trick of tries in this bonus-point Heineken Champions Cup win in Dublin suggests that there is no lingering hangover from Ireland's dismal World Cup showing.

Keith Earls will make his first Munster appearance of the season in tomorrow's Champions Cup opener against the Ospreys.

Ultan Dillane and Kieran Marmion remain as replacement options.

Munster’s preparations for today’s Guinness PRO14 play-off unravelled last night as Keith Earls was ruled out of the Thomond Park clash with Benetton.

Scrum-half Williams, hooker Sherry and back-rower O’Callaghan were each homegrown talents who served Munster for their entire playing careers

Carty’s late score at the end of a move which he started in his own half, saw him become Connacht’s all-time top scorer as he moved ahead of Benetton-bound Ian Keatley in the rankings.

The Ireland U20s were not long celebrating their remarkable Six Nations Grand Slam before the demands of the rest of the season kicked back in and they had gone their separate ways.

Keatley's London Irish debut got off to a dream start before being forced off the field through injury.

It would be fair to say that as anti-climatic and disappointing as last Saturday in the Aviva was, it hardly constituted the sort of crisis and crossroads Irish rugby was looking at the last time we played and lost an opening Six Nations game to England, writes Kieran Shannon.

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

"I know I’m from Dublin, but I’ve lived here for the last eight years, and with my fiancée Lisa and daughter Beth born here, I know we will be back again. I’m from Munster and I’m a Limerick man now, and it holds a special place in my heart."

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

Mike Haley has a debt of gratitude to Danny Cipriani for the mentoring he provided the full-back as a young professional in the Sale Sharks academy. Now on opposing teams, the Munster full-back knows just how dangerous he will be for Gloucester at Kingsholm tomorrow night, should the fly-half pass a fitness test today.

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

Veterans of the 15 previous clashes which Connacht have hosted against Munster will breathe a sigh of relief that the weather forecast for this evening in Galway is relatively good.

Returning out-half Tyler Bleyendaal will captain Munster in Sunday’s PRO14 encounter against Cheetahs, head coach Johann van Graan confirmed yesterday.

Munster 64 Ulster 7

Munster overwhelmed an under-strength Ulster as they ran in nine tries in a record-breaking 64-7 Guinness PRO14 derby victory at Thomond Park.

Munster racked up seven tries as they dominated much-changed Ospreys in a comfortable 49-13 PRO14 win in Cork.

Captain Peter O'Mahony is one of a host of stars named in the Munster team to play the Ospreys in the Pro14 tomorrow.

Munster hit the new ground running last night as they won their opening pre-season game on Musgrave Park’s freshly installed playing surface to defeat Declan Kidney’s London Irish.

Munster stars Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony have backed summer signing Joey Carbery to be a success at his new province following a move from Leinster.

Munster legend Paul O’Connell wants the province to develop a production system to develop talent from grassroots and schools level and not rely on ‘short term fixes’.

Joe Schmidt described choosing the 32 players he will take to Australia next month as the most difficult process of his tenure as Ireland head coach but it is clear he has selected a squad with a series victory over the Wallabies at the top of his priority list.

Leinster 16 Munster 15: Leo Cullen’s relief was tangible as he assessed this narrow Guinness PRO14 semi-final victory over Munster.

The key battles as Munster and Leinster face off in the Pro14 final.

On a day of farewells at Thomond Park, the last thing Munster need this afternoon when Edinburgh come calling is to kiss goodbye to their season.

Simon Zebo starts at full-back in his final game for Munster, with 12 changes to the side that drew 24-all with Ulster last weekend.

Simon Lewis looks at the shortcomings that led to the province’s defeat by Racing 92.

In the raw aftermath of a second successive European semi-final defeat, there was very little a Munster captain could say to put a positive spin on yet another bitterly disappointing visit to the Champions Cup last four.

Conor Murray’s reputation as the leading scrum-half in the Northern Hemisphere, if not the world, will mean the Munster star can expect a lot of attention from Racing 92’s forwards in Bordeaux tomorrow but Johann van Graan says his number nine will not be fazed.

The team news ahead of Sunday’s Champions Cup semi-final.

Simon Zebo is facing a battle to keep his place in Munster’s starting line-up for this Sunday’s Champions Cup semi-final against his future club Racing 92, the Irish Examiner understands.

It was his piece of individual magic that turned the tide against Toulon and delivered Munster a place in the Champions Cup semi-finals but Andrew Conway believes it will count for nothing if his side does not kick on and reach the final.

Goosen played his last game in December 2016, when he controversially announced his retirement from playing, aged 24, to become a "commercial director".

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.

Seventy-four minutes in and nerves were frayed in the packed Thomond Park stands. Camped inside the Toulon 22, Munster were going through the phases, six points down and desperately trying to bridge the gap.

The challenges facing the three Irish provinces in European quarter-finals this weekend.