Jim Stokes has been synonymous with Ulster rugby for over three decades.

A legend, a leader, a braveheart, a kind, loving and spiritual man were among the accolades used to describe Willie Duggan at his funeral Mass, when more than 1,000 people gathered to say farewell to a giant of Irish and international rugby.

Payments to players in Irish club rugby will be outlawed from September 2014 as the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) effectively seeks to return the domestic game to its amateur roots.

Munster centre Lifeimi Mafi has been suspended for seven weeks after being found guilty of a dangerous tackle on Leinster's Gordon D'Arcy in the teams' Magners League clash on Saturday.

Munster centre Lifeimi Mafi has been cited for a dangerous tackle on Leinster’s Gordon D’Arcy.