Ireland 50 Canada 7: As opening weekends of a World Cup campaign go, Joe Schmidt will have been pretty satisfied as Ireland hit the road and headed for the English FA’s training base.

Ireland boss Joe Schmidt toasted fly-half Johnny Sexton after his playmaker helped get his team's World Cup Pool D campaign off to a flying start with a seven-try rout of Canada.

Joe Schmidt has backed Luke Fitzgerald to challenge Robbie Henshaw for Ireland’s inside centre starting berth.

However one-sided this World Cup match-up between Ireland and Canada appears there will be plenty to occupy Joe Schmidt’s thoughts during today’s Pool D opening encounter.

Ahead of their World Cup opener with Ireland, Canadian journalist Patrick Johnston talks modest expectations.

He started, it turns out, as he meant to go on. The Millennium Stadium roof will be closed on Ireland and Canada on Saturday afternoon. But Jamie Cudmore will still seek out the shadows. That is where the second-row enforcer does his best work, where he sees clearest, where, in the yellow of Clermont Auvergne, he has had such a devastating impact on Irish hopes in the past.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

Peter O’Mahony insists Canadian talisman Jamie Cudmore will not intimidate Ireland in Saturday’s World Cup pool opener but the Irish pack knows the Clermont lock well enough to have huge respect for an old adversary in Cardiff this weekend. 

Joe Schmidt fears Canada could prove “an incredible banana skin” for an Ireland side chasing their best-ever World Cup return.

Joe Schmidt had called the process of selecting a 31-man squad for Ireland’s 2015 World Cup campaign an imperfect one but having finally taken his leap into the unknown, the head coach likes the look of the group he hopes can reach at least the semi-finals.

Clermont Auvergne lock Jamie Cudmore paid generous tribute to his old rival ahead of Paul O’Connell’s 100th appearance for Ireland.

Jamie Cudmore kept his part of a bilateral non-aggression pact with his former Clermont sparring partner, Nathan Hines, drawn up before their war of attrition against Sale.

Considering he had blown enough fuses in his time to put the lights out all over Limerick, Jamie Cudmore was always liable to leave Munster in a dark place.

Anthony Foley needs his beaten up Munster squad to stand up and be counted this week as he prepares them for the biggest challenge of his short tenure as head coach. 

Munster head coach Anthony Foley has asked for clarity from referees over dangerous play after seeing Peter O’Mahony taken out off the ball by Clermont lock Jamie Cudmore.

Ireland’s preparations for the second Test of their tour of North America have been hit by a stomach bug that has laid a number of the squad low.

Clermont Auvergne 15 Toulon 16

Clermont 16 Munster 10

As May beckons Munster and Leinster prepare for a French test. At the end of contrasting seasons, and facing a different calibre of opponent, the Red Army travel in hope, the blues wait in expectation.

Jamie Cudmore. The Clermont enforcer. The mountainous Canadian. Red-carded for throwing a box into Paul O’Connell.

Paul O’Connell last night described Saturday’s Heineken Cup semi-final against raging hot favourites Clermont Auvergne as the biggest challenge he has faced in a Munster jersey.

If funny cats or obscure strikers missing open goals are not your cup of tea you may have missed the adventures of Gar Campion on the internet.

Clermont Auvergne second row Jamie Cudmore says “for the good of the game, it’d be too bad” if his old adversary, Munster’s Paul O’Connell, had been banned for their upcoming Heineken Cup clash.

There’s been a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth since the Irish whitewash in Europe over the weekend but it is about time people start to realise that we have no divine right to be winning Heineken Cups with the regularity we’ve enjoyed in recent times.

Mike Ross is confident his contract talks with the IRFU will result in a deal that keeps him at Leinster well beyond next summer when his current deal is due to expire.

Leinster 37 Zebre 7

Heady days for Leinster. Less than 24 hours after their Heineken Cup semi-final heroics in France the European champions announced that 18 players had inked new deals with the province.

If Leinster dominate these key areas in France, they will deserve the plaudits

With Brad Thorn recently arrived, Leo Cullen fully recovered from surgery and Devin Toner likely to be named as first reserve, it is unlikely Damian Browne will get to register his ninth Heineken Cup appearance this weekend.

Clermont Auvergne lock Jamie Cudmore believes his team will need any inside information they can get to overturn defending champions Leinster in Sunday’s Heineken Cup semi-final at the Stade Chaban Delmas (4pm).

JOE SCHMIDT hopes his players are able to show more discipline than the last charges he brought to Thomond Park when Leinster visit Limerick for their Magners League clash with Munster on Saturday.

MUNSTER have lost another first choice player through suspension for Saturday’s Heineken Cup clash with Toulon at Thomond Park.

SARACENS crashed to a 25-10 defeat at the hands of French champions Clermont-Auvergne in their Heineken Cup opener in Leinster’s pool on Saturday.

THERE isn’t much in the way of history between Leinster and Clermont Auvergne, but what little there is will always remain a source of some satisfaction for the Irish province.

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL has dismissed suggestions that French teams continue to suffer from travel sickness in the Heineken Cup as out of date.

Brian O’Driscoll has dismissed suggestions that French teams continue to suffer from travel sickness in the Heineken Cup as out of date.

Leicester 20 Clermont Auvergne 15

Clermont Auvergne 40 Leicester 30

CLERMONT AUVERGNE lock Jamie Cudmore has received a five-week ban after being sent off in last weekend’s Heineken Cup clash against Munster at Thomond Park.

Clermont Auvergne lock Jamie Cudmore has received a five-week ban after being sent off in last weekend’s Heineken Cup clash against Munster.

MUNSTER have asked European rugby chiefs not to fix their Round Five Heineken Cup Pool One clash against Sale Sharks on a Friday night.

MIRACLE matches should now carry a Munster trademark.

THE relief etched on the face of Munster coach Tony McGahan and the downbeat body language of his Clermont Auvergne counterpart Vern Cotter told their own stories after Saturday’s Heineken Cup thriller at Thomond Park.

THIS was the perfect example of a scoreline offering a distorted picture of a game of rugby.