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.

With Munster holding a slender 6-3 lead on 50 minutes, the mass brawl that led to a Munster penalty handed the visitors a chance to widen their advantage.

Munster have reached one objective in this Heineken Champions Cup campaign by beating Saracens for the first time in five years last Saturday.

Saracens have named an almost totally different side to face Munster at Allianz Park tomorrow, while the Reds make one change from their 10-3 home win.

One man’s setback appears to be an opportunity for a couple of his team-mates as Johnny Sexton’s likely absence from the start of the Six Nations seems to have opened the door for a pair of Munster stars to take centre-stage with Ireland in the coming weeks.

Saracens are set to bring their big guns back for the return match with Munster next weekend after leaving Limerick with a losing bonus point.

Johann van Graan admitted Saracens’ losing bonus point at Thomond Park could be crucial in the final shake-up in Munster’s European pool campaign.

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.

The four Irish provinces have named their teams for this weekend's Champions Cup clashes.

It's 20 years since Munster did that number on Francois Pienaar’s Saracens at Thomond Park.

It is not just the levels of professionalism in the Saracens squad coming to Thomond Park that impress Peter O’Mahony but the quality of the individuals that give the Munster skipper pause for thought

Move over Dean Richards, Harlequins, and ‘Bloodgate’, there is an even bigger bad news story to overtake you in the annals of English club rugby history, writes Rob Cole.

This is a contest fit for the final itself with the winner fancied to go all the way.

England proved too much for Pacific Islanders, running out convincing 35-3 winners

There will be a strange dynamic surrounding Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 semi-final between Leinster and Munster at the RDS. It’s been a difficult ten days for both Irish provinces but for different reasons.

Mark McCall leans against a wall, his back to one of the many framed photos celebrating the local football club’s storied past, as he processes questions about his own club’s route towards legendary status.

Peter Jackson picks his XV for the Heineken Champions Cup Team of the Tournament.

A fifth win for Leinster tomorrow will make them the most successful side in the history of the competition.

Tadhg Furlong might not have done Leinster any favours when he opened Mako Vunipola’s eyes to what it takes to be a true, world-class prop, on the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.

Stuart Lancaster needs no introduction to the dangers Leinster will be facing when they go toe-to-toe with Saracens in Saturday’s heavyweight Heineken Champions Cup final.

Stuart Lancaster has no doubt but that Leinster will shed their recent inconsistencies and producing a monster performance against Saracens in a heavyweight European decider this Saturday.

Leo Cullen is not convinced that Ireland’s Six Nations defeat to England last February will have any effect on next month’s Champions Cup final.

Mark McCall, the Saracens director of rugby, handed Munster a crumb of comfort in the aftermath of his team’s 32-16 Champions Cup semi-final win in Coventry.

Owen Farrell might have been a leading candidate for a few sleepless nights recently but he is determined not to lose out on his eight hours of shut-eye over the challenge facing Saracens this afternoon

Milestones and long-awaited comebacks feature aplenty in the Saracens team picked by Mark McCall, who makes 10 changes from the side which lost at Bristol Bears last week.

So, they meet again. Two years on from a semi-final encounter in Dublin that has proven significant for both sides, Munster and Saracens will be reunited at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena tomorrow for another Heineken Champions Cup knockout tussle.

This time 12 months ago, Munster and Leinster felt bulletproof as they approached their respective Champions Cup semi-final deciders against Racing 92 and Scarlets, with both squads densely fortified with players from Ireland’s all-conquering Grand Slam team.

Saracens would have hoped for a quieter week than the one just gone but Maro Itoje, for one, is aiming to block out the outside noise against old foes Munster in the Champions Cup semi-final on Saturday in Coventry.

Looking back at Ireland's defeat, what are the lessons to be learned?

England captain Dylan Hartley is expected to be available to face Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday but doubt now hovers over the fitness of Elliot Daly.

Ireland will move above England to second in the latest World Rugby rankings issued today, adding fuel to Saturday’s trip to Twickenham with Joe Schmidt warning his Grand Slam-chasing side to expect an almighty backlash from Eddie Jones’s wounded animals.

In total there are five changes to the side defeated by Scotland at Murrayfield.

Jonny May has revealed that the recent bite to training has forced the intervention of coaches, as England look to relaunch their NatWest 6 Nations title defence.

The calls for England’s skipper to be dropped can continue. Inside the Red Rose’s camp, the Northampton Saints hooker is still the team’s leader.

He’s the coaching constant at Munster, working under three different head coaches in as many years. Jerry Flannery understands better than most the value system crucial to the province’s future - and the importance of the Munster manual.

Clermont took out their frustration over the chaotic postponement of their Champions Cup clash at Allianz Park by inflicting a record 46-14 defeat on holders Saracens.

Peter Jackson gives his progress report on the best and worst teams, players and moments of the Autumn Internationals.

Saracens back-rower Billy Vunipola could miss the first month of the Aviva Premiership season in England as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery.

For years the All Blacks have reigned supreme thanks to their never say die mental strength and the supreme stamina to back it past the 80th minute. Yet the man who keeps the Lions in the peak of physical fitness believes the tourists can match those attributes as their series goes down to the wire at Eden Park on Saturday.

The British & Irish Lions returned to the training field relaxed, rested and ready to take themselves to the higher level they believe will be necessary to beat the All Blacks in Saturday’s series-deciding final Test at Eden Park.

Peter O’Mahony’s elevation to the British & Irish Lions captaincy for Saturday’s first test against New Zealand is as much a signal of intent as the bestowal of a coveted title on a born leader.

Peter O'Mahony has been described as "exactly the character you need" for a British and Irish Lions tour as he prepares to captain the tourists against New Zealand on Saturday.