60 second on-the-whistle report from Kobe as Ireland secure bonus-point victory over Russia

A moment, please, to think of the poor old referee today.

World Rugby’s admission that match officials made several incorrect decisions against Ireland in their defeat to Japan has led Joe Schmidt to urge his players to be cautious.

Just seven weeks short of a decade since he kicked the first of his 767 Test points on debut against Fiji, Johnny Sexton spoke about the honour of finally leading Ireland onto the field as team captain.

It’s probably not a great surprise that All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has revealed he’s not a great lover of social media.

The answer to whether the Springboks are Rugby World Cup 2019 contenders remains a strong ‘yes’ after Saturday’s epic battle against the All Blacks in Yokohama.

Leinster’s bid for a record fifth European crown came up short at St James’ Park on Saturday as Saracens reclaimed the Heineken Champions Cup for their third title in four seasons.

Mark McCall made a record-breaking start to his first crack at the European Cup as head coach of Ulster. He responded by resigning.

French referees will take charge of the Irish provinces' Champions and Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

Munster booked their place in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals for an 18th time as they ground out a dogged victory over English league leaders Exeter at a sold-out Thomond Park on Saturday night.

Johann van Graan praised Keith Earls’s selflessness in putting his side first after ruling himself out of Munster’s European clash at Exeter just before kick-off.

IT is with good reason that Saracens winger Sean Maitland has started calling his captain Brad Barritt ‘The Terminator’.

Jonathan Sexton has been eager for a crack at Saracens for a while.

Jonny May ran in both tries as England kept their Grand Slam aspirations alive by edging Wales 12-6 in a brutally competitive NatWest 6 Nations clash at Twickenham.

Christian Lealiifano hopes to end his emotional rollercoaster spell in Belfast with a victory over Wasps that will send Ulster into the Champions Cup quarter-finals.

The key moment, talking point and key man from an intense game at Welford Road.

For all the good news coming out of Munster in the past couple of days, the appearance of centres Matt Toomua and Manu Tuilagi on the Leicester Tigers teamsheet yesterday lunchtime will have offered a sobering counterpoint ahead of tomorrow’s Champions Cup re-match at Welford Road.

Johann van Graan has called on his Munster side to reduce the penalty count when they go into the Tigers’ den at Welford Road on Sunday.

The understandably grumpy figure cut by Leicester captain Tom Youngs at Thomond Park on Saturday night was neatly representative of the English mood in general after a terrible weekend of Champions Cup results for Premiership clubs.

Munster took this game by the scruff of the neck from the first whistle of a ferocious encounter, the home side getting their reward with an early penalty from Ian Keatley and hammering home their dominance with first-half tries for Rhys Marshall and Simon Zebo that put the Reds firmly in control.

New Zealand star Sonny Bill Williams will be available for the All Blacks' Rugby Championship opener against Australia on August 19.

After a hectic five weeks on the road and eight searching examinations to this point, the 2017 Lions tour reached the point of no return in the aptly named windy Wellington last Saturday night.

Sonny Bill Williams was sent off as the British and Irish Lions claimed a thrilling Test series-levelling 24-21 victory over world champions New Zealand at Westpac Stadium.

Steve Hansen has reacted angrily to Warren Gatland’s demand that referees clamp down on New Zealand’s “dangerous” targeting of Conor Murray by phoning a radio station to call him “desperate”.

Warren Gatland will ask the referees to clamp down on the All Blacks' "dangerous" harassment of Conor Murray's kicking game.

Northampton Saints flanker Teimana Harrison has leapt to the defence of Dylan Hartley, who was banned for six weeks yesterday following his red card against Leinster, with Harrison insisting his teammate “is not a prick”.

Dylan Hartley's suitability to lead the British and Irish Lions has been questioned by Brian O'Driscoll as the England captain waits to discover the damage caused to his career by yet another major disciplinary lapse.

Ulster hope to be able to call on Ireland’s Iain Henderson for Saturday’s Guinness PRO12 date at Cardiff Blues, though the shoulder injured in the win over Australia is still to be fully assessed.

World Rugby’s head of referees Alain Rolland can expect a busy inbox this morning when he logs on for work after another weekend of concerns about the standards of Test officiating.