Having missed most of last season through injury, it is starting to look like Jack O’Donoghue has the spring back in his step.

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

Saracens might be a club who have suffered a few body blows recently but Munster fans arriving at Allianz Park tomorrow afternoon for the Champions Cup pool match will not find a squad who think they are on the canvas.

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.

Munster won’t want for incentive in London this weekend. In Jean Kleyn’s permutations, beating Saracens at Allianz Park Saturday not only keeps Munster’s hopes alive of Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final qualification, but also offers the opportunity to extinguish the aspirations of the defending champions.

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.

There’s an old saying that a pessimist complains about the wind, an optimist expects it to change but a realist will adjust the sails to suit the conditions.

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.

Captain Peter O’Mahony claimed a crucial lone try as Munster overcame Saracens 10-3 in a scrappy Heineken Champions Cup contest at a weather-beaten Thomond Park.

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.

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

Graham Rowntree believes Saracens will be an even more dangerous prospect due to their off-field problems when they visit Munster tomorrow for the sold-out Heineken Champions Cup clash 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

Mark McCall believes the addition of Stephen Larkham and Graham Rowntree to the Munster coaching team has made them more formidable opponents

Stuart Lancaster believes the disappointment felt by Ireland’s World Cup contingent can spur the four provinces to memorable heights in Europe, just as it did their English counterparts four years ago.

Peter O’Mahony admitted Munster’s quarter-final qualification hopes had taken a hit from Saturday’s home stalemate with Racing 92, but both he and Johann van Graan were staying positive ahead of back-to-back games against Saracens next month.

Mark McCall says Saracens, who are tomorrow expected to drop their appeal to the punishment dished out for breaching the Premiership salary cap, will continue to battle for glory at home and in Europe.

Sean O’Brien was among a handful of former Leinster stars who returned to the team HQ this week to set the scene for the province’s ‘drive for five’ ahead of today’s Heineken Champions Cup opener against Benetton.

Whatever about losing the World Cup final, English rugby had every right to be feeling good about itself and the future of the game after a successful tournament in Japan — until, of course, they found themselves with a PR nightmare on their hands with revelations about Saracens and their manipulation of the Premiership salary cap.

Mark McCall’s public confession that Saracens may have to sacrifice the Champions’ Cup in order to preserve their domestic status will have fallen on stony ground all over Europe.

There was something cathartic about the way Japan hosted the Rugby World Cup. It made you feel good about the sport. The interaction of fans from all over the world, without rancour or fear, the manner with which visitors to the country were welcomed and embraced, the dignity around the tragic fallout from Typhoon Hagibis.

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.

Munster’s new-look brains trust will have little time to brace for their first intensive exam on the back of a Heineken Champions Cup draw in Lausanne yesterday which did the province few favours.

Reasons to be fearful for Leinster today?

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.

After a scarcely believable few nights of footballing drama, Europe’s two best rugby teams are this evening faced with the unenviable task of delivering a Heineken Champions Cup final to rival the beautiful game’s capacity to exhilarate.

History will be in the air when Leinster face Saracens in tomorrow's Heineken Champions Cup final in Newcastle, but Leo Cullen won't feel the need to highlight the drive for five when he addresses his players before kick-off at St James' Park.

Leinster boss Leo Cullen named an unchanged starting line-up from the semi-final win over Toulouse for Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup final showdown with Saracens but insisted it was a far from straightforward selection process.

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.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline

There was a time early on in his career when it was almost mandatory to precede Robbie Henshaw’s name with the phrase ‘former Westmeath minor footballer’ given his three Leinster Championship appearances for the county.

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.

There has been a surge in stories lately about who’s going to end up where in 2020 and not all of it has been about your columnist.

We’ve been down this road before, on seven different occasions now since Paul O’Connell, in tandem with Ronan O’Gara, lifted the Heineken Cup aloft in Cardiff 11 years ago after Munster beat the tournament’s greatest side to that point in a memorable 16-13 win over Toulouse.

Simon Lewis There is only so much credit you can give the winning team before turning the page and focusing on becoming the better team yourself.

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.

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

In a statement, European Professional Club Rugby said: “EPCR does not condone the entry of a spectator to the field of play.

Saracens continued their recent dominance of Munster as they subjected the Irish province to another mauling and consigned the Reds to a third straight European semi-final defeat.

Ever get that feeling that the stars are aligning for some special purpose?

Edinburgh Airport, Saturday evening, March 30. As the Munster squad and supporters prepare to fly home after a tense quarter-final victory at Murrayfield, there are numerous emotions on display.