Ireland’s win against Wales last weekend proved something very important. The golden generation was not a once off, writes Steve Neville.

A motorcade featuring more than 200 motorcyclists escorted the hearse carrying Down Syndrome Ireland fundraiser and avid biker Aidan Lynam’s coffin back to Dublin last night.

Over the past two seasons, Leinster prop Jack McGrath had made a rapid progression on both club and international stages.

Gordon D’Arcy’s Ireland career appears at an end after the 81-cap Test veteran was excluded from Joe Schmidt’s squad for the remaining rounds of the Six Nations.

Ireland rugby coach Joe Schmidt has brought in Ulster's Roger Wilson and Munster's Billy Holland to the Ireland squad ahead of Sunday’s Six Nations clash with England at the Aviva.

Joe Schmidt has named his starting 15 and, as anticipated, Ian Keatley starts in the number ten shirt alongside Munster team-mate Conor Murray at scrum-half.

The Ireland coaching staff has named a 38 player squad for the first two rounds of the RBS 6 Nations Championship.

The Ireland coaching staff has today named an extended squad of 46 players for the upcoming RBS 6 Nations matches against Italy and France, as well as the Ireland Wolfhounds fixture against the England Saxons.

Leinster head coach Matt O’Connor hailed his side’s collective performance at the RDS on Saturday evening as they kept alive their European Champions Cup hopes with a comprehensive 50-8 victory over Pool Two opponents Castres.

Leinster remain on course to qualify from European Champions Cup Pool Two following a 50-8 bonus point thrashing of Castres at the RDS.

This time last year, Joe Schmidt was giving his best ‘aw shucks’ performances in talking at length about the pressures that come with being Ireland’s new head coach.

Greg Feek made no bones about it yesterday.

It’s been a week of plaudits for Jamie Heaslip after his display against Wasps last Sunday, and rightly so, but the Leinster skipper’s individual efforts overshadowed one of the more important inputs by the collective.

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt has named a 37-man squad for the forthcoming Guinness Series against South Africa, Georgia and Australia.

It’s been so long since Wasps carried a truly venomous sting in their tail it seems slightly surreal to recall the soon-to-be Coventry club remain the last English winners of European rugby’s biggest prize.

It was apt that on Father’s Day, Pat McConnon could boast to being the proudest Dad in the land.

Joe Schmidt’s squad will land in Buenos Aires today with two more uncapped players hoping to give their Ireland Test careers a kick start against Argentina and a forwards coach set to finish his there.

Brian O'Driscoll will pull on his blue jersey for the last time tomorrow evening, as Leinster take on Glasgow in the RaboDirect Pro12 final.

Leinster back Dave Kearney has been left out of Ireland's 30-man squad for the two-Test tour of Argentina in June.

Leinster Coach Matt O'Connor has made eight changes for the RaboDirect PRO12 semi-final against Ulster in the RDS at 7pm tomorrow.

No Kane Douglas yet, but Leinster head coach Matt O’Connor was happy yesterday to confirm that the province had retained the services of 21 players on new IRFU contracts for next season.

Mike Cron isn’t a household name in Irish rugby, but in New Zealand he’s known as "the scrum doctor".

The Leinster team to face Treviso in the RaboDirect PRO12 tomorrow afternoon (KO: 5pm) has been named.

Isaac Boss has been brought into the Leinster team to face the Ospreys tomorrow evening (KO: 7.05pm).

Eoin Reddan expects Leinster’s biggest threat to their season to come this weekend.

Leinster 22 Munster 18

Leinster 27 Zebre 0

Munster coach Rob Penney said Paul O’Connell had been floating around.

Paul O’Connell demonstrated just what a very special man he is on and off the pitch at the Stade de France on Saturday. As captain, leader, strategist and unrelenting ball carrier, the Young Munster man has no equal.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has named Munster's Simon Zebo in his 33-man Ireland squad.

Leinster coach Matt O’Connor has made 10 changes for tonight’s RaboDirect PRO12 clash against Glasgow Warriors at the RDS (8.30pm kick-off), where the Blue Army will be hoping to continue the excellent form that has helped them remain unbeaten in 2014.

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

England at Twickenham poses a bigger challenge than France in Paris, according to Ireland boss Joe Schmidt.

If any non-Leinster player had any illusions that Joe Schmidt was anything other than a demanding task-master, they were quickly reminded that good isn’t quite good enough.

Ireland captain and talisman Paul O’Connell has been forced out of this afternoon's RBS 6 Nations opener against Scotland after suffering a chest infection last night.

Irish Examiner rugby columnist, Donal Lenihan, throws his eyes over the key areas in this afternoon's Six Nations clash with Scotland.

Rotation.

Brian O’Driscoll will win his 129th cap, breaking Ronan O’Gara’s all-time record, when Ireland take on Scotland on Sunday.

The first cut is the deepest.

Joe Schmidt has kept his options open for filling the Ireland back-row vacancy created by injury to Sean O’Brien but has culled wings Simon Zebo and Craig Gilroy from his squad to face Scotland in Sunday’s Six Nations opener.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY:

HEINEKEN CUP POOL 1:

Leinster 36 Ospreys 3

Sean O’Brien’s signature may have dominated the news agenda yesterday but a memorable morning for Leinster was capped just hours later when news of Richardt Strauss’s return to action was confirmed.