Munster hooker Kevin O’Byrne looks set to get a rare second consecutive start but having made 45 of his 61 appearances for the province off the bench, he said he is ready to go at any stage.

Munster were ruthless and clinical as they ended a two-year wait for a win at the Arms Park by putting Cardiff Blues to the sword to leave the Welsh capital with a priceless bonus-point.

Jack O’Sullivan and Jed Holloway both made their debuts as part of the Munster pack, with the Waratahs import Holloway lining out in the second row alongside captain Billy Holland.

Helen O'Callaghan asks 13 colleges how they plan to make their newest students feel welcome,what they feel sets these colleges apart, and whether they've got any new courses on offer this year.

Orla O'Byrne is excited about embarking on a new career in art, having always maintained her interest in it while working as a baker and running her three cafés in Cork since founding the Natural Foods Bakery in 2002.

The 126-time international has been part of each major ranking tournament with the Green Army since 2015, culminating in last summer’s World Cup silver medal.

Munster have named their starting team for the Pro14 clash with Cardiff in Musgrave Park.

Johann van Graan’s glass remained half-full as he argued Munster are still very much in Guinness PRO14 title contention despite defeat to the Scarlets in Llanelli.

Munster head coach Johann van Graan reserved special praise for his young players and the experience of scrum-half Alby Mathewson after his team survived a big scare in Newport.

Munster coach Johann van Graan praised stand-in captain Tyler Bleyendaal and his men for carving out a bonus point win at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein yesterday.

A heavily-deflected Giselle Ansley goal took some of the wind out of the Irish women’s sails but the upshot of their 1-0 loss to England at Lee Valley has probably provided the perfect scenario for Thursday’s World Cup quarter-final.

Munster’s love affair with the B&I Cup came to an end yesterday when they bowed out to arch-rivals Leinster at the quarter-final stage of a competition that will cease to exist after this season.

Leinster A 17 Munster A 6: Munster A were stripped of their B&I Cup title by Irish rivals Leinster A at Energia Park, Donnybrook today in a tight match that was in doubt for much of the 80 minutes.

Garryowen 18 ... UL Bohemian 3: Garryowen claimed their 39th Munster Senior Cup when overwhelming local rivals UL Bohemian 18-3 in their all-Limerick final at the Markets Field last night.

Munster are hoping for another new contract boost with the retention of Ireland back-three star Andrew Conway to follow extended deals announced last night for forwards Billy Holland, Stephen Archer, and Kevin O’Byrne.

Munster’s visit to Welford Road was always going to prove the most challenging of the reverse fixtures against a clearly hurting trio of Aviva Premiership clubs after their Champions Cup whitewash by the Irish provinces last weekend, writes Donal Lenihan.

Irish basketball chief Bernard O’Byrne admits the sport needs some “Irish icons” to help move the game in this country to the next level.

Many wildlife species are in decline but some simple measures can help a lot, writes Rita de Brún

Lansdowne 24 Cork Constitution 10: Scott Deasy came back to scupper his former club on the Aviva Stadium’s back pitch yesterday as Lansdowne earned a 24-10 win over Ulster Bank League champions Cork Constitution.

Frank Pig Says Hello and its sequel should make for fine viewing, writes Alan O’Riordan

Innovative companies are driving Ireland’s near-€8bn foodservice sector, writes Ruth Doris

Chief executive Bernard O’Byrne has revealed that Basketball Ireland (BI) will stump up the €4,000 shortfall to continue a development officer programme in Cork, mired in controversy, through the rest of this year.

Ladies basketball officials in Cork are facing local protests and strong criticism from Basketball Ireland over a proposal to axe funding for the sport’s local development programme, run by UCC Demons star Ciarán O’Sullivan.

Period dramas have us drooling over English historic houses of a grand and, often, ostentatious type, some lived in by generations of the same family, others conserved by venerable institutions like English Heritage and the National Trust.

B&I Cup final:

Munster A 26 Ulster A 3: It was rugged, it was tough, but Munster A secured a well-deserved B&I Cup quarter-final victory over Ulster at Musgrave Park yesterday and earned themselves a home date with Ealing Trailfinders, who had a huge 84-7 win over Llanelli Scarlets.

Carol O’Callaghan peruses some of the recent publications that might provide you with ideas for your own home, as well as satisfying your curiosity about what other people have in theirs.

Supporters of Ibrahim Halawa, the young Irishman detained in an Egyptian prison for more than three years, have received mixed messages from the Irish Government about efforts to free him, after his trial was postponed for the 16th time.

Hillary Clinton securing the White House in the US election in under two weeks’ time will not automatically lead to stable markets, gold trading firm GoldCore has said.

Mark Bernsen can’t say if Kieran Donaghy will or won’t play football for Kerry in 2017 but the Tralee Warriors coach is confident the cross-code star will be a regular presence for the new club as it begins life in Basketball Ireland’s rebranded Super League.

Ireland’s elite basketball players will have to keep putting their hands in their own pockets and raising funds independently for the foreseeable future in order to wear the green jersey on the international stage.

More affiliate members of the Olympic Council of Ireland have called for a review of structures within the OCI, as one member organisation insisted a constitutional review was “long overdue”.

Crisis-hit Offaly restored some pride with a battling, if uninspiring win over Carlow in the Leinster SHC Round Robin series at Tullamore.

Former Munster hooker Denis Fogarty has become the latest player to have to retire from the game through injury.

At the Central Criminal Court yesterday, a Dublin man became the third person sentenced to life imprisonment for the same gangland murder.

Gardaí traced a can of Red Bull found at a suspected murder scene from a factory in Switzerland to a shop in south Dublin, the Central Criminal Court has heard.