Good news for Munster and Ulster’s qualification prospects...

The frustration for Warren Gatland was already beginning to subside the morning after the night before the draw.

Warren Gatland hailed Sam Warburton's diplomacy skills as crucial to the British and Irish Lions' drawn Test series with New Zealand.

The Lions have drawn with New Zealand in a dramatic deciding test.

The British and Irish Lions must win Saturday's third Test in Auckland to claim a first series victory over world champions New Zealand since 1971.

Rory Best refused to criticise referee Romain Poite after the British and Irish Lions were held to a 31-31 draw by the Hurricanes in Wellington.

England survived an almighty scare to finish 36-15 winners at Twickenham as Italy issued a rousing response to scrutiny of their ongoing presence in the Six Nations.

If you’re a beleaguered fan of Munster or Leinster, pining for the glory days when knockout rugby in European competition could be taken for granted at the turn of the year, then you’re in good company.

Anthony Foley will today begin the process of gathering his forces and focusing on the daunting task of overturning the home defeat to Leicester Tigers with a campaign-saving victory at Welford Road this Sunday.

Racing Metro 13 ASM Clermont Auvergne 13: Johnny Sexton expressed his bemusement with the French Top 14 countdown clock for goal-kicking after he was penalised for taking too long over a penalty in Racing Metro’s drawn league game with Clermont.

As if things weren’t bad enough, Saracens finished on a high with their third try of the day accompanied by that despicable Chris Ashton swan dive.

In a new European Cup world where three of five second placed teams advance rather than two from six, a bonus point in Clermont is no small thing.

They now call it the Champions Cup and if the title sounds a touch grandiose, well the vast majority have been champions of something at some stage or other.

An 11-hour flight getting to Hong Kong gives you plenty of reasons to burn the weekend’s tests onto a CD, and plenty of time to dissect them, writes Ronan O'Gara.

Paul O’Connell has revealed Joe Schmidt has challenged Ireland to bulk up for next year’s World Cup, admitting “we could be bigger and more physical”

The visitors hold all the aces in terms of recent form, preparation, settled combinations and the confidence that stems from beating New Zealand last time out.

HEINEKEN CUP POOL 1:

Leinster 36 Ospreys 3

Australian sport is going through a rough time at present, something an ultra-competitive, sports-mad nation is finding difficult to come to terms with.

Glasgow 20 Exeter 16

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony yesterday insisted he feels great and ready to lead the province into Europe against Edinburgh this weekend.

Leinster head coach Matt O’Connor buried his head in his hands in the wake of defeat to Munster but it was referee Romain Poite’s performance rather than his team’s which left him most frustrated at Thomond Park.

Leinster coach Matt O’Connor says he was gutted to leave Limerick with nothing last night in the Rabo Direct Pro 12.

All eyes will be on Thomond Park this evening when Leinster face Munster in the blue riband event of Irish rugby. But with referee Romain Poite in the middle is it likely to be a contest of 15 against 15 for the full 80 minutes?

It’s only a few months since I last put pen to paper yet so much has happened in the intervening period, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Agony or ecstasy, there really is nothing in between. So said Warren Gatland an hour after Saturday night’s captivating third Test in Sydney, and how right he is.

By Simon Lewis, Sydney

Three key areas

Irish referees are up in lights again for rounds five and six of the Heineken Cup next month, with four men on the 14-man panel.

Munster 15 Saracens 9

New Zealand 60 Ireland 0

An injury to Irish prop forward Mike Ross cast another dark shadow on the Leinster’s defeat to the Ospreys in last night’s RaboDirect Pro12 final at the RDS.

Paul O’Connell admitted the province need to regain the “cup rugby mentality which Munster teams have had in the past” after yesterday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat by Ulster at Thomond Park.

There must be incredible coaching talent in Ulster if they’re able to dispense with Brian McLaughlin.

Ireland’s refereeing nemeses of recent times, Dave Pearson and Romain Poite, have been placed in charge of the provinces’ upcoming Heineken Cup quarter-finals.