Andy Farrell believes he will be leading Ireland into a new era with a squad for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations he believes has got the lot.

Andy Farrell's first squad was not one named for shock value, though the omissions are as notable as the new additions.

There has been no shortage of praise for Leinster’s latest batch of youth, but to watch Max Deegan give another Man-of-the-Match performance yesterday in Ballsbridge could make you think that they perhaps haven’t been lauded enough.

The Munster head coach was able to select JJ Hanahan as his starting fly-half to face Racing 92 in Sunday’s crucial Heineken Champions Cup pool clash at La Défense Arena.

Max Deegan was deemed to be the best player in the world at the U20 grade after his efforts at the World Junior Championships in 2016.

A grim night for the visitors to the RDS. And it could have been much worse.

New year — same old Leinster?

The Leinster outhalf suffered a medial ligament tear in Leinster's Champions Cup win over Northampton a month ago.

There's no room for Rob Kearney, Seán Cronin, Jordi Murphy, Jack Carty, John Ryan or Kieran Marmion – with newly eligible Jamison Gibson-Park jumping ahead of the Connacht man at scrum-half.

With the Six Nations kicking off in less than two months, it is the first squad meet-up since the national team returned from Japan.

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.

Caelan Doris is the right man in the right spot at the right time.

Seven tries to one. A 27-point differential. This Pool 1 Heineken Champions Cup encounter turned into a rout but Leinster were just three points to the good when Jonathan Sexton went down in the tackle four minutes after half-time.

Northampton has been a happy hunting ground for Leinster in the past and they have the scent of a quarter-final berth in their nostrils yet again after this impressive win.

The four Irish provinces have named their teams for this weekend's Champions Cup clashes.

Leinster were relieved to leave Lyon with their winning record intact in the European Champions Cup after a nervous end to their win in Stade Matmut de Gerland.

There are three changes to the team that defeated Ospreys.

Keith Earls will make his first Munster appearance of the season in tomorrow's Champions Cup opener against the Ospreys.

Rhys Ruddock bore the air of a man intent on looking straight ahead as he spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup opener against Benetton.

Despite the disappointment of last Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final exit to New Zealand, Peter O’Mahony insists Joe Schmidt vacates his role as Ireland head coach with considerable credit in the bank.

Jack Conan will miss the 2020 Six Nations after surgery on the foot injury that ended his World Cup early.

Steve Hansen insists quality and not quantity is the vital factor when it comes to experience after seeing New Zealand’s young guns blast Ireland out of the World Cup.

Sit steady and stop fidgeting. The World Cup is about to get properly serious.

Donal Lenihan assesses the starting XV to play the All Blacks on Saturday

Joe Schmidt will ask his team of All Blacks slayers to do it all over again this Saturday as Ireland attempt to win a World Cup quarter-final for the first time in their history.

This isn’t the team that Joe Schmidt envisaged naming against Samoa.

Robbie Henshaw will belatedly begin his 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign against Samoa on Saturday after Ireland named a team close to full strength in their bid to qualify for the quarter-finals.

This was a game that Ireland could not afford to labour in, but labour they did all the same.

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.

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.

Johnny Sexton will return to the Ireland starting line-up on Thursday as Joe Schmidt’s team bids to reignite their World Cup Pool A campaign against Russia with a much-changed XV.

The Ireland squad appear to be enjoying their Japan adventure if their social media activity is anything to go by.

It's 10 years since Ciaran and Rhys Ruddock were part of a talented Ireland U20s side that travelled to Japan to compete in the Junior World Cup.

Brian O’Driscoll believes Ireland can back up their World No.1 ranking by winning the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Ireland will take a fully fit squad to Japan for the World Cup.

The clock had long dipped into the red at the end of the first-half by the time Jonathan Sexton attempted one of those trademark wraparound moves only to be swallowed by a bear hug of a tackle and then held up by a posse of supporting Welshmen.

The Irish team to face Wales this Saturday has been announced.

This time four years ago, Mike Ross was trying to figure out how to impress his fellow World Cup squad members.

So now the real work begins. The debates over squad selection are over, at least inside the Irish camp, and now comes the business end of Joe Schmidt’s preparations for Japan and the 2019 World Cup.

Jean Kleyn: No matter what Agustin Pichot thinks, the South African-born Munster lock has qualified by right and earned his place the hard way after three years of acclimatisation in Limerick.

Malcolm O’Kelly has told Devin Toner not to switch off after he was sensationally left out of Joe Schmidt’s 31 man Rugby World Cup squad.

The IRFU named the group that will travel to Japan today, six days earlier than planned, after the shock demotion was leaked.

In another unexpected move, head coach Schmidt preferred Luke McGrath as his back-up scrum-half over Conor Murray’s long-standing number two Kieran Marmion.