New year — same old Leinster?

All good things come to an end. The question, when it comes to Leinster’s current unbeaten run, is when.

Given the trail of destruction Leinster have left in their wake on visits to opposition grounds this season, it would be easy to portray Munster as just another hapless victim of a superbly efficient rugby machine.

Johann van Graan was left to rue Munster’s failure to break down Leinster’s defences as Leo Cullen’s defending champions continued their 100 per cent start to the Guinness PRO14 campaign with a hard-fought victory at Thomond Park.

Carbery has spent the last two months rehabbing an ankle injury.

Leo Cullen makes nine changes to the Leinster team which edged past Zebre 3-0 for tomorrow's game against the Dragons.

Leinster maintained their 100% start to the Guinness PRO14 season in a game of two halves at a blustery RDS.

Leo Cullen has braced his players for an altogether more challenging Friday night at the RDS tonight (kick-off 7.35pm), a week on from their eight-try hammering of Ospreys.

Felipe Contepomi insists that Jonathan Sexton is more than capable of parachuting back into Leinster’s XV for Sunday week’s Heineken Champions Cup semi-final against Toulouse in Dublin.

Leo Cullen says the coming week will be a “big” one for Devin Toner, as the Ireland second row prepares to make a well-timed return to fitness.

If the Cheetahs thought they might get an easy run out against Leinster during the Six Nations, the South Africans were sadly mistaken.

Ultan Dillane, Caolin Blade, Jack Carty and Tom Farrell will line-out for Connacht after their Ireland call-ups.

So, no Jonathan Sexton to set the tone and dictate the tune.

Tonight will tell Stuart Lancaster a lot.

Keith Earls, named by his peers last night as Zurich’s Irish player of the year, is aiming to cap a memorable season by accounting for Leinster’s European champions and claiming a first trophy for Munster since 2011.

Twelve Ireland internationals are among the 21 Leinster players who have signed new contracts for next season.

O'Brien has been out for three months after surgery on a hip injury.

Leo Cullen couldn’t help but cast his mind back to this week two years ago.

Josh van der Flier lost out on many a ready-made headline when his career path took him into the back row and not the back three but the 24-year-old remains well able to make a name for himself.

Apologies if the focus on Leinster’s strength in depth is beginning to wear thin but it is a theme that is impossible to ignore given the side Leo Cullen named yesterday.

Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen has handed a first start to Josh Murphy in tonight’s Guinness PRO14 clash with the Dragons at the RDS Arena (7.35pm).

There was some degree of befuddlement in UCD earlier this week when Ross Byrne and Ross Molony found themselves being quizzed on the possibility of featuring in a Rugby World Cup in Ireland in 2023.

Meanwhile, Leinster have made nine changes for their trip to Glasgow.

The mood in South African rugby is understandably glum after the Springboks lost 57-0 to the All Blacks at the weekend, but none of that worried Leinster backline coach Girvan Dempsey yesterday.

Leinster flew out for South Africa via Paris last night with forwards coach John Fogarty warning that they will have to roll with the punches off the field long before they step inside the white lines.

Scarlets reached their first ever Guinness PRO12 final after defeating much-fancied Leinster 27-15 at the RDS despite having Steff Evans sent off before half-time.

Isa Nacewa has overcome his recent injury concern to captain Leinster for the visit of Cardiff to the RDS.

Leo Cullen has made eight changes for Leinster's Pro12 clash with Edinburgh tomorrow evening in the RDS.

If a week is a long time in politics, then image what a year in professional sport must feel like.

Leinster have got a a bonus-point win over the Dragons at the RDS this evening.

It was called Route 6’6”. With the stocks of tall second rows at a critically low ebb, Leinster launched the search for alternatives around about this time five years ago.

Glasgow Warriors lay in wait to ambush another Irish side when Leo Cullen’s troops trot out at Scotstoun this afternoon (3pm).

Girvan Dempsey believes Rob Kearney is poised to return to something like the form of old now that the Leinster and Ireland full-back finally appears to have put a prolonged period of injury frustration behind him.

Leinster 19 Bath 39: Semesa Rokoduguni, Harry Davies and George Ford helped themselves to second-half tries at Donnybrook last night, as Leinster’s pre-season campaign ended with a 20-point defeat against Bath.

Leo Cullen is confident fly-half Johnny Sexton will be ready for Leinster to face Munster next Saturday in their crucial Guinness PRO12 interprovincial clash at the Aviva Stadium.