I met Michael Cheika for the first time in 2005.

In a season marked by injury woes it’s perhaps appropriate that Joe Schmidt should have to deal with more of the same in choosing his lineup for the Amlin final.

Scott LaValla can see the Aviva Stadium from his hotel. The RDS, where he will line out with Stade Francais tonight in the Amlin Challenge Cup final, is just around the corner.

When Leinster look back on their domination of European rugby over the last four seasons, they may well pinpoint that incredible Heineken Cup semi-final win over Munster in 2009 as their coming of age.

ENGLAND flanker James Haskell is among a raft of players departing from Stade Français, following a huge shake-up of the Parisian outfit’s playing staff.

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side to face Munster in Saturday’s Magners League Grand Final at Thomond Park as the newly crowned Heineken Cup champions go for an unprecedented double.

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has today named Brian O’Driscoll in his starting line-up for tomorrow’s Heineken Cup final against Northampton at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (kick-off 5pm).

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side for tomorrow night’s Magners League semi-final match against Ulster at the RDS, kick-off 7.05pm.

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side for tomorrow night’s Magners League match against Glasgow Warriors at the RDS (kick-off 7.05pm).

Donal Lenihan looks at the Irish powerhouses and sees one squad primed to build on European success, while the other requires major surgery as cracks start to show.

Donal Lenihan talks us through the tactics

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side for tomorrow’s Heineken Cup semi-final with Toulouse at the Aviva Stadium, kick-off 3.30pm.

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side for Saturday’s Magners League match against Aironi at the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, kick-off 2.30pm.

TOULOUSE, Northampton and Perpignan may beg to differ but Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin had no hesitation in slapping Leinster with the label of Europe’s best after an Irish derby where most of the thoroughbreds were trained locally.

Leinster 34 Ulster 26

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his team for Saturday’s Magners League match with Ulster at the RDS, kick-off 8pm.

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side for Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final match against Leicester Tigers at the Aviva Stadium, kick-off 6pm.

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side to face Munster in tomorrow night’s Magners League match at Thomond Park Stadium in Limerick, kick-off 7.30pm.

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side for Sunday’s Magners League clash with the Dragons in Rodney Parade, kick-off 2.30pm.

AFTER a performance like Ireland’s on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium, it’s difficult not to look back and wonder what might have been.

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side for Friday’s Magners League clash with the Scarlets at the RDS (kick-off 7.35pm).

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side for tomorrow night’s Magners League match with Benetton Treviso at the RDS, kick-off 7.10pm.

LEINSTER coach Joe Schmidt has admitted that the next fortnight will be crucial to his team’s hopes of reaching the Magners League play-offs.

Cardiff Blues 11 Leinster 3

LEO CULLEN will become only the fifth player in Leinster’s history to reach the 150 cap mark when he leads the side out for tonight’s Magners League clash away to third-placed Cardiff Blues at the Cardiff Park Stadium (kick-off 6.30pm).

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has named his side for Saturday’s Magners League game against the Cardiff Blues at Cardiff City Stadium (kick-off 6.30pm).

IRELAND coach Declan Kidney has said the onus is on Munster prop Tony Buckley to prove he’s worth a place in the Ireland squad following his signing for Sale Sharks, a transfer which has put the IRFU’s player management policy in the spotlight.

LEINSTER will battle to retain the services of prop forward Mike Ross next season with increased speculation the Cork native is set for a return to his Munster roots following the departure of Tony Buckley to Sale Sharks.

IRISH prop Mike Ross is being lined up for a possible move back to his native Munster next season.

MUNSTER have been handed a massive boost ahead of Friday’s Magners League tie against Edinburgh with confirmation that Ronan O’Gara, Peter Stringer and Denis Leamy have been released from the national squad.

IT has been a long journey but a worthwhile one for Mike Ross as Declan Kidney named him in the Ireland team to face Italy in the RBS 6 Nations opener in Rome on Saturday.

THESE are heady times for Leinster. Healthy times, too.

THE Ospreys will return to the RDS this Friday for the first time since claiming the Magners League title at Leinster’s expense last May but Mike Ross’ appetite for revenge owes itself to a more recent meeting between the pair.

“A bloody focus” is the phrase Leinster forwards coach Jono Gibbes uses to describe what his pack need to counter the threat that comes from the Ospreys scrum on Friday.

FERGUS McFADDEN would like it to be known that he isn’t losing the run of himself, even if he has every reason to.

THE contrasting fortunes of Tony McGahan and Joe Schmidt heading into the crucial back-to-back rounds of the Heineken Cup could not be highlighted more forcibly than by the selection dilemmas facing both men this week.

Leinster have signed New Zealand Maori prop Clint Newlands on a short-term deal until February.

MUNSTER confirmed a triple injury blow yesterday with Denis Fogarty, Felix Jones and Ian Dowling facing lay-offs after Saturday’s Magners League victory over the Ospreys.