Dragons new head coach Dean Ryan has described this afternoon’s Guinness PRO14 visit to Thomond Park as “a massive challenge”. His forwards coach, Ceri Jones, went a stage further in calling it “the acid test”.

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini believes everyone must respect Declan Rice’s decision over his international future.

The community of Newport in Co Tipperary has banded together to help raise €100,000 for one of its residents, 29-year-old Kevin Bourke who has a rare form of cancer.

John Deady proposed to Aoife Hennessy as they enjoyed a visit to Killarney National Park, in December 2017, and they returned as newlyweds to Kerry this year to toast to their future together.

A key test, passed with flying colours. For a golden generation of young athletes, Saturday’s National Junior and U-23 Championships proved a low-key but high-intensity examination of their fitness as they prepare to take their talents to a bigger stage.

Re-engaging with a team recently met is one of hurling’s hardest tasks. Familiarity breeds apprehension, a mixture of knowledge and fear.

A round-up of the counts in Munster.

It was another day of records at the Irish Life Health/Munster Schools’ Championships which took place in blustery conditions at Cork IT.

Ulster moved third in PRO14 Conference B following a 28-15 bonus-point victory over bottom side Dragons in Newport.

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.

Bernard Jackman has been sacked as head coach by the Dragons.

Nenagh CBS bounced back from an opening round loss to hand defending champions Ardscoil Ris a significant defeat in this group A Dr Harty Cup tie in Newport.

Walters played the full 90 minutes in last night's 4-1 defeat to Wales.

The Cork youngster penned a new contract with Liverpool last month.

It will be dry and sunny again today but temperatures will start dropping slightly after reaching a high of 32ºC on Thursday.

The much-awaited clash between Charlie O’Donovan (Coláiste Chríost Rí) and Darragh McElhinney (Coláiste Pobail, Bantry) in the senior boys 1500m lived up to expectations at the Irish Life Health Munster Schools Championships which took place in glorious conditions at Castleisland.

On a day of surprises at the Irish Life Health All-Ireland Schools’ Cross Country Championships, Sarah Healy made light of the mud and hills to make history at the WIT Arena in Carriganore.

It took a back-to-basics approach for Munster to rebound from their Cardiff Blues no-show to get the show on the road again last weekend and Jean Kleyn believes the squad will be similarly focused ahead of tomorrow’s tricky league trip to Edinburgh.

By Marjorie Brennan

Harry Kane rescued Tottenham’s FA Cup hopes as his late equaliser secured a 1-1 draw at Newport.

Around 100 million people shivered In the United States as temperatures plummeted - with a wind chill close to minus 100F (minus 73.3C) on New Hampshire's Mount Washington meaning it vied for the world's coldest place.

A "monster" who subjected his girlfriend to a series of vicious attacks that left her so badly bruised a paramedic could not tell what her race or ethnicity was has been jailed for life.

A janitor with a pharmaceutical manufacturer has been awarded €64,000 after the High Court found his employer was negligent in allowing him to work excessive overtime.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has called for a crackdown on fish farms after farmed salmon escaped into five river systems in the west of Ireland.

Scores of farmed salmon have been caught in five renowned rivers despite producers not reporting any escapes, fisheries chiefs have revealed.

Connacht paid the price for a shocking first-half display as they were beaten 21-8 by the Dragons in Newport.

Connacht return to their happiest hunting ground in the league this evening, bidding for their seventh win in 16 visits to Rodney Parade when they take on Dragons.

Ireland were celebrating on the double at the 19th European Senior Racquetball Championships in the Hague today.

Kieran Marmion may have won 10 of his 16 Irish caps since November in a rich vein of form but he knows that the immediate impact made by his former Connacht team-mate John Cooney in Ulster will not go unnoticed.

This summer was officially a washout - for some - according to new figures.

Leo Cullen is expecting a Dragons side revitalised under new ownership and the guidance of former team-mate Bernard Jackman when Leinster open their Guinness Pro14 campaign at Rodney Parade in Newport this afternoon (3:15pm).

Bristol City upset Premier League Watford to reach the third round of the Carabao Cup with a 3-2 victory at Vicarage Road.

A youth worker who watched a livestream of a six-year-old boy being raped and urged on the attacker has been jailed for 11 years.

A coroner has concluded that the death of a 10-year-old boy in the UK who died after getting tangled up in a makeshift curtain was an accident.

It’s ‘as you were’ going into stage three of the An Post Rás today, as Sunday’s stage winner Nicolai Brochner-Nielsen managed to hold on to the yellow jersey by the skin of his teeth.

Over the weekend, yours truly had to hike himself down to the shops to get a fidget spinner (if you don’t know what that is then you clearly don’t have children under the age of 10 running around your house but don’t worry, soon the fidget spinner will be part of your life too.)

Damien Shaw has been handed the onerous task of leading the An Post Chain Reaction team into battle for this year’s An Post Rás which gets underway from, Dublin Castle on Sunday week, May 21.

Alex Wright sharpened up his preparations for the European Race Walking Cup by winning the 10k race walk as sprinters stole the show at the Leevale Sports in CIT on Saturday.

Horse racing mogul JP McManus opened up for the first time about his dream to host the Ryder Cup at Adare in 2026.