The target on Leinster’s back has just got bigger. That’s the way it has always been for champions. First up, it’s Munster gunning for a win over the newly crowned European champions that would propel them into a third Guinness Pro 12/14 final in four seasons.

Leo Cullen took his place in the European rugby pantheon as the first man to win the Champions Cup as a player and coach but the Leinster boss quickly set his sights on a first league and cup double for the province.

Nacewa was the Leinster hero in his final game for the province.

Cullen called the Spanish stadium "an amazing place".

Johnny Sexton waited almost a decade to experience the satisfaction of playing a central role in an Ireland Grand Slam success, but he will try not to scratch a similar itch when Leinster contest their first Champions Cup final in six years in Bilbao today.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen took another look around the San Mames Stadium ahead of today’s Champions Cup final showdown with Racing 92 and experienced the uncomfortable feeling of a stadium decked out in red.

He’s the Racing 92 wing who broke Munster hearts in Bordeaux and who has the firepower to do the same to Leinster in Bilbao on Saturday, so just how do you stop Teddy Thomas?

It is a good job Josh van der Flier is a glass-half-full type of character. Only someone of a positive and optimistic disposition could view sitting in the stands in Bilbao this weekend as a sign of progress.

Nick McCarthy says he’ll be ready to rock if he’s selected by Leinster in next month’s Champions Cup final in Bilbao.

Having watched Munster reach the last four against the odds 24 hours earlier, Leinster would have been even more energised to join their neighbours and rivals in the Champions Cup last four.

A police officer has died after clashes between police and football fans before a Europa League match in Bilbao, Spanish police said.

More than 300 stadiums, statues, museums and towers worldwide are set to go green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day next month.

Should both countries qualify, Ireland and Spain are set to meet in the group stages of the multi-city Euro 2020 Finals.

Has a team ever lifted a European trophy after going an entire season without winning an away game in their own league?

Thursday night football may be second-best but there is a lot to anticipate from the tie between Manchester United and Athletic Bilbao.