Games as eagerly anticipated as Saturday’s clash of Ireland and New Zealand rarely deliver on the expectation, but this was special, another one of those I was there days, writes Donal Lenihan.

Peter O’Mahony’s pain as he rose from the bench to celebrate Ireland’s victory was as excruciating as the preceding minutes had been for those in the Aviva Stadium to watch on Saturday night.

A second win over the All Blacks in the last three meetings is a significant enough achievement for Ireland but what is even more satisfying is the team which got the job done this time around.

In this sports writing game we’re always told not to get too far ahead of ourselves but come on, who now isn’t thinking about the knockout stages of the World Cup?

Red and black were the colours on the trophy yesterday as Ballygunner made it a first Munster club senior hurling title since 2001, an emotional victory for the Waterford men. They had lost to yesterday’s opponents, Na Piarsaigh of Limerick, twice at this stage in the previous three years, and their determination to break that series of defeats was clear in Semple Stadium.

Ballygunner joint-captain and goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe was frank after yesterday’s Munster club win, admitting it was “hard to sum up”.

To label this Charleville’s finest hour would be incorrect, would be misleading. Far more accurate is it to catalogue their second-half performance as the most outstanding 33 minutes of hurling ever produced by a Charleville team.

Two years ago, Gaoth Dobhair were beaten by 12 points in the Donegal Championship and walked out of the ground a broken team. Mervyn O’Donnell took over as manager and made one pledge — that he was going to restore honesty to the club.

Cork and Munster champions Mourneabbey have marched into a fourth All-Ireland Senior Ladies Club Football Final in five seasons. Meanwhile, substitute Roisin McGovern proved the match-winner for Foxrock-Cabinteely in the day's second semi-final.

"It was unreal. Boys showing up everywhere. Tackles that probably shouldn't have been made. Plays that shouldn't have been made. Guys were fighting for each other and fighting for the cause."

So it’s all back to Aarhus on Monday for the first time since August 22, 2007, and what turned out to be one of the most extraordinary nights, for all the right

Ireland captain Séamus Coleman admits a degree of anger is driving him to round off a woeful year with a result in Denmark on Monday.

Denmark overcame Wales in a passionate Nations League contest in Cardiff last night and, in doing so, relegating Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland to League C.

Eimear Ryan - blowing the whistle on the week’s sport.

Enough Tory MPs have requested a vote of confidence in Theresa May to trigger a contest, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady has announced.

Tottenham’s new stadium WILL be the only place to host Champions League football in London this season after another night of incredible drama in Barcelona ended with Lucas Moura striking a late, late equaliser to send Spurs through to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Ever feel that you need to be in two places at once? As we sat high up in the Camp Nou, watching Barcelona and Tottenham play out a 1-1 draw, eyes were stuck fast on updates from the San Siro. It was like watching Tony Blair’s nervous smile in Sedgefield in May 1997 while Michael Portillo grimaced in Enfield. All you needed was to splice yourself in half. Was that really too much to ask?

Keeping Kerry’s most talented young players at home and preventing further footballers from signing AFL contracts represents a “huge challenge” for the county board, according to chairman Tim Murphy.

Thomond Park will start to empty as the final whistle sounds tomorrow afternoon when referee JP Doyle calls time on Munster’s European showdown with Castres.

Larry Ryan offers some thoughts on the football week.