“We’ve shown over the past 12 months we are the best team in the world. Our results prove that and the consistency we have managed has been amazing," captain Kyle Walker told the club's official website.

Having no Irish racing the Saurday before Christmas is baffling

Soon-to-depart IRFU director of rugby, David Nucifora is also set for a return to his native country in an advisory role and likely have a say in the Wallabies position despite remaining on as Ireland’s high-performance director until next year.

The Northern Irish pair - former World Cup team-mates - produced a combined nine 180s as they remained level-pegging heading into the first tie-break of the tournament.

The Reds head coach is also acutely aware of the various flaws in his own team that have been exposed in that same period, different opponents unpicking a new thread in a variety of seams from match to match.

The Ireland and Arsenal star is the 20th winner of the Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year award.

Forty-year-old set to become league’s first female referee and her appearance may have a welcome effect of lessening abuse

The head coach has made four changes from the starting line-up for last Sunday’s 32-24 Champions Cup pool defeat at Exeter Chiefs with the 6ft 4ins prop starting alongside hooker Diarmuid Barron and a returning Dave Kilcoyne at loosehead for a heavyweight clash against an all-Test Leinster front row.

Leinster have made nine changes to the line-up  which defeated Sale Sharks. 

He's achieved an enormous amount but hasn’t changed one bit since the day I met him.

An Olympic year is different, feels different. But if you’re a medal contender, you can’t believe the hype. It has to be just another race. Cathal Dennehy speaks to Rhasidat Adeleke and her coach, Edrick Floreal, about 2024 expectations and 'overcoming shit'. 

Shane Lowry would love to win the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down next September, but he’s got a lot to look forward to before then, with the four Majors and the Olympic Games in Paris just five of the big events on his radar.

Farrell made the shock decision just weeks after leading England to a third-placed finish at the World Cup in France – during which he was regularly booed by fans – and he will miss at least the Six Nations.

 City face the Brazilian winners of the Copa Libertadores, South America's equivalent of the Champions League, in Saudi Arabia today for the global title.

Clubs including Manchester United, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan – founder members of the original Super League back in 2021 – have already pledged their commitment to the existing competitions.

Even if elements of new proposals raise more questions than answers, Fifa and Uefa know their dominance is under threat.

Despite finding themselves hitting the road at this time of year for the umpteenth occasion, Conan acknowledged Tuesday’s game with the defending URC champions is one that he and Leinster will ultimately continue to embrace.

It’s almost as though the founding clubs of Major League Soccer learned from the grievances that power Florentino Pérez & Co’s attempts to carve into UEFA’s centralised controls and created their dream league.

2023 was a highly profitable year for sport’s bottom line, but there was also plenty of controversy