Irish Rugby

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Inpho

After what he called a "special day" in La Rochelle on Saturday, Munster's head of rugby operations Ian Costello said the province are targeting three more such occasions in the Investec Champions Cup this season.

The 25-24 win over Ronan O'Gara's side in the last-16 stage set up a quarter-final away to Bordeaux-Begles this Saturday and Costello wants to ensure that the win in La Rochelle is not viewed as a "cup final" for the group.

"The reality is now we want to have three more days like this," he said after the dramatic win in the Stade Marcel-Deflandre.

"You take one game at a time, but there's no point in this being our cup final. It would nearly disrespect what the club have done.

"We've three matches left to have a crack at winning a trophy."

Costello praised the visiting Munster ers who travelled to La Rochelle in huge numbers

"I went down to meet a few friends just to get out of the hotel for an hour and it was shivers down your neck stuff," he said.

"I hadn't seen anything like that for a long, long time.

"That set the tone. What it means to our ers.

"There was talk of 2,000 [Munster fans] here, there were way more than 2,000."

With only seven days between visits to , it is unlikely the Munster will travel in such numbers to the Stade Chaban-Delmas this weekend, although Costello is sure some will try.

"There'll be kids' piggybanks raided," he joked.

"There'll be people here, that's the magic of it.

"There's people that would prefer not to go on summer holidays to get two weekends like this. That's what's special about the club."

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Ulster lock Alan O'Connor says the province still want to "compete with the best" after exiting the Investec Champions Cup at the last-16 stage with a 43-31 defeat by Bordeaux-Begles.

Richie Murphy's side went into the knock-out phase of the tournament as the 16th seed and with just one win in the pool stages.

Some had speculated that the 1999 champions would have been better served dropping down a tier and making a run at the European Challenge Cup but the experienced O'Connor believes the side should be encouraged by the entertaining 11-try encounter against one of the competition's favourites.

"We all want to compete against the best," said the man who filled in as Ulster captain in the absence of Iain Henderson.

"For me as a rugby player, it's a no-brainer. I want to play in the top tier and challenge ourselves as individuals and as a unit.

"I can see maybe where they're coming from but as we've shown on days like this, we can stand up and we can score plenty of points.

"There's things we need to work on obviously but that game was maybe there for us in the last 10 minutes if another couple of things had gone our way."

Ulster were late arriving to the Stade Chaban Delmas after their bus got caught in traffic then could not get down one of the streets near the stadium.

Left to walk the rest of the way, O'Connor, who said the situation did not factor into their slow start, enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere.

"These are the places that you want to come play, any French ground is always special," he added.

"We had a bit of a mishap with our busses, but we ended up walking through a lot of the crowd and it was a great atmosphere, something different.

"As a player you relish playing in these grounds. We want to be shooting for the top."

Jonathan Bradley at the Stade Chaban Delmas
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Inpho

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy felt his side's 43-31 defeat by Bordeaux-Begles in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup provided another example of the "good resilience" in his squad.

The province have had to come from behind to beat Scarlets, Dragons and Stormers in the United Rugby Championship (URC) over recent weeks and, while they could not complete another fightback at the Stade Chaban Delmas, Murphy was pleased by how his side "stayed in the fight."

The visitors were 21-0 down after 21 minutes but cut the deficit to seven points before the end of the first half.

Bordeaux later threatened to pull away but a second-half double from Zac Ward, along with a score from Nick Timoney, ensured the game remained competitive.

"Extremely proud of the lads, the way they stuck at it and stayed in the fight," Murphy said.

"The last few weeks we've been 14-0 down and this week we were 21 points down after the first period and that's tough.

"What we've shown over the last few weeks is good resilience within the squad, you can see the team starting to build. Some young players are getting really good experience at the very top level and finding ways."

While Ulster struggled early in possession, they looked sharper in attack as the game progressed but were caught by Bordeaux's ability to break on the counter.

"We played some really good rugby at times [but] the transitionary moments which we knew were going to come really cost us in that first half," added Murphy.

"A couple of loose kicks and they punish you really badly.

"You know once you turn the ball over, within two or three phases it's going to be a try."

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI at Croke Park

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Josh van der Flier was quick to credit his team-mates after being named player of the match in Leinster's 62-0 trouncing of Harlequins in Saturday's Investec Champions Cup last-16 game at Croke Park.

Back row Van der Flier was one of several Ireland internationals playing for the first time since the Six Nations.

And the 2022 world player of the year began the last run of games before Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions squad announcement on 8 May in superb fashion with a try and some big carries as the Irish province overwhelmed their Premiership opponents.

irably uninterested in soaking up the acclaim, though, Van der Flier insists he was able to flourish only because of the work done by those in blue around him.

"It was nice to get the ball a few times," said the 31-year-old.

"It's the way some games go, some games the ball comes your way a lot, some days it doesn't. I think there was a huge amount of work from the forwards and the backs found the width.

"I managed to find myself in places where I had one-on-ones or a bit of space, so I think it's off the back of some good teamwork that some individuals are able to get some space. It was good to get the ball a bit but there was some good attacking work from all of the lads."

Leinster scored 10 tries to set up a home quarter-final against either Glasgow or Leicester next weekend and Van der Flier says the manner of Saturday's win will give the four-time champions "great confidence".

"Mentally, there's always a threat of forgetting how hard we had to work during the week to get there and forgetting the first 10, 20 minutes when we had to work unbelievably hard to keep them out," he added.

"You always have to balance it mentally, take the confidence in a positive way and make sure you're switched on and ready because some games can be like that but some are tight and can go the other way.

"We'll be ready for anything start again on Monday with a big week's prep."

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Ulster's Zac Ward says facing up against Bordeaux-Begles duo Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud, considered two of the best wings in rugby, "definitely excited me".

Bordeaux host Ulster in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup on Sunday and Bielle-Biarrey and Penaud, who both helped to the Six Nations title, are expected to feature.

Bielle-Biarrey was the top try scorer in the Six Nations and was named player of the tournament.

Ward, 26, won his first cap for Ulster in the Pool One match between the sides in December, which Bordeaux won 40-19 in Belfast.

"I want to compete against the best in the business," said Ward, who made the switch from sevens rugby after the Paris Olympics.

"It was my first cap here playing against those two guys. I was a bit nervous beforehand, but a friend of mine said they were just two guys with two arms and two legs, so just to try and think of it like that.

"It's easier said than done but I'll try and do the same this weekend."

'Dream come true'

Bordeaux are heavy favourites to progress against Ulster after Yannick Bru's side finished as top seeds after the pool stages.

After a disappointing first half of the season, Ulster have now won their last three matches in the United Rugby Championship and Ward believes that momentum will help his side in .

"We know going into this weekend that it's a huge ask and a huge task, but we want to give a good of ourselves for 80 minutes," added Ward.

"We showed the last time we played them here, we were ahead after 60 or 65 minutes. If we can carry that through for 80 minutes, then we will be in a nice spot."

After taking the long road to Ulster's first team through Ireland's rugby sevens programme, Ward, who is the son of former back row Andy, says playing for his home province "was always a dream".

"For that now to be a reality is really special.

"It was a dream come true getting my first cap, and now I've got a taste for it I really don't want it to end anytime soon."

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist

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In the wake of a disappointing Six Nations, and with most of the senior coaching set-up now on British and Irish Lions duty, this summer's Tests against Georgia and Portugal could prove a crucial bridge to Ireland's next era.

On the coaching side, Ireland are without Andy Farrell, Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman and John Fogarty, while a sizeable Irish playing contingent is expected to make the Lions squad heading to Australia.

That means Paul O'Connell faces a big job this summer. The former Ireland captain was handed the interim head coach reins following confirmation that Easterby - who filled in for Farrell during the Six Nations - has ed the Lions coaching ticket.

O'Connell has spent the past four years as Ireland's forwards coach, but this is a considerable step-up for the 45-year-old.

Succession planning is key to Ireland's future. Farrell is contracted until the end of the 2027 World Cup. If he leaves after that tournament, the Irish Rugby Football Union [IRFU] will at least know how two of his possible successors in Easterby and O'Connell have fared while leading the team.

O'Connell's remit will be clear: improve morale after a third-place finish in the Six Nations and identify new Test talent, which is a pressing concern given the age profile of the senior squad.

O'Connell will, however, have experienced coaches he knows well alongside him. He played alongside Denis Leamy and Mike Prendergast at Munster and will have Colm Tucker to oversee the scrum.

The input of Prendergast, in particular, will be valuable after he led the Ireland 'A' team against England in February.

Johnny Sexton, who was involved in the Irish coaching set-up during the autumn Tests and Six Nations, was not named as part of O'Connell's team, so it will be interesting to see if the iconic fly-half links up with the squad closer to the Test against Georgia on 5 July.

Regardless of his involvement, though, it will be a big summer for O'Connell and his presumably youthful Ireland squad.

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Interim Ireland head coach Paul O'Connell will have Denis Leamy, Mike Prendergast and Colm Tucker as his coaching team for this summer's Tests in Georgia and Portugal.

O'Connell was confirmed as interim boss last week, with Andy Farrell and Simon Easterby away with the Lions.

Former Ireland back row Leamy has been Munster defence coach since 2022, while Prendergast has been the province's attack coach for the past three seasons and led Ireland 'A' in February's defeat by England.

Tucker is Connacht's scrum coach and also led the team during last weekend's United Rugby Championship loss to Munster in Castlebar, with head coach Pete Wilkins on sick leave.

All three coaches will link up with Ireland at the end of the club season. The squad is due to be announced in mid-June.

Ireland face Georgia in Tbilisi on 5 July (18:00 BST) and Portugal in Lisbon on 12 July (time TBC).

Former Ireland and British and Irish Lions captain O'Connell took over as interim boss after Easterby was appointed as part of Lions head coach Farrell's backroom team.

Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty and attack coach Andrew Goodman are also on Farrell's Lions ticket.

O'Connell said he was "honoured" to accept the position.

"With a busy schedule of international rugby this summer, these two Tests will provide us with further opportunities to assess and develop the competition levels within the squad," added O'Connell.

"I am excited to work with a coaching team who I know well individually and are hugely motivated to deliver success to Ireland and look forward to putting our plans in place over the coming weeks."

Irish Rugby Football Union performance director David Humphreys says it will mark an "important step" in O'Connell's coaching career.

"He will be assisted by Denis, Mike and Cullie who have all been in Ireland camp at different points over the last number of months and their selections is another positive progression in their coaching careers and reasserts the IRFU's commitment to developing a pathway for Irish coaches," added Humphreys.

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Munster flanker Peter O'Mahony could face La Rochelle in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup this weekend after returning from injury.

The Irish province will face the two-time champions at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Saturday (17:30 BST), with the French side coached by Munster legend Ronan O'Gara.

O'Mahony missed the side's win over Connacht on Saturday and has not played since his final Test appearance for Ireland in their Six Nations victory against Italy last month.

The 35-year-old has not featured for Munster since their Champions Cup loss to Northampton Saints in January, but a statement from the province said his availability for Saturday will be determined "based on how he gets through the week's training".

Against Connacht, Irish international scrum-half Craig Casey was playing for the first time since knee surgery in December and the 25-year-old came through the game unscathed.

Forwards Oli Jager, Jean Kleyn and Niall Scannell also returned from injury in the inter-provincial derby and are fit to face La Rochelle.

Flanker John Hodnett was forced off with a thigh contusion in Castlebar, however, and is a doubt for the game.

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Ulster wing Robert Baloucoune requires a scan to determine the extent of his latest hamstring injury.

The 27-year-old, who has won four caps for Ireland, made his comeback from 11 months out in the province's United Rugby Championship (URC) win over Stormers at Kingspan Stadium on Friday night.

He scored his side's first try in the comeback victory but was replaced after 47 minutes.

Centre Ben Carson also failed to finish that fixture due to a back complaint and an Ulster statement said that both players "will have scans early this week to further assess the extent of their respective injuries".

Richie Murphy's side travel to face Top 14 side Bordeaux-Begles in the last-16 of the Investec Champions Cup on Sunday.

Centre James Hume will be "monitored through training" in the build-up to that trip after missing the win over Stormers through illness.

Forwards coach Jimmy Duffy saying playing a team of the calibre of Bordeaux, who finished the pool stages as top seeds, "raises your game".

Bordeaux have the Six Nations' top try scorer Louis Bielle-Biarrey in their ranks, along with his fellow internationals Damian Penaud and Yoram Moefana.

"They have world-class talents in the forwards or the backline," said Duffy.

"They are household names in most quarters. They have a brilliant stadium and a brilliant fan base.

"We're going there to compete and it's going to be a big challenge."

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Ireland hooker Ronan Kelleher will be assessed for selection ahead of Leinster's Investec Champions Cup last-16 tie with Harlequins at Croke Park.

Kelleher, 27, has been sidelined with a neck injury and will step up his rehabilitation ahead of the last-16 tie.

Leinster qualified for the knockout stages as the seed with four victories from the Pool stages.

They were pipped to the top spot by Bordeaux, who collected more bonus points and face Ulster on Sunday.

Harlequins were seeded 15th of the 16 teams to qualify for the knockout stages with two victories from their four matches.

Leinster back row Alex Soroka will be assessed as he works through return to play protocols after a concussion, but Will Connors is out after injuring his shoulder in Saturday's narrow win over the Sharks in South Africa.

Jordan Larmour, Paddy McCarthy, Rob Russell and James Culhane are still unavailable for selection.

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Women's Six Nations, Italy v Ireland

Venue: Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma Date: Sunday, 30 March Kick-off: 15:00 BST

Coverage: Live on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website & app from 14:45

Ireland coach Scott Bemand says his players are mindful of the "incredible challenge" they will face in Sunday's Women's Six Nations game in Parma against an Italy side who defeated them in last year's championship.

The Irish looked in potential Wooden Spoon territory a year ago after they lost in 27-21 to the Italians in round two at the RDS.

Subsequent wins over Wales and Scotland secured a third-place championship finish that earned qualification for this year's World Cup but Bemand says he and his players have the height of respect for the Italians as they aim for Ireland's first away win in the competition since 2021.

Ireland go into Sunday's game after competing well against in last weekend's opener in Belfast only to eventually lose out 27-15.

"Italy have got a more structured version of themselves these days. It used to be quite fun watching them as in anything could happen," said the Ireland coach.

"Now they've got a little bit more sensible with what they are trying to do. So we know that we're expecting a strong box-kick game and we've been preparing ourselves for that.

"Our aim, as ever, is to get our best game out there and if we do, we'll be alright but the Italians are certainly not going to roll over and make it easy for us."

Ireland followed their third-placed finish in last year's Six Nations with autumn wins over Australia and world champions New Zealand and Bemand feels his players now have a belief that wasn't there when they faced Italy a year ago amid the scar tissue from the 2023 Six Nations when the Irish lost all five of their games under previous coach Greg McWilliams.

"We said it after the game [against Italy]. You lost a game that you should have won and in the previous Six Nations they were losing games that they didn't deserve to win.

"There was a big performance step but almost with not having the permission or the confidence to do it. Now they are a group that think differently."