Ireland need to consider expansion and finding a way to tap into the cultural zeitgeist to increase funds and playing numbers

Ireland still need 247 runs to make New Zealand bat again after being asked to follow-on

Tom Blundell and Rachin Ravindra make centuries after Mark Adair’s three wickets gave home crowd some hope

Expectations are low, but this week could set a precedent for Irish red ball cricket

Frawley says consistent game time and reunion with Stuart Lancaster shaped decision to leave province

Fast ruck ball and dominant collisions prevented Jacques Nienaber’s system from taking hold

Defeats for Leinster and Ulster in Bilbao leaves Irish rugby with some food for thought

Half-time deficit left Leinster in need of a miracle that never look likely

Error-strewn display stops Leinster from firing

Zac Ward and Tom Stewart among those with games to forget in Challenge Cup final

A tit-for-tat dogfight, Donnacha Ryan in a beret and that last-gasp missed drop goal

The winger impressed as his team-mates wilted around him in stifling heat in Bilbao

Head coach paid a pre-Christmas visit to northern Spain to visualise goal for the season

Tommy O’Brien passed fit to start on the wing

Scrumhalf is top of the URC for kicks in play and try assists – and a big performance in Bilbao could yield long-overdue silverware