At first glance, Leinster ought to win Saturday afternoon’s URC semi-final against Glasgow with relative ease.

Bath 34-20 Bristol: The hosts roared back in the second half to book their place in the final for a second successive year

Retiring duo Ben Youngs and Dan Cole are on the bench for Leicester’s Premiership play-off semi-final with Sale, who recall Tom Roebuck and Tom Curry.

Leinster second row RG Snyman is named the United Rugby Championship’s Players’ Player of the Season for 2024-25.

A local derby will decide one of the Premiership finalists before Leicester and Sale vie for a spot in the Twickenham showpiece

Ulster scrum-half Nathan Doak is one of 11 uncapped players named in Ireland’s squad for July’s matches with Georgia and Portugal.

Will Slattery and Luke Fitzgerald are joined in studio by Leinster legend Reggie Corrigan to discuss a dramatic URC quarter-final weekend and Stuart Lancaster’s return to Irish rugby.

Former England back Billy Twelvetrees comes out of retirement to join Worcester Warriors as a player-coach.

More than 520 additional former rugby players have joined a concussion lawsuit against the sport’s authorities, according to the law firm bringing the case.

Leinster’s quest to win their first URC title is failing to catch the imagination of their wider support base, as another relatively small crowd is expected at the Aviva Stadium for Saturday’s semi-final against the defending champions Glasgow.

Ringrose and Tommy O’Brien will be monitored before decision for URC semi-final

Leinster are hoping that it won’t come to it in Saturday’s URC semi-final against Glasgow, but the possibility of a place-kicking competition has been discussed within the squad.

Tonga centre Fetuli Paea will join Dragons this summer after agreeing a move from Italian side Zebre Parma.

Munster captain Tadhg Beirne says “there was nothing more” he could ask of his team-mates after their United Rugby Championship quarter-final loss to Sharks was decided in a place-kick competition.

Exeter boss Rob Baxter says he will not refer to his side’s worst-ever season again as they finish the Premiership ninth.

The Sharks beat Munster 6-4 in a dramatic place-kick shootout after the United Rugby Championship quarter-final between the teams ended 24-24 after extra-time.

Farrell is believed to be keen on a return to north London and could provide injury cover for Alex Lozowski

Following a 42-33 victory for the Bulls over Edinburgh, here are our five takeaways from the United Rugby Championship quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld.

Glasgow Warriors booked their place in the semi-finals of the United Rugby Championship courtesy of a thrilling victory over the Stormers at Scotstoun.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt hasn’t ruled out NRL superstar Nathan Cleary switching footy codes, declaring the champion Panthers halfback ‘might want to spread his wings.’

Jefferson Poirot has been suspended for two matches after grabbing Pollock’s throat

The United Rugby Championship quarter-finals take place this weekend with one game on Friday and three scheduled for Saturday. Here’s the team news.

Leicester Tigers, Sale Sharks, Bristol Bears, Gloucester and Saracens are all in top-four contention

Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel says there is no greater task than facing Leinster in Dublin, but urges his side to embrace the challenge.

Jos Verstappen and his co-driver Renaud Jamoul were thankfully unhurt after suffering a rollover rally crash in Sweden.

Bruised, battered and bashed-up for much of the season, there was a cruel sense of inevitability that Glasgow Warriors should lose another key player to injury ahead of the URC play-offs.

Ireland’s Sam Monaghan and Beibhinn Parsons have both been included in a 37-player training squad for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.

Jefferson Poirot has been suspended for two matches after admitting a charge of foul play

Welsh rugby faces an uncertain few months with big changes afoot

Leigh cruise into 28-6 lead before second-half Huddersfield fightback; Leopards up to third in Super League table, with Giants languished in 11th; Sky Sports will show every game of Super League live this season

Tadhg Beirne and Aoife Dalton took home the players’ player of the year honours at the Rugby Players Ireland awards at the Aviva Stadium tonight.

New Zealander on doing justice for his team-mates, the Lions’ tour of Australia and Saturday’s URC match against Scarlets

The former England captain has been linked with a move back to north London after a year with Racing 92

Leicester Tigers prop Dan Cole will retire from rugby at the end of the season, the club confirmed on Tuesday.

Former Wales coach Warren Gatland has joined Uruguayan club side Penarol as an advisor for the rest of the season.

The British and Irish Lions board is considering a proposal for golden point extra time if a deciding third Test this summer against Australia finishes in a draw.

Bordeaux-Begles prop Jefferson Poirot has been cited for allegedly grasping Henry Pollock’s throat after the final whistle of Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup final.

Warren Gatland takes up a short-term advisory position with Uruguayan side Penarol, three months after leaving his role with Wales.

Saracens legend Alex Goode says he will retire at the end of this season with “no regrets”.

Tadhg Furlong and Robbie Henshaw are ruled out of Leinster’s United Rugby Championship quarter-final against Scarlets at Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

The latest headlines from Wales and around the world

Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert has claimed Northampton Saints lacked ‘respect’ in the build-up to the Champions Cup final.

Northampton felt that their young back row was targeted late on in their defeat to Bordeaux-Begles

European Professional Club Rugby confirms that the first Rugby World Club Cup will be held in 2028 after “unanimous” agreement from the relevant leagues and unions.

Bath captain Ben Spencer says their European Challenge Cup trophy win has been “building” for some time.

Northampton Saints 20-28 Bordeaux-Begles: A pulsating contest saw the French club record their first Champions Cup success

GB Sevens teams to switch to a camp-based model from 2024/25 due to financial constraints and development reviews.

ALEX BYWATER AT PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: An historic treble inches ever closer. This European Challenge Cup success followed March’s Premiership Rugby Cup victory.

Warrington coach Sam Burgess was tight-lipped when asked about the rumours surrounding him to the Perth job

England full-back George Furbank will make only his second appearance since December after recovering to take his place in the Northampton side to take on Bordeaux-Begles in the Champions Cup final