Leinster

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Leinster and La Rochelle have again been paired together in the draw for the Investec Champions Cup pool stages.

The four-time champions and former Irish fly-half Ronan O'Gara's side have met six times in the past five seasons, including twice in finals won by the French outfit.

The other sides in Pool Three are English pair Leicester Tigers and Harlequins, Top 14 side Bayonne and United Rugby Championship (URC) rivals the Stormers, although Leinster will not play the latter given that they are in the same domestic competition.

Munster have also been handed a familiar opponent and will play Castres of the Top 14 for the 20th time in this competition.

The southern province, who will be under new head coach Clayton McMillan next season, will also play Bath, Toulon and Gloucester with Edinburgh the other URC representative in Pool Two.

Ulster will start the season in the Challenge Cup for the first time in their history and have been paired with Cardiff, Exeter Chiefs, Cheetahs, Racing 92 and Stade Francais.

They faced Exeter in last season's Champions Cup, and Racing the season before that, although have not faced Stade Francais since 2009 or the Cheetahs since they departed what was then the PRO14 in 2020.

The Challenge Cup does not have the same rule against playing teams from your own league so Ulster could face Cardiff given they will play four opponents from their six-team pool.

Former England coach Stuart Lancaster will guide Connacht in the second-tier competition with the western province handed a more varied draw than their Irish rivals.

They are in Pool One along with Montauban, promoted to the Top 14 this season, and Georgian side Black Lion.

URC duo Ospreys and Zebre, as well as French side Montpellier, are also in the group.

Full fixture dates, times, and locations will be confirmed at a later date.

EPCR pools involving Irish sides

Champions Cup Pool 2: Bath Rugby, RC Toulon, Munster Rugby, Castres Olympique, Edinburgh Rugby, Gloucester Rugby

Champions Cup Pool 3: Leinster Rugby, Leicester Tigers, Harlequins, La Rochelle, Bayonne, DHL Stormers

Challenge Cup Pool 1: Ospreys, Zebre Parma, Montpellier, US Montauban, Black Lion, Connacht Rugby

Challenge Cup Pool 3: Toyota Cheetahs, Cardiff Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Racing 92, Stade Francais, Ulster Rugby

Nigel Ringland
BBC Sport Senior Journalist in Perth

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Tadhg Furlong pronounced himself ready for the challenges of a third Lions tour before Saturday’s first game on Australian soil against Western Force in Perth.

The 32 year-old is a veteran of the past two tours to New Zealand in 2017, which ended in a draw, and South Africa four years ago, when the Lions lost.

The Leinster prop, however, was a stalwart of both series playing in all six Tests and he’d like to extend that run Down Under.

"Would it be cool to say that I played in all three again?

"Yeah, it would. Is it something that motivates me at the minute? No.

"I think obviously after the result last weekend, we're looking straight ahead for this Saturday, so it's just about trying to get my best out on to the pitch and trying to get results with the lads,” explained Furlong.

Not so long ago there were doubts Furlong would make the squad. A calf strain was the latest in a long line of injuries that kept him sidelined for most of last season, missing Leinster’s URC win a couple of weeks ago.

"They're all short-term injuries, and you're always trying to get back for this game or that game.

"It's more a feeling of 'would you get picked, have you done enough'?"

Furlong will pack down in the front row against Western Force alongside his Leinster team-mate and Saturday's Lions captain Dan Sheehan.

"Knowing Dan, he doesn't overthink it a whole lot, and he always plays well, and I think he has the respect of the group.

"I'm delighted for him as a friend and a team-mate.

"He was a big old hooker and I remember him coming into a few scrum sessions.

"It's hard to find your slot, what's comfortable, what works for you.

"Then it just exploded for him. I'm not sure at what point, but when he came onto the scene, he came onto the scene quick."

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Leinster captain Jack Conan says winning the United Rugby Championship helped his side "silence a few critics".

Leo Cullen's team won the competition for the first time since 2021 - and ninth time overall - after a comfortable 32-7 victory against the Bulls at Croke Park.

And Conan was pleased with the success after the Irish side's recent shortcomings in European deciders.

"Definitely feeling a bit of relief, just so delighted for everyone who has put in so much work the last few years," he told TG4.

"I'm glad we showed up and performed and were able to silence a few critics."

Conan, who will now link up with the British and Irish Lions for their summer tour of Australia, revelled in winning the trophy at the GAA headquarters and in front of a crowd as Leinster's last triumph in the competition four years ago was behind closed doors due to Covid.

"It's incredibly special and not something you dream of growing up or even in the last few years it's been a while since we played here," he added in the post-match press conference.

Leinster led 19-0 at half-time and Conan believes the strong defensive effort to shut out South African visitors Bulls after racing into the lead helped his side over the line in the second half.

"To hold them out at half-time, credit to the lads for putting their heads in where you wouldn't put a shovel, the mental lift that gave us was huge," he admitted.

"Before the game we spoke about taking it moment by moment and not getting ahead of ourselves. We knew it was going to be unbelievably physical and there was no point focusing on the bigger picture, but we dealt really with how direct they were.

"I'm delighted for the lads that they have performed."

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United Rugby Championship final - Leinster v Bulls

Venue: Croke Park, Dublin Date: Saturday, 14 June Kick-off: 17:00 BST

Coverage: Live text coverage on BBC Sport website & app

British and Irish Lions trio Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Furlong and Hugo Keenan will play no part in Leinster's United Rugby Championship final against the Bulls on Saturday.

Gibson-Park was named to start but was ruled out through injury on Saturday morning and has been replaced by Luke McGrath, with academy scrum-half Fintan Gunne a late call-up to the replacements.

Both tight-head prop Furlong and full-back Keenan have been dealing with calf complaints, although fellow Lions Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier are fit to start against the visiting South Africans.

The fixture in Croke Park is the last game before Andy Farrell's full party for the tour of Australia assemble and will be played six days before the first game against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on 20 June.

Furlong, 32, has struggled with injuries all season, last featuring in Leinster's Investec Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton on 3 May and made just nine appearances in 2024-25 for his province and Ireland.

Keenan, 29, did start Leinster's URC quarter-final against Scarlets on 31 May but missed out against Glasgow Warriors in the semi-finals a week later.

Flanker Van der Flier, who had a hamstring injury, also last featured against the Scarlets, while Garry Ringrose will be making his first appearance since 10 May against Zebre after a calf issue.

The inclusion of the pair and McGrath are the three changes made by Leo Cullen after the semi-final victory against the Warriors last week, meaning that nine Lions will be on show in Dublin.

James Lowe, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan and Jack Conan all also start while Ronan Kelleher is on the bench.

The Bulls make one change from their semi-final victory over Sharks with Marco van Staden coming in at flanker to replace the injured Cameron Hanekom and former Ulster back-row Marcell Coetzee switching from blind-side to number eight.

Leinster are aiming for a ninth URC victory but a first since 2021, while the Bulls are seeking a first title having been beaten in two finals in their four seasons in the competition.

Line-ups

Leinster: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, Ringrose, Barrett, Lowe; Prendergast, McGrath; Porter, Sheehan, Clarkson, McCarthy, Ryan, Baird, Van der Flier, Conan (captain)

Replacements: Kelleher, Boyle, Slimani, Snyman, Deegan, Gunne, R Byrne, Osborne.

Bulls: Le Roux; Moodie, Kriel, Vorster, De Klerk; Goosen, Papier; Wessels, Grobbelaar, Louw, Wiese, Van Heerden, Van Staden, Nortje (captain), Coetzee.

Replacements: Van der Merwe, Tshakweni, Smith, Kiersten, Carr, Burger, Johannes, Williams.

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British and Irish Lions squad members Tadhg Furlong, Garry Ringrose, Hugo Keenan and Josh van der Flier are injury doubts for Leinster's United Rugby Championship final against the Bulls.

Furlong, Ringrose and Keenan are nursing calf injuries while Van der Flier's hamstring issue will be assessed before Saturday's game against the South African side at Croke Park, Dublin (17:00 BST).

Tight-head prop Furlong has endured an injury-plagued season and last played in Leinster's Investec Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton on 3 May.

The 32-year-old has managed just eight appearances for Leinster while he missed all but one of Ireland's Six Nations matches.

Centre Ringrose has missed the play-offs since coming off injured against Zebre on 10 May, while Van der Flier sustained his hamstring problem in the URC quarter-final win over Scarlets.

Fit-again back Jordan Larmour is available to face the Bulls after being part of the extended matchday squad in last weekend's semi-final win over Glasgow, while wing Tommy O'Brien came through that game with no issues after returning from a foot injury.

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Joe McCarthy says "everyone loves to hate Leinster" and admitted the team are using the perceived ill will as fuel in their quest for silverware after they hammered Glasgow to reach the United Rugby Championship final.

Leinster beat last year's champions 37-19 at Aviva Stadium on Saturday to set up a decider against South African side Bulls at Croke Park next week.

The Irish province have had a point to prove after being stunned at home by Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals as they aim to avoid a fourth consecutive season without a trophy.

"We know everyone loves to hate Leinster. That definitely drives us on," lock McCarthy told RTE after the Glasgow game.

"We've a great fanbase. We don't really care about the outside noise, what you guys [the media] or other people say.

"We're going to rip into next week. It'll be a tough team we're playing so there's no shortage of motivation."

McCarthy, 24, and several of his Leinster team-mates will hope to finish the season with a trophy against the Bulls on Saturday (17:00 BST) before linking up with the British and Irish Lions squad.

"We definitely needed that, it's our first URC final [in the competition's current iteration],"added McCarthy, who started all 11 of Ireland's Test matches in 2024.

"It's massive for us. We need the fans behind us now, we're into Croke Park.

"It's exactly where we want to be, it's a great buzz. There's always pressure, we've never reached a URC final.

"We've disappointment this year already so we want to finish strong and get the fans back on our side."

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Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan will miss Leinster's United Rugby Championship semi-final against Glasgow on Saturday (14:45 BST).

Keenan, who was named in the British and Irish Lions squad last month, is not included in Leo Cullen's matchday squad for the Aviva Stadium contest with the holders after picking up a calf injury.

The 28-year-old, who produced a player-of-the-match display in last week's quarter-final win over Scarlets, is replaced by Jimmy O'Brien in the 15 shirt.

With Jimmy O'Brien switching to full-back, Tommy O'Brien replaces his him on the right wing after missing the Scarlets game through injury.

Dan Sheehan returns at hooker, with Ronan Kelleher dropping to the bench, while Scott Penny replaces the injured Josh van der Flier at open-side flanker.

In addition to Van der Flier, Garry Ringrose and Tadhg Furlong are also unavailable.

Glasgow make two changes from their quarter-final win over the Stormers, with Fin Richardson replacing Murphy Walker at tight-head prop.

Adam Hastings starts at fly-half with Tom Jordan moving to inside centre and Stafford McDowall dropping to the bench.

Glasgow are without Huw Jones, Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Zander Fagerson.

Leinster, who finished the regular season top of the table, are chasing a first URC title since 2021. The sides have met twice already this season, with Leinster winning 52-0 in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals and 13-5 in the URC.

The winners will face the Bulls or Sharks in the final on 14 June.

Leinster: Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Scott Penny, Jack Conan (capt)

Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Ciaran Frawley

Glasgow: Josh McKay; Kyle Steyn (capt), Sione Tuipulotu, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe; Adam Hastings, George Horne; Jamie Bhatti, George Hiddleston, Fin Richardson, Alex Samuel, Scott Cummings, Euan Ferrie, Rory Darge, Henco Venter

Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Rory Sutherland, Sam Talakai, Max Williamson, Jack Mann, Macenzzie Duncan, Stafford McDowall, Jamie Dobie

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy​​)

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Leinster second row RG Snyman has been named the 2024-25 United Rugby Championship's Players' Player of the Season.

The 30-year-old South African lock has made a significant impact in his first campaign at Leinster after moving from Irish rivals Munster, helping Leo Cullen's side reach the URC semi-finals.

The award is voted for by the captain and vice-captains of the 16 URC teams and has previously been won by Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan and Munster fly-half Jack Crowley.

Meanwhile, Zebre's Massimo Brunello was named coach of the season - as voted for by the league's other coaches - after leading the Italians to five wins, including rare away victories over Ulster and Edinburgh.

Scarlets fly-half Ioan Lloyd won the golden boot and Cardiff's Harri Millard finished as top try scorer, while Munster's Tom Farrell was named playmaker of the season.

Snyman was one of two Leinster players included in the 'Elite XV' team along with Jamie Osborne, while three Munster players were selected - Farrell, Craig Casey and Tadhg Beirne.

URC awards winners 2024-25

Golden Boot: Ioan Lloyd (Scarlets)

Top try-scorer: Harri Millard (Cardiff)

Tackle machine: Ruben van Heerden (Stormers)

Ironman: Cam Winnett (Cardiff)

Playmaker: Tom Farrell (Munster)

Next-Gen player of the season: Cameron Hanekom (Bulls)

Innovation award: Sharks

Try of the season: Deon Fourie (Stormers)

South African URC player of the season: Sacha Feinburg-Mngomezulu (Stormers)

Coach of the season: Massimo Brunello (Zebre)

Players' player of the season: RG Snyman (Leinster)

Elite XV: Jamie Osborne (Leinster); Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Tom Farrell (Munster), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Blair Murray (Scarlets); Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Craig Casey (Munster); Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Wilco Louw (Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Jac Morgan (Ospreys), Rory Darge (Glasgow), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls)

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist

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For much of the Leinster squad, the past month has stirred a broad spectrum of emotions.

There was the agony of an Investec Champions Cup semi-final loss at home to Northampton, denying the province a shot at redemption after a hat-trick of final defeats in the previous three seasons.

Just a few days later, the bulk of the squad were confronted with the whirlwind that is British and Irish Lions squad announcement day.

For most of them, it was good news, but for those who missed out it was another bitter pill so soon after their Champions Cup demise.

But the rugby season is relentless and Leinster can still end the season on a high note. Winning the United Rugby Championship title would both prevent a fourth successive season without silverware and soothe some of the lingering European pain.

However, the challenge of fending off exhaustion while chasing trophies has seemingly weighed heavily on the players in recent weeks, labouring to a 33-21 URC quarter-final win over Scarlets at Aviva Stadium last weekend despite having raced into a 12-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes.

Next up is a last-four encounter with holders Glasgow on Saturday (14:45 BST). Leinster have beaten Glasgow twice this season: a whopping Champions Cup quarter-final shutout and a less convincing URC win, both in the past seven weeks.

And while the prepare for a trilogy at the end of an enervating campaign, Jacques Nienaber - under whom the team's defence has thrived - does not sense depleted levels of energy or focus within the group.

"No, not at all," said the 52-year-old South African.

"We're cracking on. It's a privilege for any team to be involved in the knock-out stages.

"It's a privilege for us definitely to be testing ourselves against Glasgow this weekend, the reigning champions, who obviously understand how to play knock-out games if you look at what they did last year. It's a privilege to test ourselves against a quality side like that."

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If Leinster beat Glasgow, they will welcome the Bulls or Sharks to Croke Park in the final on 14 June, just six days before the Lions face Argentina at Aviva Stadium in their pre-tour warm-up fixture (although Leinster's Lions contingent will not be involved in the Argentina game if they contest the URC decider).

Pressed on the difficulty of focusing on closing out the URC campaign in such close proximity to the Lions series, Nienaber said: "I'm not a mental expert or a mental coach. That's not my expertise at all.

"I just must make sure that they are prepared for the challenges from an attacking point of view that Glasgow will throw at us, which is multiple. That's all I focus on, the other stuff is for other people."

Leinster and Glasgow are well acquainted at this stage. So, too, are Nienaber and Glasgow's South African head coach Franco Smith, who first met in the 1990s, long before Smith they emerged as two of their country's most respected coaches.

"I was his physiotherapist way back in 1998," recalled Nienaber.

"We didn't go to school together but we were in rival schools so I know him and his family quite well. I actually coached with him with the Cheetahs in 2006 and 2007 before he went to Italy.

"He was their attack coach while I was dipping my toes in defence. Franco is an incredible human, a good person and you can see how he is leading Glasgow and the quality they have produced in the past couple of seasons under his guidance and leadership.

"He is a wily character, he understands the game and gets the team to gel so it'll be a nice challenge for us."

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Josh van der Flier, Garry Ringrose and Tommy O'Brien are injury doubts for Leinster's United Rugby Championship semi-final against Glasgow on Saturday (14:45 BST).

Van der Flier was forced off with a hamstring issue during the Irish province's quarter-final win over Scarlets, while Ringrose (calf) and O'Brien (foot) both missed the game.

All three will be monitored during the week before Leinster boss Leo Cullen names his team on Friday.

Leinster, chasing a first URC title since 2021, are already without Will Connors, Brian Deeny, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong and Robbie Henshaw, but Cullen is set to welcome back Jordan Larmour.

The Irish international winger is available for selection having overcome a hamstring injury that has kept him out since December.

Leinster have beaten Glasgow in both meetings this season; 52-0 in the Champions Cup quarter-final in April and 13-5 in their URC fixture last month.

On Monday, it was also confirmed that Croke Park will host the URC final on 14 June if Leinster qualify.

With the RDS - Leinster's home ground - undergoing redevelopment since last year, the club have used the GAA's headquarters twice this season; against Munster in the URC and Harlequins in the Champions Cup quarter-finals.

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Leinster captain Jack Conan admitted there were "frustrating bits" to his side's performance after they beat Scarlets 33-21 to reach the United Rugby Championship semi-finals.

The Irish province, top seeds in the play-offs, scored tries through James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jamie Osborne and Hugo Keenan to set up a last-four match with holders Glasgow at home next week.

However, Leinster allowed Scarlets back into the game at times, with Conan conceding his side tried to force the issue.

"[We were] good in parts," said the British and Irish Lion back row.

"Our discipline killed us, we gave them a lot of soft penalties. To be fair to Scarlets they stuck at it and battled hard, they're a team with a lot of passion and they pushed us at times.

"We were inaccurate and forced things a little bit. It's good to have another week but there were some frustrating bits there.

"Lads want to have big moments They want to feel like they're doing well, but sometimes there's a bit of over-eagerness and over-zealousness.

"You force things a little bit and get away with things although I thought Hollie [Davidson] was on the money today. I don't think it's anything other than lads trying a bit too hard."

Leinster must now prepare for a third game against Glasgow in the space of seven weeks after beating the Scots in the Champions Cup and URC.

"It's strange when you've played a team twice in the past six weeks so it helps with the prep because you know what they're going to do to a degree," added Conan.

"But it's a little bit different every time you come up against a team. I don't think we were great the last time we played them, we had a good win in Europe, but they had lads coming back in so it'll be a tough test for us."