Matt Williams

New Zealanders believe victory at Eden park is guaranteed, this is where Ireland’s great opportunity has its genesis

The All Blacks are filthy, dirty and angry at Ireland for beating them in Dublin last November

La Rochelle and Leinster were left emotionally busted by their very different experiences in a memorable Champions Cup final

Auckland and Leinster are the teams to beat and All Blacks and Ireland will be playing like them

Leo Cullen’s men were within 72 seconds of European glory; expect them to be there or thereabouts again next season

French contenders are the underdog, but to lift trophy it will be necessary to slow the men in blue down

As we say in Australia, you have to have a few roos loose in the top paddock take on job

Racing have successfully harnessed the unpredictability of their creative individuals and have produced some spectacular wins

French side have taken a leaf out of Leinster’s book by creating locally produced talent

Only a handful of top teams rising above repetitive and predictable game plans

Tsunami of scrum penalties creates a situation that discriminates against backline play

Plenty of teams that under normal circumstances would be dumped out could qualify

EPCR bean-counters have facilitated a blatant cash grab that rewards unsuccessful clubs

Cautionary tale of Australian rugby should be heard with trepidation

Years of graft from Ireland’s Stephen Aboud created a world class elite player pathway