Rugby World Cup: Strips of turf have been laid down, making the pitch uneven

Duo will play 55th Test together as Joe Schmidt makes 11 changes for Pool A finale

Storm Hagibis likely to miss Fukuoka while Ireland squad is nearly back to full health

Gluey slugfest with bristling Pacific Islanders is the last thing Joe Schmidt’s side need

Tournament sometimes dwarfed by the scale and beautiful strangeness of its host country

If he is ruled out, Ulster’s Jordi Murphy would travel from Belfast to join the squad

Ryan-Henderson shaping up as one of the great Irish secondrow partnerships

Japan seems uber-efficient and productive, yet it’s safe, and personal space is not invaded

Ireland’s resources stretched for Scotland tie with question marks over Earls’ fitness also

Versatility could help press the case of the likes of Ryan, Porter and Bealham

Rugby correspondent runs the rule over the season for Ireland and the four provinces

John Hayes and Mike Ross were as durable as tree trunks, and Furlong is showing same signs

All four Irish provinces have qualified for Pro14 playoffs, but no Welsh side in last six

The Offload offers the squad that should travel to Tokyo if World Cup was next week

Ireland squad ‘shocked and saddened’ by killings at mosques in Christchurch

‘We made a decision on playing a game of rugby in the outdoors’

The heir to Joe Schmidt’s throne has his immediate attention turned towards Italy

Management have no fears over Connacht secondrow in must-win Six Nations game

Ireland head coach admits he has one eye on World Cup with fullback selection

Narrow margins and intense competition define a tournament like no other for coach

‘Joe smashed through all that nonsense’ recalls current scrum coach Fogarty

Presence of both Conway and Addison suggests Kearney unlikely to be in the match-day 23

Rob Kearney won’t play at weekend against Pumas but may return against All Blacks

Wallabies will be keen to reproduce emotional intensity and physicality of first Test

Pivotal second test will either seal a series win for the Wallabies or set up a series decider

Former All Black resumes role as Ireland scrum coach – and press officer – ahead of World Cup

Ireland have a fully fit 32-man squad to pick from for first test against the Wallabies

Feek will take up a position with Japanese club side Ricoh in the coming weeks

‘It doesn’t get much bigger than a home game against Toulon’ says New Zealand-born hooker

Grand Slam win puts the final stamp of greatness on this world-class Ireland squad

Next season Joe Schmidt could have 10 props with Test match experience at his disposal

Influx of talent from other provinces and abroad can only strengthen Irish rugby

Coach really happy with work ethic but left frustrated by ‘few things we didn’t get right’

This series all about building a formidable squad for Ireland coach Joe Schmidt

Staying with Racing 92 would have ruled out any promotion for the next four seasons

Irish fullback says World Cup quarter final can be learned from but not focused on

Racing 92 ‘did not want to deprive one of its faithful servants of a great opportunity’

Scrum coach says ‘we’re very lucky to have these guys’ after years of scarcity in frontrow

Farrell deserves credit for miserly defence while Sexton and Murray control the game

Victorious Ireland are cool, calm and collected against a woeful Springbok side