An early test for Jack Crowley as physical battle expected in France
A tricky assignment against such familiar and gritty opponents awaits Munster
Dave Kilcoyne relishing another spicy encounter with Castres
Munster meeting familiar rivals at Thomond Park, but they won’t be complacent
Kockott receives three-week ban for eye-gouging Cloete
Offence occurred during Munster’s Champions Cup defeat in Castres
Castres’ Rory Kockott cited for alleged eye gouge on Chris Cloete
Meanwhile, Marc-Antoine Rallier will also face disciplinary action for a late tackle
Gerry Thornley: Munster have made it very tough for themselves
Province miss out on opening up big gap at top of Pool 2 after failing to finish off Castres
Sloppy Munster let opportunity slip by after Castres dogfight
Four missed kicks prove costly as Johann van Graan’s settle for losing bonus point
Irish provinces maintain control over their destinies in a triumphant weekend
Munster’s loss to Castres is in stark contrast to wins by Leinster, Ulster and Connacht
Van Graan: ‘We had enough opportunities to get some more points on the board’
Munster coach rues missed chances as side lose ‘a really tense game of rugby’
Castres dig in to deny Munster and blow Pool Two wide open
Province pay for profligacy off the tee as Top14 champions edge a bruising encounter
Munster braced for a backlash from French champions
Murray expecting to face a far more ‘passionate’ Castres side this time around
Chris Ashton hit with seven-week ban for tip-tackle
Sale boss Steve Diamond says player was acting in ’self defence’ against Rory Kockott
England’s Chris Ashton facing six-week ban for tip-tackle
Sale Sharks back sent off for incident with Rory Kockott during Castres friendly
Simon Zebo and Keith Earls revel in more expansive Munster
Form of flying backs illustrates Munster’s major improvement from last year
Munster and Castres can’t be separated in scrappy stalemate
Province begin Champions Cup campaign with error-strewn draw to forget in France
Rassie Erasmus sizes up physical challenge of Castres
Coach expects hard-hitting contest up front in Munster’s Champions Cup opener in France
Toulon work hard to beat Scarlets and keep pressure on Saracens
Mike Ford's team do enough in first half to put distance on Welsh side and return to winning ways
Leo Cullen praises forwards after bright start in Europe
Seán Cronin and Jack McGrath scored tries in Champions Cup win over Castres
Gordon D’Arcy: No Racing certainty but Munster will be up against it
Rassie Erasmus’s side need to offer more variety than they displayed against Leinster
Six Nations: The lowdown on France
France enter a new era with Guy Noves at the helm promising to address the dull brand of rugby being played
Gerry Thornley's 2015: Highs and lows of a remarkable rugby year
From Roey Kockott’s kick to a legend felled – it was year never to be forgotten
France haunted All Blacks in past but unlikely to do so at present
Philippe Saint-André’s side don’t look like an outfit that can upset world champions
Campaign supernova as Ireland outshine rivals
Astronomical scores threatened to break the laws of physics
France’s Rory Kockott celebrates 20 point defeat
Scrum-half can’t hide his elation as Les Bleus hold on to hand Ireland the Six Nations title
England’s brave attempt falls just short in Twickenham thriller
Sides run in 12 tries between them in helter-skelter finale to Six Nations
Seven talking points from Ireland’s win over France
Midfield excellence in defending against French power runners proved key
Liam Toland: We shouldn’t get too excited for World Cup – France’s problems are fixable
Sexton immaculate in the accuracy of kicking and the way he run his backline
Saint-Andre defends Pape challenge on Heaslip
Ireland No 8 could miss remainder of Six Nations with with suspected broken vertebrae
Philippe Saint-André seeks his first away win against ‘major team’
France coach says Ireland are favourites but expects ‘another tight one’
France make just one enforced change to team to face Ireland
Injured prop Alexandre Menini drops out off the team as Eddy Ben Arous steps up
Ireland still need to be wary of French threat
Les Bleus may be underachieving but they do have a gameplan to stymie at the Aviva
Camille Lopez kicks France to victory over Scotland
Gutsy Scotland stop Les Bleus from crossing the line but are left to rue lack of possession
South African Rory Kockott handed first start for France against Scotland
Scott Spedding named at fullback despite the return of Brice Dulin for Six Nations opening tie
Noa Nakaitaci out to take chance after being named in preliminary France squad
Uncapped Clermont winger named in Philippe Saint-Andre’s 31-strong training squad
Argentinian boots put France to the sword
Three drop goals help Los Pumas to their third consecutive win in Paris
France end miserable year on a high with win over Australia
Philippe Saint-Andre’s team make up for whitewash in June
Teddy Thomas scores hat-trick on debut as France fillet Fiji
Racing Metro wing opened his account from kick-off in Marseille
Tinkerman Philippe Saint-Andre names yet another French halfback pairing
South African-born fullback Scott Spedding one of three to debut against Fiji
Lacklustre Leinster settle for game of patience as Ian Madigan boots them over line
Centre nails seven penalties on afternoon when creative spark is in short supply
Ian Madigan kicks Leinster to ugly victory in Castres
Matt O’Connor’s side grind out key win as centre slots over seven penalties in France
Luke Fitzgerald back as Leinster bid to give Castres the blues
Zane Kirchner plays at fullback to cover for injured Rob Kearney
Without clear direction from the top rugby is in danger of losing its way
With the game experiencing growing pains, there is plenty to ponder for rugby’s decision makers
France eye England flanker Armitage for international duty with Les Bleus
Toulon player targeted alongside SA’s Rory Kockott and Australia’s Brock James
Tough task awaits Leinster as Castres wait in the long grass
French champions’ home form augers well for durable outfit to continue punching above weight
IRFU must dig deep to retain top players in brave new world of tournament rugby
The unions are countering the Anglo-French bluff by conceding to pretty much all their demands
Raging calf Moore still has learning to do
Leinster’s superior work-rate told against Castres, but can’t disguise the fall off in their attacking game
Tales’ frustration not lost in translation
Matt O’Connor pays tribute to those who made impact off the bench in a physical game
Victory over Northampton may infuse Castres with more ambition
Whether there will be a more pro-European approach this season remains to be seen
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