McGrath, who is contracted to the Irish Rugby Football Union, has won 57 caps but has slipped behind provincial colleague Cian Healy in the loosehead pecking order.

The fly-half has not appeared for Leinster since the turn of the year, and was ruled out of last Saturday’s Champions Cup quarter-final victory over Ulster with a quad issue.

The outgoing Wales coach was named head coach for the 2021 tour of South Africa on Friday, having already led the Lions to victory in Australia and a drawn series in New Zealand last time out.

Catt is expected to join Ireland as attack coach after the autumn's Rugby World Cup. The former England coach has agreed a deal to trade Italy for Ireland's set-up, it is understand.

Premier playmaker Johnny Sexton is expected to be fit shortly, but Ireland can ill afford to lose either of their main backline pivots. They open their World Cup by taking on Scotland on September 22.

England want all three available to take on Ireland to offset any need to pitch Billy Vunipola into a third Test in as many weeks. All three trained on Wednesday at England's Pennyhill Park camp.

Warren Gatland insisted that Rhys Patchell would travel to the World Cup on Wednesday despite suffering a worrying concussion in Wales' defeat to Ireland.

Fly-half Rhys Patchell will be assessed ahead of Wales' World Cup departure on Wednesday after he was concussed during their final warm-up game.

World Rugby bosses have hit back at claims 31-man World Cup squads threaten player welfare by insisting top coaches left their objections too late to have any effect for the 2019 tournament in Japan.

Rugby World Cup tournament is two weeks away with Japan currently being hit by typhoon Faxai. Find out the rules in place should games be disrupted by weather meaning they have to be cancelled.

Over a long and distinguished career, Brian O'Driscoll became adept at dealing with everything and anything thrown his way.

Our first home nation clash of the Rugby World Cup  and hopefully not last will see Ireland take on Scotland in their pool A clash. Follow live score, substitutions, sin bins and more right here.

Ireland delivered on their promise to hit form when it mattered most by stunning Scotland 27-3 with a bonus-point blitz to launch their Japanese World Cup quest in style.

Gregor Townsend confessed it 'doesn't look good' for Hamish Watson after admitting the Scotland flanker's World Cup might be over already. The Dark Blues suffered a 27-3 mauling from Ireland.

RORY KEANE IN YOKOHAMA: Iain Henderson hailed the performance of Rory Best after Ireland trounced Scotland, claiming the captain had 'silenced a lot of his critics'.

Scotland's World Cup hopes have suffered a third major blow in as many days after scrum-half Ali Price was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.

RORY KEANE IN SHIZUOKA: Carty starts only his second Test in place of conductor-in-chief Johnny Sexton, who is out with a groin injury. Schmidt reckons Carty has the right stuff.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt admitted Japan had raised their game to 'furious' levels after stunning them 19-12 in Shizuoka.

Brian O'Driscoll praised Japan and poured scorn on Ireland's performance after the Brave Blossoms produced a stunning World Cup upset. 

Sexton captained Ireland for the first time on Thursday, but he was replaced by Jack Carty for the second-half of his side's five-try win over the Bears.

RORY KEANE IN KOBE: There was a moment in the second half which pretty much summed up Ireland's performance under the closed roof here at Kobe Misaki Stadium.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RORY KEANE IN FUKUOKA: The 48-year-old is now head coach of Samoa, the final obstacle in Ireland's quest to qualify for the knockout stages at the Rugby World Cup.

Bundee Aki was sent off in the 29th minute after a high tackle at Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium and faces a multiple-game suspension, souring the win that put Ireland through to the quarters.

All Blacks boss Steve Hansen lit the fuse on a potentially explosive week on Monday by vowing to lay false traps for Ireland's master tactician and head coach Joe Schmidt.

The Rugby World Cup kicked off four weeks ago today and now, via 50 pool stage matches, we are down to eight teams. Sportsmail tells you all need to know about the quarter-finals.

RORY KEANE IN TOKYO: Ireland have a shot at history here on Saturday, with the All Blacks standing in the way of a place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Caelan Doris has been backed to make a huge impact for Ireland on his Six Nations debut against Scotland on Saturday, with assistant coach Simon Easterby saying the No 8 is 'made for this level'.

RORY KEANE AT THE AVIVA STADIUM: Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend jumped to the defence of skipper Stuart Hogg for the incredible blunder which cost the visitors dear in Dublin.

Brian O'Driscoll has accused Eddie Jones of 'scaremongering' and admitted he relished the sight of the England head coach's comments backfiring so spectacularly against France.

During the Joe Schmidt era, Ireland were renowned for peppering the backfield with high balls from Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray but Eddie Jones insists that England can cope with it.

Conor Murray admits the father-son dynamic between the Farrells will be strange when Ireland face England on Sunday, but hopes his coach can provide crucial insights into his son's game.

Conor Murray admitted that the father-and-son dynamic between the Farrells will be strange when Ireland face England in the Six Nations.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The good news is I sensed a sharpening of intensity with England at Murrayfield - but the bad news is some of Eddie Jones' selections are making me very nervous!

England earned a crucial Six Nations victory over a disappointing Ireland at Twickenham on Sunday.   

The deadly epidemic has swept through northern parts of Italy and there have been calls to prevent the disease reaching the shores of Ireland with the game set to take place on March 7.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY MIKE DICKSON: The BBC's voice of racing is in the final furlong of his career with the corporation, and admits it will hurt when he crosses the finish line.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: The 77-year-old is very well-connected in racing circles and has good relationships with key figures at ITV, where he was first employed as a pundit in 1971.

Reports suggesting that large public gatherings will soon be banned mean racing's position as the last major sport to still be operating normally looks close to ending.

The British Horseracing Authority have closed their offices at High Holborn in London until further notice because some members of staff are self-isolating as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.

Some of Britain's biggest Flat meetings, headed by the June jewels of Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby, are shrouded in uncertainty after racing was shut down until the end of April.

Racing leaders said on Wednesday that they are putting together a financial submission for Government aid to try to avert a desperate financial crisis.

Writing on the GoFundMe page, Dettori said: 'Being here in the UK, it's difficult not to feel helpless as I see the impact the pandemic is having on the people of Italy.'

There had been plans to stage the meeting behind closed doors, but despite participants taking part in routine exercise on Sunday morning, the announcement was made by the afternoon.

The BHA have postponed their consultation into the use of the whip while operation duties during the COVID-19 pandemic take priority.

The British Horseracing Authority have stood down 80 per cent of its staff in an emergency financial plan to cut a third of its normal monthly budget. Over 200 out of 260 staff will be furloughed from work.

It has been decided the 2019-20 titles should be awarded on the standings when the sport was shut down on March 17 with racing suspended due to the coronavirus.

New dates will now have to be sought for the four Classics, which are the 2,000 Guineas on May 4 and the 1,000 Guineas on May 5 at Newmarket, as well as the Oaks on June 5 and Derby on June 6.

The fund, co-ordinated by the Racehorse Owners Association, is part of a £22m cash flow and hardship funding package for racing announced on Friday.

The four-day Festival was staged as planned in front of 250,000 people, with additional hygiene measures in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, and concluded on March 13. 

SAM TURNER (Robin Goodfellow) highlights half a dozen exciting three-year-old fillies who appear likely types to contest a race of that nature in what remains of this season.