Ravenhill return lined up for O’Connell

Paul O’Connell and the bulk of Munster’s Irish international contingent are “on schedule” to make their seasonal debuts in 16 days’ time at Ravenhill.

Munster team manager Niall O’Donovan said the players managed by the IRFU player welfare programme, including lock O’Connell, had been cleared to play in round three of the RaboDirect Pro12 campaign, at Ulster on Friday, September 14.

Munster kick-off the Rob Penney era on Saturday at Murrayfield, when they open their season against last term’s Heineken Cup semi-finalists Edinburgh, with flanker Tommy O’Donnell the only fresh absentee due to bruised ribs sustained in thefinal pre-season friendly defeat to London Irish last Friday.