It won’t be easy, but Munster A head coach Peter Malone believes his side have a fighting chance of getting through to the knock-out stages of the B&I Cup.

Victory in today’s B&I Cup clash at Clifton Lane is essential if Munster A are to have a chance of qualifying for the quarter finals.

Munster 28 Edinburgh 14: “The performance was really, really average”. 

Munster 52 Worcester Warriors 21: It certainly wasn’t a happy return to Cork for former Munster and Ireland hero Donncha O’Callaghan as Munster stormed to a comprehensive pre- season win over Worcester Warriors at Musgrave Park last night.

Donncha O’Callaghan is edging ever closer to making 400 top class professional appearances in a remarkable career that shows no signs of coming quickly to an end.

Rassie Erasmus will not be expecting perfection when he sends his Munster charges into action for the first time tonight.

Former Leinster centre Collie O’Shea will partner Cian Bohane in Munster’s midfield tomorrow night as Rassie Erasmus begins his search for willing alternatives to the injured Francis Saili.

Munster A 31 Ulster A 38

Hooker Duncan Casey returns from a lengthy lay-off and starts Munster A’s clash with Ulster Ravens today in Naas (3pm).

The prospect of missing out on qualification for next season’s European Champions Cup looms larger than ever for Munster after Glasgow Warriors’ win over the Newport Gwent Dragons on Thursday. That result drops Munster to eighth in the Guinness Pro12 table with only the top six assured of Champions Cup action.

Tommy O’Donnell, Donnacha Ryan and James Cronin return to action for Munster in tonight’s Guinness Pro12 clash with Glasgow Warriors on the 4G pitch at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock.

Munster A must beat London Scottish today to remain in the hunt for the British and Irish Cup quarter-finals.

Yorkshire Carnegie 43 Munster A 29: Munster A’s valiant second-half fightback was all in vain as relieved Yorkshire Carnegie eventually claimed victory to all but seal Pool Three’s top spot in the British & Irish Cup.

Dependent on team selection higher up, Munster A coach Mick O’Driscoll has rung the changes for tomorrow’s British & Irish Cup game with Yorkshire Carnegie in Lockwood Park, Huddersfield.

British and Irish Cup

Munster A - champions in 2012, begin their challenge for a second B & I Cup title when they take on London Scottish at the Athletic ground in Richmond, London tonight (7.45pm).

Ulster Bank All-Ireland League Division 1B<br>Dolphin 24 Buccaneers 23<br>An excellent penalty strike from Rory Scannell three minutes from the end of this absorbing Ulster Bank League Division 1B tie gave Dolphin a priceless victory at Musgrave Park on Saturday.

Munster 18 Benetton Treviso 13: The consolation on a less than satisfactory Guinness Pro12 performance at Musgrave Park on Saturday night was the win, four points in the bag, that puts Munster in a much healthier position than at the same stage last season when they lost first time out to Edinburgh.

Munster Rugby will end their tradition of training in dual venues in Cork and Limerick when a new state-of-the-art facility is opened next July.

Munster 12 Connacht 28: Connacht scrum-half Kieran Marmion could hardly be blamed for feeling more than a little aggrieved last week when he was released back to Connacht by Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt without having had a reasonable chance to press his claims for a place in Ireland’s World Cup squad.

Last week, Tyler Bleyendaal, Munster’s major signing from New Zealand, made his first appearance in the red jersey after dealing with 12 months of deep frustration because of a career-threatening injury. He came through in style.

Munster 29 Grenoble 38: A thoroughly convincing 30-minute debut in the red jersey by Tyler Bleyendaal convinced onlookers at Thomond Park that Munster may have come up with a priceless nugget in the New Zealand number 10.