He will soon be the last link to the Munster heroes of 2008 but Keith Earls has learned to leave the glory days behind and join an ambitious new generation eager to forge their own path in Europe.

Nobody within the Munster setup has tried to put a gloss on the performance in last week’s European Champions Cup defeat by Saracens. But end-of-an-era talk? They are not buying into that.

Former Munster star Paul Warwick has been forced to retire from the game due to a neck injury.

Munster chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald is hopeful Paul O’Connell’s decision to commit another two years to the province will help persuade others such as Keith Earls there is a bright future for the men in red.

While some uncertainty remains about his future, Rob Penney is putting complete faith in his side.

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony has praised Casey Laulala’s emergence as a team leader ahead of the province’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Leinster tomorrow.

As it turned out, Doug Howlett’s last act on a rugby pitch was to do what he did best during an illustrious career for the All Blacks and Munster — scoring a try.

Clermont Auvergne second row Jamie Cudmore says “for the good of the game, it’d be too bad” if his old adversary, Munster’s Paul O’Connell, had been banned for their upcoming Heineken Cup clash.

Ahead of today’s squad announcement for the Autumn Internationals, Alan Good considers the key questions facing Ireland coach Declan Kidney

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has told Munster they can all but guarantee themselves at least eight invaluable pool points by beating Racing Metro 92 in their Heineken Cup opener.

Munster legend Denis Leamy has been forced to retire.

David Wallace hung up his boots yesterday and could soon be joined by Denis Leamy who has admitted his future in the game is in doubt.

Munster and Ireland second row Donnacha Ryan has signed a new IRFU contract to remain with Munster until the end of the 2013/14 season.

Perpignan will provide an exit route for Munster inside centre Lifeimi Mafi following the Irish province’s signing yesterday of James Downey from Northampton Saints.

MUNSTER winger Ian Dowling has been forced to retire due to a hip injury. Dowling told his team-mates before yesterday’s training at CIT and admitted afterwards he was “gutted” to be ending his career.

AUSTRALIAN rugby legend George Smith will be playing in the northern hemisphere next season, but a move to Munster has been ruled out.

DYLAN HARTLEY doesn’t seem like the sort of man who read fairytales as a child, yet listening to him talk about Munster and their record at Thomond Park you can’t help but think of him and his Northampton Saints team-mates as St George, being sent in to the wilderness to slay the dragon.

BYRON KELLEHER admits Toulouse are still smarting from their 2008 Heineken Cup defeat to Munster as they chase a fourth European title.

JERRY FLANNERY is one of a number of Munster players in today’s Irish team who insists the 2006 and 2008 Heineken Cup final wins at the Millennium Stadium don’t give them an edge in this evening’s Grand Slam decider.

HE described the moment of his recall yesterday as akin to his first cap — the same tingles and shivers he experienced the week of his first cap against Scotland in 2000.

AND THEN there were three.Three months to go before the British and Irish Lions are in camp at their Surrey training base; three rounds of this season’s selection-defining Six Nations Championship left; and three stand-out candidates for the coveted Lions captaincy.

The power of Munster against the speed of the French Ferrari is how former France international and Toulouse legend Thomas Castaignède has billed Saturday’s Heineken Cup Final.

MUNSTER are emerging as the firm favourites to win the Heineken Cup for a second time in the eyes of their Celtic cousins.

There is a suspicion that Munster's Red Army have been responsible of the purchase of many of the 35,000 tickets sold for the 13th Heineken Cup final being played at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, May 24.