With 16 Glasgow Warriors players tied up with Scotland at the World Cup as against five Munster men with Ireland, there is little doubt that the home side will be at a distinct advantage when the teams meet in a repeat of last year’s Guinness Pro12 final at Thomond Park this evening (6pm).

Guinness Pro 12 

Obviously I’m biased but, for me, it wasfantastic to see all the old Munster values and traditions were still there.

Potentially seismic back-to-back clashes with Clermont Auvergne await Munster in December after the fixtures for the new European Rugby Champions Cup were confirmed yesterday.

Ravenhill, which has been the traditional home of Ulster Rugby for over 90 years, has been renamed Kingspan Stadium following a 10-year deal worth an estimated £5 million (€6.15m).

Ulster’s Ravenhill ground in Belfast is to be known as the Kingspan Stadium after the announcement of a 10-year naming rights agreement.

Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris has been forced to retire after the ankle problem that sidelined him for 16 months struck again.

Although Richardt Strauss and Luke Fitzgerald are out, Leinster don’t have serious injury worries for tomorrow’s RaboDirect Pro12 semi-final clash with Ulster at the RDS.

Ireland lock Dan Tuohy is keen to make up for lost time.

Ian Humphreys will return to Ulster in the summer having signed a two-year contract with the province.

Plots, sub-plots and challenges abound ahead of Ulster’s clash with Leinster at the newly refurbished Ravenhill tonight with Leinster looking to cement their place at the top, but more crucially Ulster continuing their bid to claim the final semi-final berth.

Tomorrow night’s clash between Leinster and Ulster in the recently redeveloped Ravenhill has been given an extra dimension with the return from suspension of full-back Jared Payne to Mark Anscombe’s squad.

The bottom line is that Irish rugby will double its income over the next five years as a result of the new European Rugby landscape.

Ulster suffered an excruciatingly narrow 17-15 defeat at the hands of Saracens in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup last weekend.

Ulster’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens on Saturday will be the biggest home match in the club’s history, according to Sarries’ Director of Rugby, Mark McCall.

Nick Williams’ contract at Ulster appears to be under serious threat after being pulled out of this week’s squad to face the Dragons at Ravenhill.

Thoughts of a potential Heineken Cup semi-final with Leinster can wait as far as Munster head coach Rob Penney is concerned, it is a first visit to Thomond Park by four-time champions Toulouse that will exercise his mind as European competition goes into the knockout stages.

HEINEKEN CUP POOL 6:

Ulster have been rocked by the loss of influential skipper Johann Muller ahead of tonight’s RaboDirect derby shoot-out with Munster at Ravenhill.

Ulster are slowly getting their big guns back following a string of injury concerns.

Ulster fly-half Paddy Jackson is back in harness for this evening’s derby against rivals Leinster.

HEINEKEN CUP POOL 5:

20-year-old Ulster back, Stuart Olding, admitted he has found it surreal playing among so many of his boyhood heroes at Ulster this season.

Ulster skipper Johann Muller has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after injuring his bicep in Saturday's Heineken Cup defeat to Saracens at Twickenham.

By Ian Cusack

Having gotten back to winning ways against Leinster last weekend, Ulster prop John Afoa can sense the confidence in the squad as they prepare for Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens in Twickenham (6.30pm).

Ulster 29 Treviso 29

Ulster 12 Ospreys 16

Ulster head coach Mark Anscombe believes powerhouse flanker Stephen Ferris may return to action around the middle of February, leaving the door open for the back rower to feature in Ireland’s Six Nations campaign.

By Ian Cusack

Ravenhill rugby ground’s towering scoreboard still carried the result that must have had Nevin Spence roaring his heart out on Friday night.

Páraic Duffy has admitted the GAA’s £15m (€19m) investment in the Casement Park project is a huge undertaking for the Association in the current economic climate.

Munster fans are readying themselves for the mouth-watering prospect of seeing their team in action in the hallowed surroundings of Wembley Stadium nine days before Christmas.

Simon Mason turned up at Lansdowne Road bright and early for the game of his life, a net of balls slung over his shoulder.

A school team once failed to control their snorts of laughter when a PE teacher informed them that the secret to success in football could be boiled down to one word: “Hard work.”

English clubs go missing again...

Ulster 15 Ospreys 14

THIS was meant to be the game that topped the bill this weekend: a revitalised Ulster side against one of the French powerhouses with both sides gunning for the win required to take them through to the next round and leave the other scratching for a slot in the Amlin Challenge.

ULSTER coach Brian McLaughlin has branded Declan Kidney’s latest Irish squads as “conservative” and lamented the absence of a number of his players from both the senior and Wolfhound panels yesterday.

PARIS in the springtime, the high veldt in summer, Thomond Park on pretty much any Heineken Cup weekend you would care to choose: none are appealing venues or scenarios for a visiting rugby team.

With three of those who started against Ulster ruled out through injury Munster once again ring the changes for the RaboDirect PRO12 clash with Benetton Treviso in Thomond Park Stadium tomorrow evening (8.15pm).

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin has handed competitive debuts to five players for the RaboDirect PRO12 clash against Leinster at the RDS on Monday (kick off 5.30).

ULSTER coach Brian McLaughlin wants a helping of the same intensity and physicality from his pack when they head to the Leicester Tigers liar at Welford Road on Saturday for the second instalment of their Heineken Cup campaign.