Andy Friend says Connacht’s PRO14 play-off hopes are on a knife-edge and only a victory in South Africa will suffice.

Chris Farrell returns to the Munster team as Johann van Graan makes five changes ahead of Saturday's Guinness PRO14 match against Scarlets at Thomond Park (5pm).

Connacht prop Paddy McAllister will make an emotional return to South Africa for the first time in 11 years to take on the Southern Kings.

The injury denies Healy the chance to become Ireland's sixth player to reach 100 caps in this Six Nations campaign.

Finlay Bealham faces a race against time to play any part in the remainder of Connacht’s season after suffering a fractured ankle at the weekend.

Jack Conan has returned to on-field training for the first time since suffering a foot injury at the World Cup last October.

It will be a proud day for the Scannell/O’Sullivan families when Munster take the field against Zebre in the Guinness Pro14 in Milan tomorrow night.

Niall will lead a team that includes his younger brother Rory and their cousin, Jack O'Sullivan.

Munster head coach Johann van Graan has lauded Rosscarbery native John Hodnett after his man of the match Pro 14 league debut in the runaway 68-3 victory over Southern Kings at Musgrave Park on Friday night.

Munster achieved their essential aim of taking all five Guinness Pro 14 points from the visit of the lowly Southern Kings by the half-time whistle at Musgrave Park and after that, it was little more than a romp for a bang-in-form home side who thrilled the appreciative Cork crowd of 6,854 with ten tries on a delightful evening for attacking football.

Further evidence of the influence of West Cork rugby in the Munster team has come with the inclusion of Rosscarbery flanker John Hodnett for his first Guinness Pro 14 start — against South African side Southern Kings — at Musgrave Park this evening, kick-off 7. 35.

The side square up against Munster in Cork on Friday.

Leinster hope to have Jack Conan back in time for their Champions Cup quarter-final with Saracens in April – with Dan Leavy close behind.

Chris Farrell and Jack O’Donoghue return to Munster.

Saracens will be visiting clubs such as Ealing Trailfinders, Ampthill, and Hartpury RFC in the Green King IPA Championship next season, writes Donal Lenihan.

Having trailed 6-0 after 14 minutes, Munster added their points in sevens to take a 14-6 lead into the break but it was not until Conor Murray pounced off the back of a ruck in 47th minute that the home side truly put this game beyond Ospreys in front of 19,891, the biggest crowd of the weekend in the Champions Cup. Not bad for a dead rubber.

Paul Boyle missed the cut for Connacht last week, but he wants to take that frustration out on Gloucester as the province seek to rescue their Champions Cup hopes on Saturday.

Connacht produced a frustrating and sloppy performance on their way to a bonus point victory over Southern Kings in the PRO14 on Saturday.

Tom Farrell’s hopes of playing in next year’s Six Nations have been dealt a blow with the Connacht centre set to be sidelined until the New Year with a fractured shoulder.

Munster will face an Ospreys side in disarray on and off the field, but Johann van Graan’s side have been warned they’ll face a wounded animal in their Champion’s Cup opener.

Head coach Dave Rennie will almost certainly leave Glasgow Warriors at the end of this season, most likely to take charge of Australia, although he has also been linked with the New Zealand and Italy jobs. His legacy in Scotland will depend almost entirely on how his team fares in this European Champions Cup campaign, which kicks-off when Sale Sharks visit Scotstoun tomorrow afternoon.

Head coach Dave Rennie will almost certainly leave Glasgow Warriors at the end of this season, most likely to take charge of Australia, although he has also been linked with the New Zealand and Italy jobs. His legacy in Scotland will depend almost entirely on how his team fairs in this European Champions Cup campaign, which kicks-off when Sale Sharks visit Scotstoun Saturday afternoon.

Ospreys coach Allen Clarke says he is going through the toughest period of his career after watching his side suffer five defeats in six games.

Ospreys replacement fly-half James Hook missed two late penalties as Southern Kings hung on to register a 16-14 victory – their first Guinness Pro14 win of the season.

World Cup demands deprive both Munster and Ospreys of the majority of their top players when they meet in the Guinness PRO14 at Musgrave Park tonight.

Those newcomers are among five changes by Johann van Graan to the side which lost their last Pro14 game 40-16 to the Cheetahs.

The Irish province ran in five tries in the opening 31 minutes to effectively put the game to bed, although Tertius Kruger and Aston Fortuin responded for the hosts.

Munster claimed a second bonus-point victory in a week as their perfect start to the PRO14 season continued in Port Elizabeth against Southern Kings.

Munster back row Jack O’Donoghue knows there will be a tougher test at altitude next week in Bloemfontein but insists they also have their work cut out to deal with the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth today.

Munster have made four changes to their team for the Guinness Pro14 clash against Southern Kings.

Munster head coach Johann van Graan knows all there is to know about South Africa’s major domestic competition, the Currie Cup. Given that the Cheetahs — one of his side’s two Guinness PRO14 opponents over the next fortnight — were recently crowned champions of the 130-year-old tournament, he is aware of the challenge awaiting his team.

It mightn’t have been a performance to set the pulses racing but Munster still got the new campaign off to a five-try, bonus point start by hammering the hapless Dragons - even without a dozen of their World Cup-tied players on duty in Japan.

Champions Cup spots were up for grabs today.

Johnny Sexton could go head to head with his younger brother in the Pro14 next season.

This time 12 months ago, Munster and Leinster felt bulletproof as they approached their respective Champions Cup semi-final deciders against Racing 92 and Scarlets, with both squads densely fortified with players from Ireland’s all-conquering Grand Slam team.

Cheetahs fly-half Tian Schoeman scored 18 points as his side claimed a bonus point win over Dragons in Bloemfontein.

Forewarned is forearmed, as the proverb goes. Chris Farrell’s one-week release from Ireland camp back to Munster during the Six Nations has given the centre confidence that he and his fellow internationals will be on the same page with their provincial teammates by kick-off time at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Craig Gilroy and Will Addison have been ruled out of Saturday's Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

Ulster may have achieved their goal in leapfrogging Benetton in the chase for a Guinness PRO14 knock-out place, but there was mixed news in the aftermath of Saturday’s win over Southern Kings for coach Dan McFarland ahead of next week’s Champions Cup quarter-final with Leinster.

Marcell Coetzee marked his comeback for Ulster with one of their five tries in a 33-19 Guinness PRO14 win over the Southern Kings.

Voice of experience Cave nears end of line

CJ Stander is back in the Munster team for tomorrow's Pro 14 match against Zebre at Thomond Park.

Ulster hooker Rob Herring vows they won’t let minds wander to next week’s European Cup clash with Leinster in Dublin when the Southern Kings come to the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday.