CJ Stander acknowledged the encouragement and drive of his team-mates after being named Munster’s Player of the Year at the province’s 2015 Munster Rugby Awards in Cork yesterday.

Munster A 41 Ulster Ravens 27: Kiwi outhalf Tyler Bleyendaal made his long-awaited Munster debut for the province’s second string during a 41-27 victory against the Ulster Ravens at Naas yesterday.

Guinness Pro 12

Anthony Foley has wasted no time in recalling Ireland’s Six Nations heroes as the province continue to seek the victories required to help them to a top two Guinness Pro12 finish.

Munster ‘A’ 30 Ulster Ravens 24:

Scarlets 22 Ulster 13

Lions and Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris is poised to return to competitive action after a frustrating 15 month recovery from a serious ankle injury.

RABODIRECT PRO12:

Pat Lam has handed Eoghan Masterson his first cap in his team to face the Scarlets tomorrow at the Sportsground (KO: 5pm).

Ulster have confirmed that Ireland’s talented utility back Stuart Olding will be out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.

Mark Anscombe has made two changes to the team that beat Montpellier last Saturday for tomorrow night's game against Cardiff Blues at Ravenhill (kick off 19:05).

Scott LaValla can see the Aviva Stadium from his hotel. The RDS, where he will line out with Stade Francais tonight in the Amlin Challenge Cup final, is just around the corner.

Munster 24 Ulster 10

Ulster back row duo Stephen Ferris and Nick Williams are in contention to face Glasgow Warriors in the Heineken Cup this Friday after being named in Mark Anscombe's provisional 28-man squad (kick off 8pm).

Roger Wilson will make his return from injury today as Ulster Ravens kick off their British & Irish Cup campaign against Bridgend Ravens in Deramore Park. Wilson will line out in his familiar number 8 position while former Ireland U20 captain Niall Annett starts at hooker.

The Aviva Stadium is set to rock for the first time this season on Saturday night with the arrival of a new-look Munster side for the first of their seasonal encounters with Leinster in the RaboDirect Pro 12.

Munster will reunite Peter Stringer and Ronan O’Gara at half-back for the first time in 19 months as head coach Rob Penney shuffles his deck for tomorrow night’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Newport Gwent Dragons at Thomond Park (8pm).

With an A Interprovincial on Thursday and a number of injury concerns, Munster coach Rob Penney has delayed naming his squad for the visit of Newport Dragons to Thomond Park Stadium on Saturday (8pm).

Rob Penney backed his inexperienced Munster players to learn the valuable lessons of their near-miss at Ravenhill as the province aims to get back on track on Saturday at home to Newport Gwent Dragons.

Despite falling to a 19-20 defeat to Ulster in Belfast on Friday night, Munster head coach Rob Penney was not overly downbeat, choosing to focus on the positives from a game which could have gone either way.

The terrible tragedy near Hillsborough, Co Down, at the weekend confirms what statistics have already shown.

Ulster Director of Rugby David Humphries has said the death of Nevin Spence will leave a huge hole in the Ulster squad.

Team mates of a young rugby star killed in a farming tragedy alongside his brother and his father in Northern Ireland have said he was a wonderful sportsman and a wonderful person.

Ulster Ravens 17 Munster A 19

Mark Anscombe has made seven changes to the starting team for the visit of Munster to Ravenhill tomorrow night (7.05pm).

Dave Kilcoyne, BJ Botha and Donncha O’Callaghan represent the three changes Rob Penney has made for his side’s visit to Ravenhill on Friday for their RaboDirect PRO12 meeting with Ulster (7.05pm).

LUKE FITZGERALD hopes of breaking into Declan Kidney’s Six Nations squad to face Wales look to be dashed by a neck injury which has cost him a place in the Irish Wolfhounds selection to face the English Saxons on Saturday.

LEINSTER eased into the British & Irish Cup semi-finals at a canter at Donnybrook yesterday.

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).

MUNSTER took the last qualification spot in the British and Irish Cup courtesy of Leinster yesterday.

Hooker Sean Cronin will make his first competitive start for Leinster on Friday night having been named in Joe Schmidt’s starting XV to face Edinburgh in their RaboDirect PRO12 encounter at Murrayfield (7.35pm).

Ulster prop Callum Black has been named on the Ravens starting team to play Leinster 'A' at Donnybrook on Friday night (6pm) after months of inactivity due to a neck injury.

Much has been made of Eddie O’Sullivan’s face-off against the squad he once coached when Ireland meet the USA on Sunday, but the Group C opening Test will also see the Eagles’ forward Scott LaValla reunited with some familiar faces.

FELIX JONES, Niall Ronan and Peter O’Mahony all made successful returns to action following injury at Shaws Bridge, Belfast, yesterday as Munster easily disposed of Ulster Ravens in an A Interprovincial.

FELIX JONES is likely to make his first appearance of the year when Munster A travel to Shaw’s Bridge for today’s interprovincial clash with the Ulster Ravens (kick-off 3.30pm), and coach Anthony Foley believes he can use the match as a springboard for World Cup selection.

THE waiting game is always the worst and Denis Hurley is hoping against hope that a scan on an injured right knee will provide good news today.

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin has named an enlarged squad for Friday's Magners League meeting with Edinburgh at Murrayfield (kick-off 7.05pm).

Irish internationals Paddy Wallace and Dan Tuohy have been named in a 28-man Ulster squad ahead of this weekend’s Magners League trip to Connacht on Saturday night (KO 7.30pm).

Irish internationals Paddy Wallace and Dan Tuohy have been named in a 28-man Ulster squad ahead of this weekend’s Magners League trip to Connacht on Saturday night (KO 7.30pm).

Munster coach Tony McGahan has named David Wallace in a 27-man squad ahead of Munster’s Magners League clash with Glasgow in Firhill on Friday night (KO 8.05pm).

MUNSTER A produced a top-class display to overwhelm the Ulster Ravens at Nenagh yesterday.

The Leinster/Ulster and Connacht/Munster teams for the O2 Challenge, the historic first game in Aviva Stadium, has been named.

IT IS a game that may have slipped under the radar but regardless of what happens at the RDS tonight, Munster may collect their first piece of silverware this season in the final of the inaugural British & Irish Cup against Cornish Pirates at Camborne tomorrow (6pm, Sky Sports).

MUNSTER legend Anthony Foley is confident his young side will add further lustre to the province when his Munster A side takes on the Ulster Ravens in the first of a highly attractive double-header at Thomond Park on Saturday next (3.30pm).