With Munster holding a slender 6-3 lead on 50 minutes, the mass brawl that led to a Munster penalty handed the visitors a chance to widen their advantage.

Munster have reached one objective in this Heineken Champions Cup campaign by beating Saracens for the first time in five years last Saturday.

Saracens have named an almost totally different side to face Munster at Allianz Park tomorrow, while the Reds make one change from their 10-3 home win.

One man’s setback appears to be an opportunity for a couple of his team-mates as Johnny Sexton’s likely absence from the start of the Six Nations seems to have opened the door for a pair of Munster stars to take centre-stage with Ireland in the coming weeks.

Saracens are set to bring their big guns back for the return match with Munster next weekend after leaving Limerick with a losing bonus point.

Ask any Munster supporter their thoughts on the Saracens personnel coming to Thomond Park this evening and they will take the matchday squad named by Mark McCall yesterday in a heartbeat. Ask the Munster coaching group the same question and they will not be taking anything for granted.

The four Irish provinces have named their teams for this weekend's Champions Cup clashes.

English and European champions Saracens have been docked 35 points and fined more than £5m, pending appeal, over breaches of salary cap rules.

As if we ever needed reminding, Saturday’s World Cup final highlighted that so much of modern-day sport is played out in the head.

This is a contest fit for the final itself with the winner fancied to go all the way.

In a major lift to Eddie Jones’ men, the powerful Saracens number eight is on course to recover from the ankle injury that forced him off at half-time against Argentina 10 days ago.

England’s World Cup bid was just minutes old when Billy Vunipola launched himself into contact off the back of a lineout and Tonga’s Zane Kapeli floored him with a tackle that landed the big No 8 flat on his arse.

Find something you feel as passionate about as Andy Farrell when he talks about defence, and breaks it down into the intricacies of tackle height and technique and head positioning, and you’ll never work a day in your life.

There mighn’t be action on the field at the Rugby World Cup on the first day of October, but that doesn’t mean players and coaches aren’t stepping up to the mic. Here’s what the various camps have been saying.

England proved too much for Pacific Islanders, running out convincing 35-3 winners

Joe Schmidt doesn’t forget.

It is a well-balanced Ireland squad, assembled by Joe Schmidt in forensic detail, with the intention of negotiating a successful seven-week World Cup campaign.

Fly-half Byrne gets the chance of a lifetime in the absence of both Johnny Sexton and Joey Carbery with a first Ireland start in just his third Test.

Gareth Thomas had to stop and gather himself more than once today. His voice faltered. It choked with emotion. Who knows how many times his nerves were betrayed by an subconscious impulse to tug at his right ear?

Johnny Sexton left St James’ Park regretting missed opportunities as Saracens powered to their third Heineken Champions Cup title in four seasons and denied Leinster a record fifth European crown.

Steffan Thomas rates the players of both sides of the Heinken Champions Cup final.

Leinster’s bid for a record fifth European crown came up short at St James’ Park on Saturday as Saracens reclaimed the Heineken Champions Cup for their third title in four seasons.

Donal Lenihan on the players and performances that could shade today’s meeting of the European superpowers in Newcastle.

A fifth win for Leinster tomorrow will make them the most successful side in the history of the competition.

It is a measure of the quality in play at tomorrow’s Heineken Champions Cup final that there is so much mutual respect between the two teams, respect borne out of the shared experience of a successful British & Irish Lions tour two summers ago.

Tadhg Furlong might not have done Leinster any favours when he opened Mako Vunipola’s eyes to what it takes to be a true, world-class prop, on the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.

Stuart Lancaster has no doubt but that Leinster will shed their recent inconsistencies and producing a monster performance against Saracens in a heavyweight European decider this Saturday.

So that’s Friday nearly wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

Munster Rugby have banned the supporter who appeared to confront Saracens player Billy Vunipola after the Heineken Champions Cup semi-final at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.

The Munster supporter who confronted Billy Vunipola after their loss to Saracens has been banned from attending games at Thomond Park and Musgrave Park.

It will be Andy Farrell’s choice who captains Ireland in next year’s Six Nations, but James Ryan believes he has a gem in Peter O’Mahony.

Connacht and Ireland player Bundee Aki has taken to Instagram to address "mistakenly" liking the controversial post by Israel Folau.

Leo Cullen is not convinced that Ireland’s Six Nations defeat to England last February will have any effect on next month’s Champions Cup final.

Mark McCall, the Saracens director of rugby, handed Munster a crumb of comfort in the aftermath of his team’s 32-16 Champions Cup semi-final win in Coventry.

Simon Lewis Munster Rugby has pledged to further investigate an incident at the end of their Champions Cup semi-final at the Ricoh Arena when a supporter appeared to confront Saracens player Billy Vunipola on the field.

In a statement, European Professional Club Rugby said: “EPCR does not condone the entry of a spectator to the field of play.

Peter O’Mahony and Johann van Graan put their hands up after another Heineken Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Saracens and admitted they had simply been beaten by a better side.

Saracens continued their recent dominance of Munster as they subjected the Irish province to another mauling and consigned the Reds to a third straight European semi-final defeat.

Owen Farrell might have been a leading candidate for a few sleepless nights recently but he is determined not to lose out on his eight hours of shut-eye over the challenge facing Saracens this afternoon

Gordon D’Arcy feels the controversy swirling around Billy Vunipola will be an exacting test of the culture that exists in the Saracens dressing room — and that Saturday’s European clash with Munster will deliver the results.

A Rugby World Cup final referee has called for respect in the wake of the homophobia issues that have hit the sport.

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.

Saracens would have hoped for a quieter week than the one just gone but Maro Itoje, for one, is aiming to block out the outside noise against old foes Munster in the Champions Cup semi-final on Saturday in Coventry.

Paul O’Connell’s stay in Paris with Stade Francais will end once this season is done, it is understood.