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

Johann van Graan is optimistic both Keith Earls and Chris Farrell will prove their fitness for Ireland ahead of the Guinness Six Nations opener at home to Scotland in 12 days.

Nash has been named to start on the wing as Keith Earls misses out due to a minor knee injury in one of two changes to Johann van Graan's side.

The Munster head coach was able to select JJ Hanahan as his starting fly-half to face Racing 92 in Sunday’s crucial Heineken Champions Cup pool clash at La Défense Arena.

Joey Carbery makes his first start of the season at out-half.

Joey Carbery looks set to come to Munster’s rescue in Belfast on Friday night with the fit-again Ireland fly-half covering the possible absence of JJ Hanrahan with a hamstring injury.

Johann van Graan was left counting the casualties as he turned his focus towards this Friday’s visit to Ulster having lost more players to injury in the 13-6 home defeat to Leinster on Saturday.

With the clock ticking and Munster trailing 13-6, the home side won a crucial penalty inside the Leinster 22 after a sustained period of pressure and kicked for the corner.

Carbery has spent the last two months rehabbing an ankle injury.

Dave Kilcoyne makes his return from a calf injury to start for Munster against Connacht in tomorrow's PRO14 clash.

Joey Carbery’s likely return from an ankle injury before the end of the year will be good news for Ireland in the absence of Johnny Sexton but Munster will have to plan without him and a handful of others for this Saturday’s trip to Saracens.

This weekend’s test will have to be negotiated without two fly-halves and a trio of front-rowers.

Munster's out-half options remain depleted heading into the crucial back-to-back Champions Cup games.

Munster are hoping JJ Hanrahan and Rhys Marshall successfully come through this week’s two main training sessions to have a chance of making their comebacks against Racing 92 at Thomond Park on Saturday.

Munster are holding out hope that JJ Hanrahan will pass fit to face Ospreys in their Heineken Champions Cup pool opener in Wales on Saturday but the province will definitely be without Dave Kilcoyne for the first two rounds at least of the European campaign.

Head Coaches Johann van Graan and Dan McFarland has named his side for Satuday's Guinness PRO14 Interpro derby this Saturday at Thomand Park.

Munster’s South African influence looks like deepening still further with reports that World Cup winners — centre Damian de Allende and lock RG Snyman — are to join the province

Munster were ruthless and clinical as they ended a two-year wait for a win at the Arms Park by putting Cardiff Blues to the sword to leave the Welsh capital with a priceless bonus-point.

The host will be without a sizeable number of internationals including record try-scoring wing Josh Adams along with fellow Welsh stars, Owen Lane and Hallam Amos.

Jack O’Donoghue, the only forward to be retained from the victory over the Ospreys, captains the side for the second time in his career.

JP Ferreira, the Munster defence coach, has renewed his contract by another two years, while further positive news for the province is that Graham Rowntree, the former England prop, has arrived to take over from Jerry Flannery as forwards coach.

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

Chris Cloete has stressed the importance of staying positive this week as Munster prepare for a final push for silverware this season in the Guinness PRO14.

Johann van Graan sends a mix-and-match Munster side into Stadio Monigo tonight with one eye firmly on next weekend’s European semi-final with Saracens.

Three Academy players are included in the squad.

Three games to go in the shake-up for the Guinness PRO14 play-offs and still all to play for as far as Munster and Cardiff Blues are concerned, going into what promises to be an intriguing clash in Cork this evening (7.35pm).

Munster have named their starting team for the Pro14 clash with Cardiff in Musgrave Park.

Head coach Richard Cockerill has reinstalled hooker and captain Stuart McInally to the side in one of four changes to the starting line-up which defeated Leinster in last week’s round of the PRO14.

The province began training for the trip to Murrayfield on Monday, with their full squad reunited at their High Performance Centre in Limerick for the first time following Ireland’s Six Nations campaign

Wipe the slate clean and move on to the next job. That is the way Johann van Graan, like many head coaches, operates but as his Munster side transitions into this European knockout rugby week, his mantra of forgetting the past and resetting to zero on a Monday has never seemed so apt.

Munster survived an early scare at home to Guinness PRO14 conference bottom club Zebre to come from behind and grab a bonus-point victory on Saturday night.

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

Jonathan Sexton doesn’t do a whole lot wrong on the field and that probably explains why the recently named World Player of the Year has been getting it in the neck all week for his tempestuous showing in Thomond Park last Saturday.

Aching limbs and sore muscles mingled with broad smiles at Munster’s high-performance centre in UL yesterday, as all involved with Saturday’s win over Leinster reflected on an occasion that will live long in the memory.

Munster needed this. Even Johann van Graan admitted as much.

Frank Murphy’s appointment as referee for Leinster’s visit to Munster was a topic for conversation long before the first whistle.

Let’s put this game into context, writes Donal Lenihan.

Donal Lenihan looks at three statements Munster need to make today to beat Leinster.

"We're always talking about the great values of rugby, there were no great values there on Saturday I can tell you."

After a tense first half saw Munster take a narrow 6-0 lead into the break, the dynamic of this contest changed completely following the restart.

Returning out-half Tyler Bleyendaal will captain Munster in Sunday’s PRO14 encounter against Cheetahs, head coach Johann van Graan confirmed yesterday.

Keith Earls remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Nick McCarthy’s move south from Leinster to Munster for next season has thrown into doubt the futures of current scrum-halves James Hart and Duncan Williams beyond the current campaign.