MUNSTER confirmed a triple injury blow yesterday with Denis Fogarty, Felix Jones and Ian Dowling facing lay-offs after Saturday’s Magners League victory over the Ospreys.

IT WAS a throwback to the old days when Munster bullied the opposition up front. At Musgrave Park last night, this was a pretty awesome performance from the twice Heineken Cup-winning club, who found strength in areas their critics would not have believed impossible a couple of months ago.

MUNSTER chiefs are confident that Lions pair Paul O’Connell and Keith Earls will be fit for Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final with Northampton Saints.

MUNSTER will pick from close to a full deck for Friday night’s Magners League clash with Leinster at Thomond Park.

DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN is the only member of the Irish team that started Saturday’s Six Nations defeat to Scotland included in Munster’s squad for Friday’s Magners League game with Glasgow at Thomond Park (8pm).

MUNSTER manager Shaun Payne last night admitted the province face a ‘difficult’ task in finding a replacement for Jean de Villiers due to the looming Rugby World Cup.

MUNSTER have opted to give John Hayes another week off and he will sit out Sunday’s Magners League game against the Scarlets at Musgrave Park. Meanwhile, they are keeping their fingers crossed that Marcus Horan will take a full part in Shannon’s AIB League game against St Mary’s College on Saturday.

RONAN O’GARA is the only one of Munster’s senior internationals included in the squad of 27 announced yesterday ahead of Saturday’s Magners League game against Connacht at Thomond Park (7.30pm).

MUNSTER are hopeful Paul Warwick will be available to take his place at out-half when they begin their defence of the Magners League against Glasgow at Firhill on Friday night, (8pm Setanta Sport).

MUNSTER’S challenge for the Magners League title remains very much on course after Saturday night’s 25-10 defeat of Connacht at Thomond Park but if they happen to be caught at the post, they may well rue the failure to take a bonus point from this game.

ONE hundred Heineken Cup games later, yesterday’s quarter-final victory over the Ospreys at Thomond Park was an historic occasion for European champions Munster.

MUNSTER supporters needn’t worry. As the province trained at the University of Limerick yesterday afternoon for Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against the Ospreys, Ronan O’Gara, Paul O’Connell and Doug Howlett were missing, but the trio were subsequently included in the 26-man squad.

MUNSTER coach TonyMcGahan wasn’t in the mood to bask in the glory of this Magners League derby victory at Thomond Park on Saturday night.

RONAN O’GARA has been omitted from the Munster squad for tomorrow night’s top-of-the-table Magners League game against the Ospreys as a precautionary measure.

ALAN QUINLAN is back in the Munster squad for Saturday’s Magners League clash with Cardiff Blues at Musgrave Park (7.30pm).

MUNSTER surged to third spot in the Magners League with a facile victory over hapless Newport Gwent Dragons at Musgrave Park last night.

ANTHONY FOLEY makes his 201st competitive and final appearance for Munster on home soil in tomorrow’s Magners League clash against Glasgow, (Musgrave Park, 5pm).

IRISH internationals David Wallace and Denis Leamy are named in the Munster squad for tomorrow night’s Magners League clash away to Connacht, (Sportsgrounds, 7.30pm).

PAUL O’CONNELL, Alan Quinlan, Tony Buckley and Peter Stringer return to strengthen Munster’s Magners League challenge this weekend, but the search for Ronan O’Gara’s back-up seems set to continue after Jeremy Manning’s announcement that he is to return to New Zealand at the end of the season.

A HAT-TRICK of tries for Munster-bound winger Doug Howlett — to draw him level with Christian Cullen at the top of the All-Black try-scoring charts — was the good news for Irish fans after this rout in Marseille on Saturday.

New Zealand 34 Ireland 23

SOUTH African-born lock Greg Rawlinson has been called into the New Zealand squad ahead of their Tests against Ireland and Argentina.

WINGER Sitivei Sivivatu, hooker Derren Witcombe and lock James Ryan will make their test debuts for New Zealand against Fiji on Friday after the trio were confirmed as starters in a new-look All Blacks side.

NEW ZEALAND coach Graham Henry had one eye on the future when he named the two teams for the All Blacks trial next month.

EIGHT newcomers have been named by the All Blacks coach Graham Henry in a bold selection policy for the upcoming European tour and a gruelling 2005 season.

New Zealand 53 Wales 37

THE All Blacks repeated a well-spun line in the build-up to their World Cup pool D game against Canada today.