THE availability of centre Sam Tuitupou hinges on the outcome of today’s ERC disciplinary meeting in Dublin, but Munster have been boosted by the availability of hooker Jerry Flannery for Saturday’s must-win Heineken Cup clash with Toulon at Thomond Park.

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.

PAUL O’CONNELL was yesterday renamed as Munster captain despite being ruled out of action for the first half of the season.

JEREMY Manning, a player whose season has been ravaged by injury, demonstrated his potential with two smashing tries in Munster’s British & Irish Cup semi-final victory at Thomond Park on Saturday.

HAVING defeated Ulster twice this season in the A Interprovincial Championship, Munster will be fancied to complete the hat-trick as they take on the Ravens in the semi-final of the inaugural British & Irish Cup at Thomond Park this afternoon.

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).

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.

IT’S a pity those who bemoan the demise of the club game weren’t in Dubarry Park on Saturday afternoon.

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).

MOST of the drama was crammed into the final few minutes of this AIB League 1A derby at Musgrave Park on Saturday.

MUNSTER winger Ian Dowling is set to play his first match of the season when the A team takes on Ulster in Belfast tomorrow.

MUNSTER’S youngsters, with a little help from some seasoned campaigners, turned in an impressive performance and secured a deserved win over Leinster in this A clash in Waterford yesterday.

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.

CORK CONSTITUTION and Old Crescent demonstrated at Clifford Park yesterday that the ODM Munster Senior Cup is still very much alive.

THESE two great rivals have a habit of producing the unexpected.

CORK CONSTITUTION coach Brian Walsh won’t find it difficult to motivate his troops before today’s ODM Munster Senior Cup semi-final with old rivals Garryowen at Musgrave Park (2.30pm).

A COUPLE of converted tries in the dying minutes enabled Cork Constitution to come from 19-11 behind with time running out to overtake UL Bohs in an exciting AIB League clash at Annacotty yesterday.

With their fifth victory of the season, Eamonn Boland and Damien Morrissey (Subaru WRC) have won the Murphy Construction/Weathermaster Cork '20' International Rally, the final round of the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship.

Newly crowned Irish Tarmac champions, Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Subaru WRC) hold a 20 second lead at the end of the opening day of the Murphy Construction Cork '20' International Rally.

UCD coach Killian Keane conceded AIB League defeat to Constitution long before the finish of this tie at Temple Hill on Saturday, and then boldly predicted that the Cork side would win the title.

SHANNON’S renowned spirit has rarely been seen to greater effect than at Clifford Park yesterday when they overcame a strong Cork Constitution side and the handicap of playing the last 20 minutes with 14 men to advance to the ODM Munster Senior Cup final.

CORK CONSTITUTION’S director of rugby, Paul Derham, makes no apologies for his club’s insistence in successfully seeking a postponement of the ODM Munster Cup semi-final against Shannon.

Cork Constitution 12 Garryowen 12

Dolphin 22 UCC 16

THE IRFU have appointed three new members to the management of the national team.

MUNSTER have received a welcome boost for tomorrow night as Lions Paul O'Connell, John Hayes, Ronan O'Gara and Donncha O'Callaghan all start for the Celtic League clash against Llanelli Scarlets at Musgrave Park (7.10pm).

Extending his overnight advantage, Glen Allen and co-driver Damien Connolly, in their Toyota Corolla WRC, won the Cork Forest Rally today.

AMERICAN debutante Mike McDonald insists he isn’t fazed at the prospect of propping down against John Hayes tomorrow at Lansdowne Road (1pm) - he’s used to fighting against the odds.

DIARMUID LAFFAN will captain Ireland from blind side wing forward in the schools rugby international against Wales at Donnybrook on Saturday (6pm).

The Irish Schools selectors have named an unchanged side (from the one that started against England) for the game against Welsh Schools in Narbeth on Sunday April 27 (2pm).

The Irish Schools team will attempt to continue their run of victories when they take on the England Schools in St Mary's RFC in Dublin on Saturday at 3pm.

CLONTARF, Lansdowne and Ballymena will be joined by either Buccaneers or Belfast Harlequins in the top four play-offs for the AIB League title this weekend.

CBC Cork 34 Crescent Comprehensive 3

Munster Schools 9

THE Irish Schools Interprovincial title is on the line at Temple Hill this afternoon (1pm) when Munster take on Leinster.