After seven months on the sidelines, Jean Kleyn had more reason than most to celebrate the start of the new season and the lock could not have wished for a better re- introduction to the Munster jersey.

MUNSTER - Team news

Munster and Ireland second row Donnacha Ryan has inked a deal to move to Ronan O’Gara’s Racing 92 in Paris, Examiner Sport understands.

Rassie Erasmus struck gold when he captured Jaco Taute on a short-term loan from the Stormers, but is it too much to expect Jean Deysel to make a similar impact during his limited time at Munster?

Injured second-row Dave Foley has played his last game for Munster after the province revealed he will be joining French Top14 club Pau at the end of the season.

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

He’ll be 22 no more than a week when the whistle sounds in Edinburgh tomorrow on his first Six Nations appearance, but the wonder isn’t how Garry Ringrose has come to this so early but why it has taken quite so long.

Munster can expect the kind of reception they like to dish out to visiting teams when they take on Edinburgh in tonight’s deferred Guinness Pro 12 game at Myreside.

Rhys Marshall's 56th-minute try guided Guinness PRO12 leaders Munster to a 16-9 win over injury-ravaged Connacht in tough conditions at the Sportsground.

Victory in today’s B&I Cup clash at Clifton Lane is essential if Munster A are to have a chance of qualifying for the quarter finals.

Munster must plan without Peter O’Mahony for this afternoon’s Guinness PRO12 tie against Treviso at Thomond Park.

In a shock development, Peter O’Mahony was yesterday released from the Irish camp preparing for Saturday’s clash with Australia and will now lead Munster against Treviso in the Guinness PRO12 at Thomond Park on the same day.

Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, his staff, and his players have been working hard at UL over the last few days trying to return things to as close to normality as possible following the tragic and heartfelt loss of head coach Anthony Foley.

Just when he thought it was safe to go back onto the wing, Keith Earls could be pressed into service in Munster’s injury-hit midfield.

Witnessing Rassie Erasmus’s reaction to defeat last Friday night was as instructive as it was surprising.

Like all other top coaches, Rassie Erasmus knows that to win trophies you’ve got to win your home matches.

Against all the odds, the Rassie Erasmus era began with a morale-boosting 23-13 victory for Munster over a much-fancied Scarlets side in West Wales.

Reports Springbok centre Jaco Taute is on the brink of joining Munster on a short-term contract appear premature with the province waiting for Stormers to give the the go-ahead.

Former Munster hooker Denis Fogarty has become the latest player to have to retire from the game through injury.

Joe Schmidt has challenged Ireland’s fringe players to use the upcoming interprovincial derbies to stake their claim for places in his squad for June’s three Test tour to South Africa.

“It’s like every game we play from here on, we’re in cup final mode.”

The prospect of missing out on qualification for next season’s European Champions Cup looms larger than ever for Munster after Glasgow Warriors’ win over the Newport Gwent Dragons on Thursday. That result drops Munster to eighth in the Guinness Pro12 table with only the top six assured of Champions Cup action.

Munster head coach Anthony Foley believes the province has to stand up and fight its corner against inconsistent decision-making by referees.

Munster crashed out of Europe for the second season in succession as they went down to 14-man Stade Francais in the French capital tonight.

Munster coach Anthony Foley is hopeful winger Keith Earls and scrum-half Conor Murray will be fit for Saturday’s Champions Cup showdown against Stade Francais.