Ireland’s World Cup to do list:

The Ireland coaching staff has today named an extended squad of 46 players for the upcoming RBS 6 Nations matches against Italy and France, as well as the Ireland Wolfhounds fixture against the England Saxons.

Things that surprise: Toulouse’s Thomond no-show; their body language; that they were surprised by the intensity of the occasion is a surprise in itself.

You like your Friday glass half-full or half-empty? Joe Schmidt will have learned a lot over the past month working with players he didn’t have as coach to Leinster.

Munster have made four changes to their team for tomorrow's clash with Gloucester at Thomond Park.

Medical drama Grey’s Anatomy brought the songs of Irish pop stars Damien Rice, Snow Patrol, and Kodaline to a global audience but might soon be showing off the work of Irish scientists.

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

ON paper at least it was a familiar proposition.

Having missed the Round 4 defeat to Saracens Keith Earls, Dave Kilcoyne, Tommy O’Donnell and Damien Varley are all named in Rob Penney’s starting XV for Sunday’s Heineken Cup meeting with Edinburgh at Murrayfield (12.45pm).

Munster boss Rob Penney has recalled his international big guns following the conclusion of Ireland's autumn internationals for Saturday's game at home to Glasgow Warriors

England tried it before imploding spectacularly at the 2011 World Cup and now Ireland have followed suit.

Unsurprisingly, four of six changes to the Munster starting XV to face Leinster in Saturday night's RaboDirect PRO12 encounter in Thomond Park (KO: 7.30pm) are caused by the return of internationals who had been missing from the squad on Six Nations duty.

Rory Best has captained his country before but three years and a whole other universe separate the Ulster hooker’s previous experiences from what he is about to go through this Saturday.

DECLAN Kidney congratulated Ronan O’Gara for writing his name into the record books following Saturday’s victory over Italy and welcomed the arrival of Munster’s Peter O’Mahony on the international scene.

A combination of international commitment and injuries has resulted in a relatively inexperienced 28-man squad for Munster’s RaboDirect PRO 12 fixture in Thomond Park against Cardiff on Friday (7.05pm).

Wales lock Bradley Davies will miss the rest of this season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship after receiving a seven-week ban.

The Ireland team management reacted with predictable surprise to news of Stephen Ferris’ citing yesterday but have expressed their confidence that the flanker will still be available to face France in Paris on Saturday.

Niall Ronan, who retired injured (knee) in the first half of Munster's win over Treviso last weekend has been included in the provisional Munster squad for the Heineken Cup game against Castres Olympique on Saturday (3.40pm).

All those who were rested as part of the national player welfare policy, for the Christmas/New Year local derbies against Connacht and Ulster have all been named in Munster's extended squad for the visit of Benetton Treviso to Limerick on Saturday.

Just three of those who started against Connacht last weekend remain in the Munster side for the trip to Belfast and the RaboDirect PRO12 encounter with Ulster in Ravenhill tomorrow evening (6.45pm).

Keith Earls returns to the Munster starting XV as one of three changes from the side that ran out last week in Parc Y Scarlets, for Sunday's re-match in Thomond Park Stadium (kick off: 12.45).

MUNSTER will roll out their stars for Saturday’s hugely important clash with table-toppers the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.

THE start of an All-Ireland League season is big news in Nenagh this week.

FROM the sublime to the Soviets.

THIS time last year, Felix Jones had just half a dozen games for Munster under his belt.

LEO CULLEN gets another crack at captaining Ireland when Declan Kidney’s outfit switch from the rain of Edinburgh to the good weather in Bordeaux tomorrow night.

THE pain of defeat to Harlequins in the Amlin Challenge Cup is still causing a sting in the Munster camp.

RUGBY and hurling fans have an opportunity this weekend to get their hands on a range of personal sportswear of their heroes in a special charity sale for the forthcoming Pink Ribbon Walk in Co Clare.

THERE’S plenty speculation, but it’s most unlikely Paul O’Connell will return for Saturday’s Amlin Cup semi-final clash with Harlequins at Thomond Park.

From Peppa Pig to books on psychology, Munster’s James Coughlan explains to Michael Moynihan the importance of downtime between high intensity matches

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan hailed the brilliance of Ronan O’Gara whose pressure penalty secured the province a one-point win over Leinster on Saturday night.

IRELAND scrum-half Tomás O’Leary is confident of being fit to face Wales in seven days after recovering from a back injury.

MUNSTER’S Denis Hurley, Johne Murphy, Mick O’Driscoll and Donncha Ryan will rejoin the province after spending the week on international duty for a first ever Magners League assignment in Italy on Sunday.

IRISH WOLFHOUNDS’ coach Eric Elwood hopes his side will have learned valuable lessons from their humbling defeat to Scotland A when they square up to England Saxons at Ravenhill tonight (7.30pm).

IRELAND’S coaching eyes will on Gavin Duffy, the Galwegians and Connacht full back, when the O2 Ireland Wolfhounds play Scotland ‘A’ in Netherdale tomorrow night (7.30pm).

THE CHAT was going reasonably well.

PAUL O’CONNELL faces an ERC Independent Disciplinary hearing in Dublin today to account for his sending off in Thomond Park last Sunday, but Munster coach Tony McGahan must have some hope he can avoid a ban after naming him in Munster’s 28 man group (the match-day squad will be narrowed to 23) to feature in Saturday’s Heineken Cup away game to the Ospreys at the Liberty stadium.

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan has welcomed Paul O’Connell’s return to provincial action but stressed that the management “don’t want to push him too early.”

IRELAND’S hectic November schedule is taking its toll.

DONNCHA RYAN’S hopes of adding to his seven caps this month are in the balance after the second-row was cited yesterday for allegedly stamping an opponent during Ireland’s win over Samoa last Saturday.