Some familiar faces await Niall Scannell this Saturday at Thomond Park. Gerbrandt Grobler was a teammate last year, and now he’s a Gloucester player.

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

Here's your morning bulletin.

The IRFU will continue to assess the recruitment of players with doping convictions on a case-by-case basis in the wake of the controversy sparked by Munster’s signing of Gerbrandt Grobler last summer.

Munster forwards Jean Kleyn and Rhys Marshall will undergo operations this summer, while Jack O'Donoghue is set for a scan on his knee injury.

Leinster 16 Munster 15: Leo Cullen’s relief was tangible as he assessed this narrow Guinness PRO14 semi-final victory over Munster.

On a day of farewells at Thomond Park, the last thing Munster need this afternoon when Edinburgh come calling is to kiss goodbye to their season.

Simon Zebo starts at full-back in his final game for Munster, with 12 changes to the side that drew 24-all with Ulster last weekend.

Johann van Graan has put his Munster players on alert that a Guinness PRO14 semi-final with Leinster in two weeks is no foregone conclusion.

Munster’s PRO14 play-off hopes have been handed a boost by the news Springbok centre Jaco Taute could be set to return from long-term injury for this Saturday’s home quarter-final against Edinburgh.

Munster 24 Ulster 24: Munster will head back to knockout rugby this weekend, their objective to get back on the bike after European disappointment accomplished but this draw reminding everyone in the province there is still plenty of road left to travel if they are to contend for the Guinness PRO14 title next month.

Munster’s Guinness PRO14 play-off hopes have been handed a boost by the news Springbok centre Jaco Taute could be set to return from long-term injury for this Saturday’s home quarter-final against Edinburgh.

The team news ahead of Sunday’s Champions Cup semi-final.

Goosen played his last game in December 2016, when he controversially announced his retirement from playing, aged 24, to become a "commercial director".

Southern Kings 22 Munster 39: There was a carnival atmosphere at Outeniqua Park on Saturday and while it seemed for a time that the Southern Kings were going to spoil CJ Stander’s homecoming, Munster’s superiority shone through in the end as they cantered home.

CJ Stander said that it will be a dream come true this evening when he leads Munster out on the pitch where he played as a child in South Africa.

CJ Stander said that it will be a dream come true this evening when he leads Munster out on the pitch where he played as a child in South Africa.

Munster have received a boost ahead of their Champions Cup quarter-final against French heavyweights Toulon as injury doubts Simon Zebo and Andrew Conway have been declared fit.

Munster’s planning for a Zebo-less future has solidified with new contracts for Andrew Conway and Stephen Fitzgerald confirmed and a first start of the season for the latter in this evening’s Guinness PRO14 trip to Cardiff Blues.

Munster 33 Zebre 5: Munster coach Johann van Graan accurately summed up the view of the majority of Saturday night’s sparse Thomond Park attendance when he commented that “this won’t go down as the greatest game in the history of Munster”.

Simon Zebo looked his customary cheerful, ebullient self at the University of Limerick yesterday as Munster prepared for Saturday night’s Guinness Pro14 clash with Zebre at Thomond Park.

In the escalating battle for our attention, and the chance to caress our credit cards, sports broadcasting has become a hard-fought battleground.

Michelle de Bruin would get considerably less  than a four-year ban today, writes Jack Anderson.

Jean Kleyn paid tribute to Munster’s togetherness after the province emerged from a week of controversy off the field to book a place in the Champions Cup quarter-finals.

There’s hardly a dressing room or workplace or TED talk you’ll come across these days that does not go on about ‘culture’ and ‘values’.

Munster A duly qualified for the quarter-finals of the B&I Cup with a comprehensive victory over Ospreys at Musgrave Park last night and jumped to the top of Pool 1 as they await the outcome of today’s clash between Bedford Blues and Nottingham.

Rugby Players Ireland has stressed its commitment to supporting Gerbrandt Grobler through the current furore surrounding his served two-year suspension for doping.

Philip Browne has suggested Munster’s signing of Gerbrandt Grobler was down to a “crying need” for second-row cover, a situation that led the province and the IRFU to ignore the player’s former doping ban.

IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne has defended the federation’s decision to recruit Gerbrandt Grobler, the Munster lock who served a two-year ban for doping.

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony, an injury doubt for Sunday’s Champions Cup clash with Castres, says he and his squad will stand by Gerbrandt Grobler, as the debate continues over the decision to sign a player who served a two-year doping ban.

The European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) officials, including board chairman and former England international Simon Halliday, congregated in the tunnel outside the palatial dressing rooms at the U Arena and had every reason to be pleased with themselves.

Familiarity won’t be an issue in tonight’s must-win B&I Cup clash for Munster A at Nottingham’s Ladybay (7.45pm).

Racing’s vast resources are best illustrated by the options available to their management in the second row alone compared to Johann van Graan, writes Donal Lenihan.

Munster boss Johann van Graan has challenged his forwards to reach for new heights this weekend in order to counter a Racing 92 lineout defence he rates as second only to the All Blacks.

If last Saturday proved a pretty humbling experience for South African rugby, it wasn’t a great week for the game’s governing body, World Rugby, either.

Munster have received a welcome boost ahead of Sunday’s Champions Cup opener at Castres with Rassie Erasmus giving positive fitness updates on Jean Kleyn and Simon Zebo.

Munster’s quick fixes

As if presiding over a performance Rassie Erasmus yesterday described as the “worst” of his Munster tenure was not painful enough, last Friday’s heavy defeat has further depleted the province’s second-row stocks.

Munster coach Rassie Erasmus knew all about his fellow South African Gerbrandt Grobler and so regarded him as the ideal player to fill the gaps left in the Munster second-row by the departures to France of Donnacha Ryan and Dave Foley and the long term injuries to Darren O’Shea and Dave O’Callaghan.

Munster 51 - Cheetahs 18: Munster coach Rassie Erasmus has warned against reading too much into the province’s eight try-rout of his native Toyota Cheetahs in a hopelessly one-sided Guinness PRO14 game at Thomond Park on Saturday.