B and I Cup: Munster A 18 Worcester Warriors 23

Group leaders Worcester Warriors provide the opposition to Munster A in round five of the B&I Cup tournament at Cork Institute of Technology this evening (7.30pm) in a must-win game for the home side.

Lost amid the post mortems of Munster’s Aviva Stadium victory over Leinster last Saturday was the no-fanfare return pitchside of a former great when the ‘A’ teams faced off earlier that afternoon.

Munster kick off their A campaign at Donnybrook today (1pm) with new head coach Mick O’Driscoll welcoming an important addition to his backroom staff in Doug Howlett.

Nobody expected Conor Murray to be Ireland’s first choice scrum-half during the 2011 World Cup — or to overtake his Welsh and English rivals in the battle for the No 9 jersey on the & Lions tour last year.

Munster U20s head coach Greig Oliver will point to the Junior World Cup success of JJ Hanrahan, James Rael and Niall Scannell this summer to motivate his current crop as they go into inter-provincial action next week.

Cork hurler Darren Sweetnam, pictured, will play his second game of rugby within a week tonight.

Munster Rugby are hoping Cork senior hurler Darren Sweetnam can make as big an impact with the oval ball as he has this summer with a sliotar.

DOLPHIN returned to Cork last night convinced they had been the victims of sharp practice after losing 13-12 to Garryowen in a bruising AIB League encounter at Dooradoyle.

GREIG OLIVER, the former Scotland scrum-half and now director of rugby at Garryowen, and his Cork Constitution counterpart Brian Walsh believe Munster have two more outstanding number nines ready to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Peter Stringer and Tomás O’Leary.

GARRYOWEN ended a run of three defeats with victory over an understrength St Mary’s College in Saturday’s AIB All-Ireland Cup at Dooradoyle.

Garryowen got their AIB League Division One title defence off to a winning start with a four-try win over Ballymena at Eaton Park.

SHANNON and Garryowen look in good shape ahead of the new AIB League season next weekend.

An injury-time penalty goal from Andrew Thompson saw Shannon edge out Belfast Harlequins in a thrilling AIB Cup second round clash at Deramore Park this afternoon.

The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) has appointed George Graham and Alan Tait to full-time coaching positions with the national team.