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.

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

Munster A have a mountain to climb following this B&I Cup result at Musgrave Park last night when Bedford Blues grabbed a crucial win to go five points clear at the top of pool 1.

Zebre 19 Munster 29: Alex Wootton was one of the players that Rassie Erasmus name-checked in his final week with Munster when he was asked what he would miss when he returned to South Africa.

Rassie Erasmus admits that he will experience mixed emotions at Musgrave Park tonight when Munster take on the Dragons in what may be his last game as the team’s head coach.

Munster face their first serious test of the new season when they travel to Swansea’s Liberty Stadium todayto face the Ospreys in the third round of the Guinness PRO14.

Munster 34 Benetton Rugby 3: New league, new season, same old Italians.

Worcester Warriors 26

Connacht 19 Grenoble 52: Bernard Jackman returned to Connacht with his Grenoble troops and blitzed the westerners for eight tries at the Sportsground. 

THE sight of new signing BJ Botha hobbling off with a calf muscle injury after 27 minutes and then limp from the ground with the aid of crutches was as much a disappointment and a worry to the Munster as this defeat at Musgrave Park last night

DROPPED by Ireland, Peter Stringer could be one of the key figures in Munster’s quest for victory over one of their greatest Heineken Cup rivals, London Wasps, in a pre-season friendly at Musgrave Park tomorrow night (7pm).

ALTHOUGH Tim McNulty (Subaru WRC) and Alastair Fisher (Ford Fiesta S2000) each shared three fastest times over yesterday’s six stages of the opening leg of the Topaz Donegal International Rally, the former will take a 28.6 second lead in to today’s second leg of the Letterkenny-based rally, the fourth round of the Irish Tarmac Championship.

ENGLAND centre Riki Flutey admits Wasps are “hurting” ahead of tonight’s Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final clash against London rivals Harlequins.

FAR from a bright beginning for new Leinster coach Joe Schmidt as his side were given a lesson in organisation, intensity and clinical finishing by Shaun Edwards’ London-based boys in a friendly at Donnybrook last night.

Fit-again Sean O'Brien will captain Leinster against London Wasps in Friday's pre-season friendly in Donnybrook (KO: 7pm).

Four years after earning a suprise selection for the 2006 World Cup, Theo Walcott has been left out of Fabio Capello’s England squad for this year’s tournament in South Africa.

ROSCOMMON cruised into the All-Ireland JFC final with an emphatic semi-final victory over London in Dr Hyde Park on Saturday.

DANNY CIPRIANI put his England misery behind him as Wasps survived a sterling Edinburgh fightback in another Heineken Cup thriller at Murrayfield.

Woods finally birdied at the 412-yard 12th to improve to three over par, but Faldo followed his six at the ninth with another at the 374-yard 10th.