Munster acknowledge they are underdogs going into Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 game against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium — but that doesn’t mean they are going to accept the tag.

Scrum-half issues further up the chain have impacted on Munster A head coach Peter Malone’s selection for the visit of Dragons A to Cork this afternoon for this Celtic Cup third round game (5:30pm).

Munster revealed good news and bad vibes about injuries yesterday with Johann van Graan expressing the latter on Ireland prop John Ryan.

Munster racked up seven tries as they dominated much-changed Ospreys in a comfortable 49-13 PRO14 win in Cork.

Captain Peter O'Mahony is one of a host of stars named in the Munster team to play the Ospreys in the Pro14 tomorrow.

Munster have the best record of the Irish provinces on the opening day of the league and Johann van Graan will be hoping to maintain that when they kick off their PRO14 campaign at home to the Cheetahs today at Thomond Park.

Munster and Irish rugby was reeling last night after it was revealed that Conor Murray, one of the game’s leading scrum-halves, was ruled out of the game for the immediate future with a recurrence of a neck injury that has troubled him at times over the past few seasons.

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.

Conor Murray’s reputation as the leading scrum-half in the Northern Hemisphere, if not the world, will mean the Munster star can expect a lot of attention from Racing 92’s forwards in Bordeaux tomorrow but Johann van Graan says his number nine will not be fazed.

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

Munster expect Keith Earls to resume training this week as the province step up preparations for Sunday’s Champions Cup semi-final v Racing 92 in Bordeaux.

There isn’t much that Peter O’Mahony hasn’t experienced at this stage of his career but spending two weeks abroad in a bubble with his Munster teammates ahead of a crunch European game is a new departure.

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

Scrum-half James Hart believes Munster’s two-match tour to South Africa is the perfect way to build up for the Champions Cup showdown with his former club Racing 92 on Sunday week.

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 19 Scarlets 7: Tommy O’Donnell and Rory Scannell were the latest Munster players to check into the province’s treatment room as head coach Johann van Graan admitted both Simon Zebo and Andrew Conway have only 50/50 chances of facing Toulon next Saturday.

James Hart has held his head commendably high, and never complained, even though he has suffered many frustrations, since he turned his back on a rugby career in France to try his luck back home in Ireland.

Simon Zebo has warned that Munster must lay down a marker from the outset and make home advantage pay against Glasgow Warriors at Musgrave Park this evening (7pm kick-off).

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.

New Munster head coach Johann van Graan has pledged to do everything he can to persuade Peter O'Mahony his future lies in his native province, despite reports linking the club captain with a move away from Ireland.

Rassie Erasmus jetted home to South Africa last night confident that Munster are in safe hands with his replacement, Johann van Graan.

Meanwhile, Leinster have made nine changes for their trip to Glasgow.

Joe Schmidt’s young son Tim scored the bonus point try for Terenure College as they won their Dublin 6W derby with St. Mary’s College to continue their excellent start.

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.

There will be more searching examinations this season of Munster’s Guinness PRO14 title credentials than those posed by Benetton Rugby last Friday in Cork but as opening-night performances go, there was much from which Rassie Erasmus could take pleasure.

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

The dawn of a new era is upon us as the expanded, Springbok-tinged Guinness Pro14 kicks off tonight in Belfast but at the same time in Cork it is the departure of South African talent that will, alas, mark the opening weeks of the fledgling league campaign.

Worcester Warriors 26

Donnacha Ryan will join Ronan O’Gara as part of Racing 92’s contingent bidding to conquer fortress Thomond Park in Munster’s first home European fixture of the season, which was announced yesterday.

Scrum-half James Hart will have more than a passing interest in Munster’s clash with Toulouse as the side he will be joining in the summer battles it out in a Champions Cup quarter-final against the side he will face for Racing 92 in two weeks.

Ankle trouble continues to dog bang-in-form Munster flanker Tommy O’Donnell. He looked to be in serious trouble when hobbling off in the New Year’s Eve win over Connacht and so it came as a pleasant surprise when the Tipperary man reported fit for Saturday’s game against Racing 92 and duly performed like a man inspired.

So much for the French unpredictability. The world and its mother knew Racing 92 would take a scalpel to the side that earned a losing bonus point away to Toulon in last week’s domestic fixture and the reigning Top 14 champions duly performed significant surgery.