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Munster may have lost home and away to English form side Leicester Tigers but Mike Sherry insists there is no major gulf in class between his team and Europe’s top dogs.

At a time when Conor Murray is establishing himself as one of the world’s leading scrum-halves, it must be a little frustrating for the likes of Duncan Williams and Cathal Sheridan, his understudies at Munster, to see exactly what the future might hold.

Though an injury-weakened Ireland face a South Africa side unchanged from the one that beat New Zealand last month, Cian Healy believes his colleagues have nothing to fear.

Munster’s fine recent run of form that has moved them seven points clear at the top of the RaboDirect Pro12 has left head coach Rob Penney with a few selection headaches for what is certain to be a very difficult game against Ulster at Ravenhill on Friday.

Munster 16 Scarlets 10

James Cronin may well have been more aggrieved than many within Munster when he heard Dave Kilcoyne had not been named by Joe Schmidt in Ireland’s squad for the autumn internationals.

They may have Joe Schmidt’s sympathy, but those players who did not make the cut for his first competitive Ireland squad will no doubt be following Rob Penney’s advice for the omitted Dave Kilcoyne and setting about proving to the national head coach “you’ve left the wrong guy out”.

In parachuting Paddy Jackson into the Ireland number 10 jersey for this Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations clash against Scotland, Declan Kidney has made the biggest call of his tenure as the national team head coach.

Munster loosehead prop Dave Kilcoyne looks set to start for Ireland against Fiji at Thomond Park on Saturday with national team forwards coach Gert Smal backing his “little killer” to shine.

KILLER dentist Colin Howell claimed the wife he murdered was a bad mother who he once found drunk and unconscious, lying in vomit, when she should have been looking after their four children.

I WASN’T entirely sure I could go through with it.

Killer Jon Venables is due to appear via videolink at the Old Bailey tomorrow to face allegations of downloading child pornography.