When he returned from a stint in Australia two years ago, a career in professional rugby was the furthest thing from the mind of Leinster winger Darragh Fanning.

Gloucester 45 Munster 8

New Munster head coach Anthony Foley could be forgiven for enduring a few shivers of apprehension after seeing the Gloucester team chosen by his old mate Laurie Fisher for this afternoon’s pre-season friendly at Kingsholm.

Anthony Foley has been waiting for this week ever since his appointment as head Munster coach, and now that the first game of the new season — albeit a friendly against Gloucester at Kingsholm on Saturday — is almost here, the buzz about the man and all those around him was only too apparent at Cork IT yesterday.

Former Ulster Director of Rugby David Humphreys yesterday broke his silence about his move away from Ravenhill to Aviva Premiership side Gloucester.

Australian Laurie Fisher, who worked with Munster between 2008 and 2011, is the new head coach at Gloucester.

Former Munster forwards coach Laurie Fisher and ex-Australian fly half Stephen Larkham helped broker Andrew Smith’s move from Brumbies to Munster next season.

Munster have signed Australian centre Andrew Smith on a one-year deal for next season.

Paul O’Connell believes appointing Anthony Foley as Rob Penney’s successor at Munster has the players’ backing and says the New Zealander’s departure as head coach in June “doesn’t make a massive difference” to his desire to stay with the province.

Mike Prendergast believes Anthony Foley is the right man to take over from Rob Penney as Munster coach.

It’s close now.

It’s close now. Once the Test 15s were announced, the Lions 23 retreats into its own bubble and prepares for a searching gut check, one of the most forensic of their rugby lives.

SUDDENLY, Jake White’s prediction of doom for the British & Irish Lions should they lose Saturday’s first Test against Australia possesses extra foreboding.

Laurie Fisher is right at home, literally, coaching rugby in Canberra.

Former Munster forwards coach Laurie Fisher believes the province’s current game plan under head coach Rob Penney could cause ongoing “angst” at his old club.

Anthony Foley will be announced as Munster’s new director of rugby/head coach in the next week or so, Evening Echo writer Conor George has reported today.

THE last thing the IRFU court is controversy.

IT says a lot about the strength of a squad that can eke out home and away Heineken Cup victories, then make 13 changes and come away with a bonus-point RaboDirect Pro12 win against one of Europe’s form teams.

FROM wiry teenage hurler to a Rugby World Cup forward, there is still more than a touch of the Tipperary fanatic in Donnacha Ryan as he prepares for the trip of his life to New Zealand next week.

THE worst kept secret in Munster rugby is officially out; forwards coach Laurie Fisher is returning to his native Australia.

MUNSTER’S backroom reshuffle for next season continued yesterday with the appointment of Ian Costello as both skills and A team coach.

RONAN O’GARA has insisted the Munster players are the ones to blame for the province’s Thomond Park defeat to Harlequins last Saturday.

Anthony Foley was part of a core group of Munster players that created a special aura around the province. Now as well as helping the next generation as ‘A’ team head, he’s been appointed forwards coach to the seniors. ‘My influences are Shannon, Munster and Ireland,’ he says.

NOT content with courting a key cog in Declan Kidney’s Ireland set-up, Super rugby powerhouse the Brumbies seem intent on disrupting Munster’s build-up to tomorrow night’s primetime showdown with Leinster.

THE Munster pack will be answerable to Anthony Foley from next season following confirmation that the former captain will succeed departing forwards coach Laurie Fisher at the end of this campaign.

Anthony Foley will take over as Munster Forwards Coach at the beginning of next season.

HEINEKEN Cup winning captain Anthony Foley is poised for promotion to forwards coach with Munster after the province announced yesterday that incumbent Laurie Fisher will leave at the end of the season.

Munster Rugby have announced today that forwards coach Laurie Fisher will not continue with the province after the current season finishes.

THE postmortems were under way from an early hour throughout Munster yesterday and continued long into the night as people reflected on the failure of their team to reach the knock-out stages of the Heineken Cup for the first time in 13 years.

A HOMECOMING of sorts, albeit a spoiled one.

ADVENT isn’t the only count-down as far as rugby fans across Europe are concerned.

RATHER than basking in the glory of an historic Thomond Park victory over Australia, Munster coach Tony McGahan was yesterday assessing how his side will withstand a Magners League barrage from Llanelli Scarlets at Musgrave Park on Sunday (5.35pm).

FOR a team reportedly reeling from the trauma of a third successive loss to arch-rivals Leinster, it was the day to stand up and fight.

MUNSTER chief executive Garret Fitzgerald credits former players such as Jim Williams with spreading the word among southern hemisphere players about the Irish province as “a good place to work”.

MUNSTER chief executive Garret Fitzgerald credits former players such as Jim Williams with spreading the word among southern hemisphere players about the Irish province as “a good place to work”.

Wallaby lock JUSTIN HARRISON throws the spotlight on the Australian influence in tomorrow’s Heineken Cup semi-final – and reveals Michael Cheika’s pugilistic prowess.

HONESTY and the acceptance of reality are familiar characteristics of any Munster post-match press conference and that certainly was the case on Saturday night.

THE Munster squad, minus its senior internationals, yesterday flew out to Lanzarote for a week-long warm-weather training camp.

He has the most recognisable hairstyle in Irish rugby since Shane Byrne retired. Charlie Mulqueen spoke to Munster forwards coach Laurie Fisher.

WHEN Frankie Sheahan was fully ensconced as Munster’s number one hooker, Jerry Flannery wondered if he should forget about a career as a professional rugby player and go help his dad, also Jerry, to run the family pub in Limerick city.

MUNSTER forwards coach Laurie Fisher has hinted that he’d like to become the next Wallabies coach after 2011 Rugby World Cup.

THE great northern hemisphere debate on the contentious Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) is expected to rumble on throughout the season until, perhaps, the IRB finally come to a decision regarding their future in rugby union next March.