MUNSTER confirmed a triple injury blow yesterday with Denis Fogarty, Felix Jones and Ian Dowling facing lay-offs after Saturday’s Magners League victory over the Ospreys.

MUNSTER manager Shaun Payne has backed the province to bounce back from their Heineken Cup elimination in Sunday’s crucial Magners League clash with the Blues at Cardiff City Stadium.

PAUL O’CONNELL and Keith Earls remain major injury concerns for Munster ahead of the Heineken Cup semi-final clash with Biarritz in San Sebastian on May 2nd.

MUNSTER chiefs are confident that Lions pair Paul O’Connell and Keith Earls will be fit for Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final with Northampton Saints.

MUNSTER will pick from close to a full deck for Friday night’s Magners League clash with Leinster at Thomond Park.

DONNCHA O’CALLAGHAN is the only member of the Irish team that started Saturday’s Six Nations defeat to Scotland included in Munster’s squad for Friday’s Magners League game with Glasgow at Thomond Park (8pm).

MUNSTER have opted to give John Hayes another week off and he will sit out Sunday’s Magners League game against the Scarlets at Musgrave Park. Meanwhile, they are keeping their fingers crossed that Marcus Horan will take a full part in Shannon’s AIB League game against St Mary’s College on Saturday.

RONAN O’GARA is the only one of Munster’s senior internationals included in the squad of 27 announced yesterday ahead of Saturday’s Magners League game against Connacht at Thomond Park (7.30pm).

ON his 100th Test appearance it was fitting that Brian O’Driscoll should produce a late, late try under the posts for Ireland to secure a share the honours against Australia at Croke Park yesterday.

ONE hundred Heineken Cup games later, yesterday’s quarter-final victory over the Ospreys at Thomond Park was an historic occasion for European champions Munster.

MUNSTER supporters needn’t worry. As the province trained at the University of Limerick yesterday afternoon for Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against the Ospreys, Ronan O’Gara, Paul O’Connell and Doug Howlett were missing, but the trio were subsequently included in the 26-man squad.

MUNSTER coach TonyMcGahan wasn’t in the mood to bask in the glory of this Magners League derby victory at Thomond Park on Saturday night.

WHEN a player of Brian O’Driscoll’s renown and stature admits that “this was one of the more physical Test matches I’ve played in a long, long time,” the point is well made.

IN the context of what might havebeen, victory was most welcome at Croke Park on Saturday. However that won’t diminish coach Declan Kidney’s food for thought in the weeks leading up to the Six Nations Championship.

MUNSTER’S desire to win the Magners League will only be partially compromised by the decision to rest captain Paul O’Connell, John Hayes and Doug Howlett for the clash with Ulster at Ravenhill on Saturday.

ALAN QUINLAN is back in the Munster squad for Saturday’s Magners League clash with Cardiff Blues at Musgrave Park (7.30pm).

ANTHONY FOLEY makes his 201st competitive and final appearance for Munster on home soil in tomorrow’s Magners League clash against Glasgow, (Musgrave Park, 5pm).

IRISH internationals David Wallace and Denis Leamy are named in the Munster squad for tomorrow night’s Magners League clash away to Connacht, (Sportsgrounds, 7.30pm).

January 18, 2003. Pool Two: Munster 33 Gloucester 6

MUNSTER took another giant step on the road to Heineken Cup glory at Thomond Park yesterday, but, after being on the ropes a few times, will remember this scrap for a long time.

IRELAND international Barry Murphy got the perfect birthday present with a call-up to the 25-man Munster squad for Friday’s night’s eagerly-awaited Magners League clash with Leinster at Musgrave Park.

JOHN KELLY has finally returned to challenge for a place in Munster’s Heineken Cup squad after recovering from a knee injury.

FORMER English coach Andy Robinson believes Munster will shock Wasps in the Heineken Cup next Saturday — with Ronan O’Gara as the central figure.

IRISH coach Eddie O’Sullivan will have a far better idea of the well-being of his side after a near full-strength team has played Italy at Ravenhill tonight in the final warm-up for next month’s Rugby World Cup.

IT won’t have pleased Munster that they finished third of the four Irish teams in the Magners League, but there were some positives to take from Saturday’s comprehensive win over bogey side Glasgow Warriors.

DENIS HURLEY makes his home Magners League debut for Munster against Glasgow Warriors at Musgrave Park this evening (5.30pm).

EDINBURGH are boosted by the return of veteran Scott Murray and Munster by Paul O’Connell for the Magners League game at Murrayfield tonight.

IF MUNSTER had shown the same levels of passion and tenacity in the Heineken Cup against Llanelli, things might have worked out differently, but Saturday’s Magners League victory over the Scarlets will have given the coaching staff, the players and the fans some consolation as they look to the future.

NEITHER David Wallace nor Denis Leamy will be considered for selection on the Munster team to play the Ospreys in Wales tomorrow night.

IRELAND coach Eddie O’Sullivan admitted on Saturday night that he and his players were “a bit down in the mouth” at finishing runners-up to France for the second successive year in the RBS Six Nations Championship in spite of racking up 51 points against Italy at the Stadio Flaminio.

THE first match at Croke Park was supposed to be the celebration of a new era in Irish rugby.

MUNSTER coach Declan Kidney has named a squad of 28 in advance of Sunday’s historic Heineken Cup clash with Bourgoin in Geneva.

“YOU don’t beat Munster twice in the same season,” has long been a mantra of the European champions and it’s one that will be put to a severe test at Thomond Park this afternoon (3pm, Setanta Sports) when Leinster make their first visit in nine years to the famous Limerick venue for an eagerly-awaited Magners League tie.

HOURS after creating a new Heineken Cup record of 12 successive victories, Munster were publicly acclaimed as the top sporting team of 2006.

Munster 41 Bourgoin 23

RONAN O’GARA wasn’t gloating afterwards, he was just pleased to have knocked over a long range penalty to kick Munster to a well deserved Heineken Cup victory at Welford Road yesterday.

MUNSTER hope to head to Welford Road for their first defence of the Heineken Cup with a clean bill of health.

BARRY MURPHY, a revelation for Munster last year, is ready to return to Heineken Cup action.

CHRISTIAN CULLEN and Anthony Horgan are definitely ruled out of the early games in Munster’s Heineken Cup campaign, but medical bulletins indicate both should be back in a month.

THE big boys are back for Leinster and Munster — most of them at least.

CHRISTIAN CULLEN may yet manage to see out his extended contract with Munster.

IS it the end of the road in Munster for New Zealand legend Christian Cullen?

MUNSTER will be without Irish hooker Frankie Sheahan yet again when they take on Ulster in the Magners League at Musgrave Park tonight (7.30pm).

New Zealand 34 Ireland 23