MUNSTER concede they have to step up ahead of the Heineken Cup double header with the Scarlets after falling victim to the Ospreys for the second time this season.

MUNSTER will roll out their stars for Saturday’s hugely important clash with table-toppers the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.

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.

AS one of only two players to have kept their place in the side after two Heineken Cup pool victories, Denis Hurley will feel more responsibility than most to get Munster’s defence of their league title back on track when they face Edinburgh tonight.

ANTHONY FOLEY is confident Munster can iron out the “little errors” in defence that made for two extremely uncomfortable matches in the opening two rounds of the Heineken Cup this month.

Denis Leamy, Donnacha Ryan and Peter Stringer are the only notable absentees from the extended squad Munster named today for the visit of Edinburgh to Thomond Park Stadium on Saturday.

YOU might as well send him onto the field with a cape, two flashes on his chest and call him OGaraMan, such are the superheroic powers that keep saving the good citizens of Munster from the villainous threat of Heineken Cup failure.

After snatching a dramatic victory over Northampton Saints, Tony McGahan has opted for the same starting XV for Saturday's Heineken Cup meeting with Castres Olympique in Stade Ernest-Wallon (3.40pm Irish time).

WHILE Tony McGahan had the luxury of naming an unchanged Munster squad for this Saturday’s Heineken Cup tie against Castres in Toulouse, the head coach downplayed hopes of a quicker than expected recovery for his long-term injured.

Munster named an unchanged squad for the trip to Toulouse and the Heineken Cup Round Two game with Castres Olympique on Saturday (4.40pm, French time).

Munster Rugby Academy graduates, Danny Barnes, Conor Murray and Peter O'Mahony, will make their Heineken Cup starts against Northampton Saints in Thomond Park Stadium tomorrow evening (6pm).

MUNSTER head coach Tony McGahan has stressed the importance of both aggression and discipline ahead of Saturday’s Heineken Cup opener against Northampton Saints at Thomond Park.

The Munster squad assembled in Cork Institute of Technology today after Tony McGahan named an extended 29 strong squad for the opening Heineken Cup game against Northampton Saints in Thomond Park Stadium next Saturday (6pm).

Tony McGahan has made three changes in personnel from the XV that started against Aironi for the RaboDirect PRO12 game against Leinster in the Aviva Stadium tomorrow night (8pm).

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan has made no promises to front-line players ahead of tomorrow night’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash with arch-rivals Leinster.

Tony McGahan has announced an almost identical extended squad to face Leinster in Friday’s RaboDirect PRO 12 meeting in Dublin (8pm) as that which was named ahead of the Aironi clash.

RONAN O’GARA does not get that many opportunities these days to display his skills at Musgrave Park, but he treated the crowd of almost 7,000 last night to a superb display of kicking in appalling conditions.

TONY McGAHAN has defended his decision to bring several big names straight back into Munster’s starting team this weekend.

Munster will field their strongest side of the season for the visit of Aironi when the RaboDirect PRO12 resumes tomorrow night in Musgrave Park (8.30pm).

MUNSTER training might have had a stellar appearance to it yesterday but look a little closer and the creases on coach Tony McGahan’s furrowed brow were all too evident.

Tony McGahan has included all returning World Cup players in his 32-man squad ahead of Munster’s RaboDirect PRO12 meeting with Aironi in Musgrave Park on Friday night (8.30pm).

A FIRST-HALF penalty try, supplemented by 14 points from the right boot of Scott Deasy, steered the Munster ‘A’ team to a workmanlike 19-3 victory over their Connacht counterparts at the Sportsground last night.

MUNSTER’S new signing, Will Chambers, and scrum-half Tomas O’Leary will both see game time for the Munster A team in the Sportsground, Galway, today against Connacht (kick-off 2pm).

Tomas O’Leary and new signing Will Chambers have both been included in the match-day squad for Munster A’s clash against Connacht A in Galway on Friday (2pm).

Despite the heavy rain, three players, Quentin Carew (Edenderry), Iarlaith Keane (Malahide) and Steffan O’Hara (Co. Sligo) share the lead on one over par 72 following the first round of the inaugural Irish Boys Under 15 Open 36 holes at Balbriggan Golf Club.