Laulala plans to battle Earls for 13 jersey

Former All Black centre Casey Laulala has made it clear he is not prepared to hand over the Munster 13 jersey to Keith Earls without a fight.

New head coach Rob Penney has kept faith with his former Canterbury protégé Laulala, signed this summer from Cardiff, in a midfield partnership with fellow new boy James Downey for tonight’s visit to Ulster in the RaboDirect Pro12 (7.05pm).

It will mean a third game in-a-row for the combination having helped secure opening wins over Edinburgh and Benetton Treviso in the past two weeks and with Earls cleared to play by the IRFU for the first time this season alongside fellow internationals Ronan O’Gara and Conor Murray, Penney has pointedly kept faith with the players who have given his Munster tenure a flying start.