Garces to officiate Munster’s trip to Sarries

Munster fans can heave a sigh of relief as the pernickety French referee from Saturday’s win over Saracens will not take charge of this weekend’s return game in Vicarage Road.

Pascal Gauzère was originally selected to replace the injured Romain Poite but his interpretation of the rules left many supporters in Thomond Park irate. However the ERC have moved him to the line and he will be replaced by fellow Frenchman, Jerome Garces.

Meanwhile, apart from the uncertainty surrounding Paul O’Connell’s immediate playing future, there was more positive news for Munster yesterday with confirmation that Rob Penney will have considerably more selection options for this weekend’s Heineken and B&I Cup commitments.