Quinlan expected to return after ban

Alan Quinlan could return to action from the ban that ended his British and Irish Lions tour hopes when Munster host Magners League opponents Cardiff Blues on Friday night.

The Ireland international flanker received a 12-week suspension after being found guilty of making contact with the eye area of Leinster skipper Leo Cullen during a Heineken Cup semi-final at Croke Park last season.

It meant Quinlan missed the Lions' three-Test South Africa trip, having been selected in head coach Ian McGeechan's original tour squad. The Munster forward was replaced by England's Tom Croft.

Quinlan's ban expires on Thursday, and he has been named in a 25-man Munster squad for the Cardiff clash in Limerick.