Munster geared up for Saturday’s Magners League Grand Final by reminding their faithful Red Army of just exactly how much Saturday’s showdown with Leinster means to the province.

The League’s showpiece event is already a 26,100 sell out but that didn’t stop David Wallace, Tomas O’Leary and Donnacha Ryan from promoting the all Irish affair in the streets of Limerick.

The trio were on hand to tell fans who have missed out on tickets that magnersleague.com, the official website of the Magners League, is the best place to follow the action before, during and after the game thanks to live updates and pre and post-match reaction.

And having topped the Magners League standings by a massive 13 points and beaten reigning champions the Ospreys on their way to the final, Munster will be desperate to finish the season with silverware.

But their task will be far from straightforward as they take on a Leinster side who have won five of the last six meeting between the two teams.

And it is Leinster who will arrive in Limerick looking to record a unique double after being crowned kings of the continent last weekend.

The Dubliners hope to follow in the footsteps of Toulouse, Leicester and London Wasps in achieving domestic and European success in the same season.

No side has yet tasted Magners League and Heineken Cup glory in the same campaign and to complete the double on Munster soil would surely make their success even sweeter.

Centre Mark Bennett, a member of the Warriors’ Elite Development Programme and part of the Ayr squad that reached the knock-out stages of the British & Irish Cup, has been named as one of five personnel changes from the team that played the Scarlets at Firhill a fortnight ago.

Of the 18-year-old, Warriors head coach Sean Lineen said: “The lad has real talent. He’s raw, but he’s good enough, and he’s added a renewed energy to training this week.

“I’ve got no worries about him physically – he’s a young lad but he’s tough. This experience will be good for him. It’ll be a big test but I wouldn’t put him in there unless I thought he was good enough and we’ve had a pretty good track record with the youngsters that we’ve brought through.

“He’s ready and I’m really excited to see what he can bring to the backline.”

Also among the changes is stand-off Duncan Weir – in for Ruaridh Jackson – who is among the front-runners for the Magners League Try of the Season award following his spectacular solo effort against the Scarlets back in October. The winner is decided by an online fans’ poll on the official Magners League website – www.magnersleague.com – and will be announced at a glittering ceremony in Kildare on Sunday evening.

“Duncan has a really strong kicking game and he runs well,” Lineen continued, “it’s just a matter of developing his shaping of the game and his understanding of the game.

“He’s a top lad, is willing to learn and it is great for him to go over to Dublin and play in between Chris Cusiter and Graeme Morrison against the form team in Europe and measuring himself against some quality players.”

Bennett slots in at outside centre and Peter Murchie will move to fullback as a result where he takes over from Bernardo Stortoni who drops out of the match-day squad altogether.

On the right wing, Stortoni’s Argentine compatriot Federico Aramburu is given the nod ahead of Hefin O’Hare who also drops out of the travelling party.

Weir’s predecessor against the Scarlets, Ruaridh Jackson, is named among the replacements.

In the forward pack, Moray Low is the only front-row survivor as Ryan Grant is re-installed ahead of Kevin Tkachuk and Fergus Thomson is preferred to Dougie Hall.

The Warriors travel in search of their first ever win in Dublin whilst the home side will also be fired-up for the match as a win would guarantee them home advantage in the Magners League Play-Offs.

The last nine encounters between the two sides have all been won by the home side on the day, but the size of Friday night’s task is epitomised by the fact that Leinster are unbeaten at home in the regular Magners League season since September 2008.

Assessing tomorrow night’s opposition, Lineen concluded: “It’s a massive challenge, but one which we are looking forward to. I think they are the form team in Europe, they are certainly very consistent, they have a very strong squad and they play a brand of rugby that everyone wants to aspire to.”

Glasgow Warriors team to play Leinster in the Magners League at the RDS on Friday 6 May (kick-off 7.05pm)

15 Peter Murchie
14 Federico Aramburu
13 Mark Bennett*
12 Graeme Morrison CAPTAIN
11 DTH van der Merwe
10 Duncan Weir
9 Chris Cusiter
1 Ryan Grant
2 Fergus Thomson
3 Moray Low
4 Aly Muldowney
5 Tom Ryder
6 James Eddie
7 Richie Vernon
8 Johnnie Beattie

Substitutes: 16 Dougie Hall, 17 Jon Welsh, 18 Kevin Tkachuk , 19 Robert Harley, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 Colin Gregor, 22 Ruaridh Jackson, 23 Peter Horne
* = Elite Development Squad member

Unavailable due to injury: John Barclay (rest), Rob Dewey (knee), Alex Dunbar (thigh), Max Evans (elbow), James Fleming (knee), Calum Forrester (knee), Richie Gray (rest), Ed Kalman (back), Alastair Kellock (rest), Murray McConnell (back), Colin Shaw (knee).

Head Coach, Sean Holley, commented:

“It’s gone down to the wire and we are left in a position where we have to go out and give everything on Friday night and hopefully, get our reward. It’s important that we concentrate on ourselves, that the boys know their roles and responsibilities, that they carry them out to the best of their abilities and we don’t allow ourselves to get distracted by what may be happening elsewhere.

“It’s not going to be an easy 80 minutes, they are a very tough nut to crack. Look at their results at home this season and you’ve seen that they’ve given some very good teams a close call. Add into the mix that Rowland will, I’m sure, want to take our scalp, and you’ll see that we have to be professional and do a job.

“I expect to see champion spirit, and a champion’s performance from us. Nothing less than that will be good enough.”

The Ospreys team to play Aironi at the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella on Friday 6th May 2011, kick off at 8.05pm (local time), will be as follows:

• 15 Richard Fussell
• 14 Tommy Bowe
• 13 Andrew Bishop
• 12 James Hook
• 11 Nikki Walker
• 10 Dan Biggar
• 9 Rhys Webb
• 1 Paul James
• 2 Richard Hibbard
• 3 Adam Jones
• 4 Ryan Jones
• 5 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt)
• 6 Justin Tipuric
• 7 Marty Holah
• 8 Jonathan Thomas

Replacements

• 16 Huw Bennett
• 17 Ryan Bevington
• 18 Duncan Jones
• 19 Ian Gough
• 20 Tom Smith
• 21 Tom Isaacs
• 22 Ashley Beck
• 23 Sonny Parker

The following players were not considered because of injury:

Jonathan Spratt – ACL

Morgan Allen – Ankle

Tom Prydie – ACL

Jamie Nutbrown – Shoulder

Craig Cross – Hamstring

Ben John – Wrist

Shane Williams – Knee

Craig Mitchell – Shoulder

Ben Thomas – Knee

Richard Kelly – Lower leg

Lee Byrne – Knee

Jerry Collins is absent due to a one-match suspension after receiving three yellow cards during this season’s Magners League

Props Tom Court and Declan Fitzpatrick have returned to full fitness and will pack down alongside skipper Rory Best in the front row. Their return to action sees Paddy McAllister and Jerry Cronin named among the replacements.

Willie Faloon suffered a shoulder injury in training and is unavailable for selection so Robbie Diack is promoted from the bench to play number 8. As a result, Pedrie Wannenburg moves to blindside flanker and Chris Henry switches to the openside flank. TJ Anderson, who will join Connacht in the summer, is given a position on the bench as back row cover.

The backline is unchanged from the win over Connacht at Ravenhill two weeks ago, with Darren Cave and Nevin Spence continuing their centre partnership.

Ireland internationals Stephen Ferris (knee), Paddy Wallace (thumb) and Andrew Trimble (thumb) remain unavailable for selection due to injury, as does BJ Botha (knee).

All six final round Magners League games will kick off at same time so there are many permutations for the play-offs; only Munster are certain of a home semi final on the weekend of 13/14th May.

Ulster require only a losing bonus point against the Dragons to ensure progression to the knock out stages. However a win for the Ulstermen, coupled with a Leinster defeat against Glasgow, would secure a home semi final spot.

Ulster Team v Dragons (Magners League, Rodney Parade, Friday 6th May, KO 7.05pm)

(15-9): A D’Arcy; C Gilroy, D Cave, N Spence, S Danielli; I Humphreys, R Pienaar;
(1-8): T Court, R Best (capt), D Fitzpatrick, J Muller, D Tuohy, P Wannenburg, C Henry, R Diack;

Replacements (16-23): A Kyriacou, P McAllister, J Cronin, T Barker, T Anderson, P Marshall, I Whitten, C Gaston.

Ireland internationals Paddy Wallace and Andrew Trimble are not available for the match after they each fractured a thumb.

Ulster’s defeat to Leinster on Saturday brought their six game unbeaten run in the Magners League to an end and leaves them still searching for a first success over Irish opposition this season. The defeat also means they must now win their two remaining games to guarantee a semi-final spot.

Munster have secured a home semi-final but only 3 points separate Leinster, Ulster and Ospreys, while Cardiff are a further two behind but have a game in hand.

Ulster and Connacht played out a 15-15 draw at the Sportsground in September but Brian Mclaughlin will be hoping home advantage and a vociferous crowd will prove decisive on Friday.

ULSTER SQUAD FORWARDS
Jerry Cronin, Tom Court, BJ Botha, Paddy McAllister, Bryan Young, Rory Best, Nigel Brady, Andi Kyriacou, Ryan Caldwell, Dan Tuohy, Johann Muller, Neil McComb, Tim Barker, Pedrie Wannenburg, TJ Anderson, Willie Faloon, Chris Henry, Robbie Diack.

ULSTER SQUAD BACKS
Ruan Pienaar, Paul Marshall, Ian Humphreys, Niall O’Connor, Ian Whitten, Nevin Spence, Darren Cave, Mark McCrea, Simon Danielli, Tommy Seymour, Craig Gilroy, Conor Gaston, Jamie Smith, Adam D’Arcy.

Ireland internationals Paddy Wallace and Andrew Trimble are not available for the match after they each fractured a thumb.

Ulster’s defeat to Leinster on Saturday brought their six game unbeaten run in the Magners League to an end and leaves them still searching for a first success over Irish opposition this season. The defeat also means they must now win their two remaining games to guarantee a semi-final spot.

Munster have secured a home semi-final but only 3 points separate Leinster, Ulster and Ospreys, while Cardiff are a further two behind but have a game in hand.

Ulster and Connacht played out a 15-15 draw at the Sportsground in September but Brian Mclaughlin will be hoping home advantage and a vociferous crowd will prove decisive on Friday.

ULSTER SQUAD FORWARDS

Jerry Cronin, Tom Court, BJ Botha, Paddy McAllister, Bryan Young, Rory Best, Nigel Brady, Andi Kyriacou, Ryan Caldwell, Dan Tuohy, Johann Muller, Neil McComb, Tim Barker, Pedrie Wannenburg, TJ Anderson, Willie Faloon, Chris Henry, Robbie Diack.

ULSTER SQUAD BACKS

Ruan Pienaar, Paul Marshall, Ian Humphreys, Niall O’Connor, Ian Whitten, Nevin Spence, Darren Cave, Mark McCrea, Simon Danielli, Tommy Seymour, Craig Gilroy, Conor Gaston, Jamie Smith, Adam D’Arcy.

The penultimate full round of Magners League games opens on Thursday night when Cardiff Blues host Benetton Treviso at the City Stadium. Although currently out of the top four, Blues are in a good place to challenge for a Play-Off spot having a game in hand, and will be keen to claim maximum points from this encounter.

There are three games on Friday night, including two Scottish-Welsh affairs with Edinburgh facing Newport Gwent Dragons and Glasgow Warriors hosting Scarlets. Whilst mathematically neither Welsh Region is yet out of the running for the Play-Offs,  both teams could also have an eye on securing the third Welsh Heineken Cup spot for next season. Dragons have a game in hand over Scarlets, whose recent form has seen them slip to sixth in the table having spent 12 consecutive weeks in the Play-Off Zone.

Also on Friday Ulster, whose loss to Leinster in Dublin last weekend dropped them out of a home semi-final slot, face another Irish Province, Connacht. With only three points separating the second to fourth placed teams, and with Blues having a game in hand over them, any loss of points at this stage could be crucial for Ulster’s Play-Off ambitions.

The remaining two teams who are in Play-Off contention, Leinster and Ospreys, are both in action on Saturday. Leinster, who didn’t climb into a top four spot until Round11, travel to Italy to face Aironi, and will have to be careful they do not slip up to the Italian outfit who recorded their first Magners League victory against another Irish province, Connacht, in March.

Reigning champions Ospreys on the other hand face the prospect of facing League leaders Munster at the Liberty Stadium, a ground where the hosts have not lost to an Irish Province since September 2009.

Conor Gaston, Tommy Seymour and Neil McComb return to the squad but Declan Fitzpatrick misses out due to injury.

Ulster will hope to bounce back from the disappointment of their Heineken Cup exit as they bid to record their seventh consecutive win in the Magners League. They will face a tough challenge against Leinster, who Director of Rugby David Humphreys describes as ‘the most complete team in Europe.’ The Leinstermen have won their last 24 home regular season games in the Magners League.

Furthermore, Ulster have failed to beat Irish opposition in four attempts this season, the closest of which was a 15-15 draw with Connacht in September. But it seems defeat on Sunday has left Ulster even more determined to make the play-offs and a win against their Irish rivals would be a huge step towards that goal.

ULSTER SQUAD FORWARDS
Jerry Cronin, Tom Court, BJ Botha, Paddy McAllister, Bryan Young, Rory Best, Nigel Brady, Andi Kyriacou, Ryan Caldwell, Neil McComb, Dan Tuohy, Johann Muller, Tim Barker, Pedrie Wannenburg, TJ Anderson, Willie Faloon, Chris Henry, Robbie Diack.

ULSTER SQUAD BACKS
Ruan Pienaar, Paul Marshall, Ian Humphreys, Niall O’Connor, Ian Whitten, Nevin Spence, Paddy Wallace, Darren Cave, Andrew Trimble, Simon Danielli, Tommy Seymour, Craig Gilroy, Conor Gaston, Jamie Smith, Adam D’Arcy.

It has been officially confirmed today that Munster’s Alan Quinlan will retire from professional rugby at the end of the current season.

Quinlan, who will shortly celebrate his 37thbirthday, confirmed the news today at Munster’s weekly media briefing at the University of Limerick ahead of their Magners League game against Scarlets.

The Clanwilliam clubman, named in the squad for the Scarlet’s game, has played 210 competitive games for Munster since making his debut in November 1996 and in addition to that was capped 27 times for Ireland. He has been a part of all Munster’s successes, Celtic League, Celtic Cup, Magners League and both Heineken Cup winning titles.

In the 2006 campaign he recovered from an injury in the opening round against Sale Sharks that kept him out for most of the season, recovering in time to play a part in Munster’s inaugural Heineken success.

Commenting on the news Tony McGahan said today “Alan Quinlan has been an integral part of the success of Munster Rugby for the past 15 years. His longevity in what is a highly attritional profession is a tribute to his dedication, application and durability. Alan was a players player whose impact in big games and ability to turn a negative situation into a positive action made him a great player to have on your side and a crowd favorite. His decision to call it a day at the end of this season of course evokes a sense of poignancy for all of us who have worked with him but it’s balanced by the knowledge that he can look back on a great career with pride at what he’s achieved. He’s leaves us with our thanks and very best wishes for the future.”

Quinlan is included in an extended Munster squad named this afternoon for the Magners League clash with Scarlets on Saturday.

F Jones, D Hurley, K Earls, P Warwick, D Howlett, L Mafi, S Tuitupou, J Murphy, D Barnes, S Zebo, C Murray, P Stringer, D Williams, D Cusack, R O’Gara, M Horan, D Hurley, W du Preez, T Buckley, J Hayes, S Archer, M Sherry, D Fogs, D Varley, D Ryan, M O’Driscoll. A Quinlan, P Butler, D O’Callaghan, D Wallace, J Coughlan, T O’Donnell, N Ronan, D Leamy,

Speaking after being included in head coach Sean Lineen’s selection plans for the weekend, Cusiter said: “It’s been a long time coming and I’m really very happy to be back.

“It’s been the longest 11 months of my career with a lot of ups-and-downs so I’m just happy to be back and I’m looking forward to the game.”

The British & Irish Lions and 52-times-capped Scotland No.9 has been missing from the Glasgow ranks since he sustained a knee injury in the last game of the 2009/10 regular season – one week before the Warriors went onto feature in the inaugural Magners League play-offs.

But after a demanding period of rehabilitation and fitness conditioning, the 28-year-old is desperate to get back doing what he does best.

He continued: “I’ve just loved being outside to be honest. I’ve been in the gym lifting weights, boxing and cycling so it’s great to be out in the sunshine running around playing rugby. I’m a rugby player so it’s not much fun being in the gym after a while.

“I’m finding it pretty tiring obviously having been out for so long but I’ve tried to keep my fitness as high as possible whilst I was injured so that will hopefully benefit me. But it’s going to take me a while to get back up to speed but I’ve got to start somewhere and Italy is a great place to begin.”

Cusiter also paid tribute to the medical staff who have helped him throughout the recovery period whilst thanking Lineen for his patience during the ordeal.

“It [the knee] feels 100% and I can’t feel it at all when I’m running so all the doctors and physio’s who have helped me have done a great job.

“Sean has been very patient and kept me in the loop so I’m really grateful for this opportunity to repay the faith everyone has had in me.”

Despite a prolonged absence from the game this season, the Aberdonian’s international ambitions remain as strong as ever.

“I absolutely want to be involved in the World Cup. I don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility at all.

“I feel I can get back to full form pretty quickly I’ve kept myself in good shape but I’ll know a lot more after Saturday.”

The Glasgow Warriors team to play Benetton Treviso in the Magners League at the Stadio Monigo on Saturday 16 April (kick-off 3pm local time/2pm BST) will be announced on Friday.