Head Coach Brian McLaughlin said: “The mood in the camp has been fantastic this week. We are back in training and the standard has been high as we prepare for Munster on Saturday. It is always a difficult place to go and Munster will put everything into winning the PRO12. It is another vital match for us.”

Going into the last round of fixtures, Ulster need to register a bonus point win and hope Glasgow and Scarlets pick up nothing from their games, if they are to reach the PRO12 play off for the second successive year. McLaughlin is fully aware that the chances of progression are slim:

“We have to be honest; it’s a long shot now with one game remaining. But we did a great job in Limerick a few weeks ago in the quarter final and we will approach the game with the same mindset. We have proved Ulster can do a job no matter where we play. We need to get a win and hope that other results are favourable so it’s not ideal.”

Chris Henry, who suffered an ankle injury against Leinster two weeks ago, is once again ruled out of contention for Saturday. With Johann Muller, Stephen Ferris and Ruan Pienaar picking up knocks in the Edinburgh clash, the Ulster coach says there could be some changes to his squad for Saturday.

“There’s no way Chris will be fit this weekend; he’s improving greatly but there is still a little bit to go. Quite a few of the others have plenty of bumps and bruises after a very physical game against Edinburgh. We are very happy with the injury list; it’s not as bad as it could be.The team will depend on how fit people are. We will continue to assess people and get the final injury report before selection. A number of players have played a lot of rugby this year so it’s important they are managed well,” concluded McLaughlin.

Paul Darbyshire, the head of fitness and conditioning for Munster, passed away in his sleep peacefully this morning.

Diagnosed last September with motor neurone disease, Paul Darbyshire fought an inspiring battle against the illness before finally succumbing to it in the early hours of the morning.

News of his death was revealed to Munster players and management this morning at Thomond Park as they assembled for stage 2 of the Munster Rugby fundraising cycle.

The cycle began yesterday with the opening leg from Cork to Limerick which was attended by Paul’s wife Lindsay.

The cycle will continue to Roscrea RFC today and the final Irish stage will see the cyclists go from Portlaoise RFC to Trinity College (via Maynooth) tomorrow.

RIP

The team that finished top of the table after the regular 22 match league phase hosted the side that came second, but this season, unlike last, the result went to form.

Top seeds, Munster, who had headed the table since Round 2 and were unbeaten at home during their entire campaign, recorded a second season’s victory over Leinster and in doing so claimed the Magners League Grand Final trophy.

Leinster, for the second season in succession, came away with runners up medals, and missed the opportunity of becoming the first Celtic team to hold a domestic and European double.

The exuberant supporters led to the sense of occasion with blue and red flags adorning Thomond Park, and a pulsating game was a fitting finale for the League’s title sponsors, Magners Irish Cider.

Munster earned the right to host the Magners League Grand Final  at their home venue after finishing as the top team in the regular season and then beating the Ospreys 18-11 in their Play-Off at Thomond Park.

Their opponents, Leinster, saw off the inter-provincial challenge of Ulster with a 18-3 victory in the Play-Off at the RDS to claim their second consecutive appearance in the Grand Final.

Despite the Munster’s impressive record in the Magners League this season, winning the title is not a forgone conclusion – the inaugural Magners League Grand Final was won by the second seeds, Ospreys, and when you include the English and French tournaments which have long been decided in this manner, in 15 previous finals the top seed has won just six.

Add to that mix the fact that Leinster will be  looking to create a unique Celtic double of winning both the European and domestic titles for the first time, and the age old rivalry that an Irish interprovincial match always brings out, there is all to play for at a sold-out Thomond Park on Saturday.

Munster earned the right to host the game at their home venue after finishing as the No 1 team in the regular Magners League season and then beating the Ospreys 18-11 in their semi-final at Thomond Park on Saturday, 14 May.

Tickets for the Grand Final are on sale now through the Munster Rugby Clubs and Munster Rugby Supporters Club – with prices remaining the same for the fans as in the Play-Offs

Any remaining tickets will go on public sale on Thursday, 19 May. Public tickets will be available from the following sources next week:
• www.munsterrugby.ie :
• Thomond Park Stadium ticket Office – +353 (0) 61421103
• Munster Rugby Ticket Office Tramore Rd. Cork
• Munster rugby stores in Limerick & Cork
• Ticketmaster outlets nationwide
• Ticketmaster 24 hour ticket hotline – +353 (0) 818 719 300
Tickets will be priced at:
Category A (Stand) – €40
Category B (Stand) – €30
Adult Terrace – €20
Junior Terrace* – €10
Family Terrace (2+2)* – €40
Adult & Child Cat B* – €40
Leinster’s Grand Final ticket allocation are on sale to Leinster Season Ticket holders and will be going on public sale at 10.00am on Monday, 16 May. For further details please log on to www.ticketmaster.ie/Leinster-Rugby-tickets/artist/952217?brand=ie

Mr O’Connell, accompanied by his solicitor Mr Donal Spring and Munster team manager Shaun Payne, contested the red card. The ERC Disciplinary Officer, Roger O’Connor, presented the case against the player.

After hearing submissions from both parties and considering the evidence, the independent Judicial Officer, HHJ Jeff Blackett (England) upheld the red card and determined that the act had been deliberate but that there had been no intention to injure Mr Thomas.

The independent Judicial Officer found that the offence was in the mid range (entry point: 5 weeks) of the level of seriousness for an offence of this type. Having taken into account any mitigating factors, such as Mr O’Connell’s good disciplinary record, the independent Judicial Officer reduced the suspension from the entry point by one (1) week which resulted in the final suspension of four (4) weeks. Mr O’Connell will be free to play from 10 January, 2011.

Law 10.4 (a) Striking – A player must not strike an opponent.

IRB recommended sanction – Low End: 2 weeks; Mid Range: 5 weeks; Top End: 8+ weeks; Maximum 52 weeks

Both parties have the right to appeal.

Quinlan who celebrated his 36th birthday in July becomes just the second Munster player to achieve that goal and is set to create a new record for appearances – Anthony Foley won 201 – in the red jersey that may never be surpassed.

Munster: F Jones; D Howlett, J Murphy, S Tuitupou, I Dowling; P Warwick, T O’Leary; M Horan, D Fogarty, J Hayes; D O’Callaghan, D Ryan; A Quinlan, N Ronan, D Leamy capt. Replacements: D Varley,W du Preez, T Buckley, B Holland,P O’Mahony, P Stringer, R O’Gara, D Barnes.

This will be the first time that Ireland has played the Barbarians in Ireland since 2000. The most recent meeting between the two sides also coincided with the last Southern Hemisphere tour Ireland undertook in 2008 when Ireland played the Barbarians in Gloucester, winning the game 39-14.

Following the Baa-Baa’s game in Limerick, the Ireland squad will depart to New Zealand and Australia where they are currently scheduled to play two games on the tour against the All Blacks on June 12th and the Wallabies on June 26th.

Irish Rugby Football Union President John Callaghan said, “This promises to be a truly memorable occasion as both IRFU and Munster welcome the Barbarian’s once more to Ireland. The much celebrated Barbarian’s brand of rugby will surely bring an entertaining game to Thomond Park and one which I am sure Ireland Rugby fans will looking forward to seeing.”

Both teams have been in a rich vein of form with Ireland’s recent unbeaten record in the Guinness Series and the Barbarians euphoric 25-18 victory against the All Blacks in front of a 65,000 crowd at Twickenham. The teams will be looking forward to the challenge of showcasing their skills once again with some scintillating, attractive running rugby to entertain the fanatical Munster rugby crowd on the day.

Announcing the agreement with Ireland and the Barbarians, Thomond Park Stadium Director John Cantwell said:

“We are delighted to have secured this most prestigious event and it further enhances the reputation of Thomond Park Stadium as an international class venue. The superb victory achieved by the Barbarians over the All Blacks last weekend highlights the quality of their squads, and I am certain that sports fans across the country will be excited at the prospect of watching the galaxy of world class players that will be participating in this unique match. This event will also deliver significant economic benefits to local businesses and provide a substantial level of positive media exposure that will help to promote the region as a tourist destination”

A spokesperson from the Barbarians confirmed that invitations have already been issued to Doug Howlett, Jean de Villiers and Paul Warwick of Munster which will be of further interest to the local fans. The Baa-baas will be a side packed full of leading international stars with further team announcements in the New Year.

Barbarian president Micky Steele-Bodger commented, “We are absolutely delighted to be invited back to Ireland where we have so many friends in the game. Over the years Irish rugby folk have done the Barbarians proud, both as players and club administrators.”

“To be visiting the new stadium at Thomond Park is an added attraction and honour for us. Back in 1991 we were in Munster to help Cork Constitution F.C. to celebrate their centenary and we have enjoyed similar anniversary matches with Old Wesley and the Wanderers in Dublin. The prospect of playing the national team and the 2009 Six Nations Champions in Limerick is something we shall look forward to tremendously and will provide a fitting climax to our 2010 summer tour.”

The Barbarians first played in Ireland in October 1957 when they beat an Ulster Invitation XV 14-11 at Ravenhill. More recently, they beat South Africa at Lansdowne Road in 1994, played there again against Ireland in the Peace International in 1996, and as part of the summer tour in 2000.

In November, MasterCard signed a match sponsorship deal for all the Barbarian Internationals in 2009-2010 with each match to be known as The MasterCard Trophy. Ben Rhodes, VP Marketing MasterCard UK remarked,

“We are delighted to add another MasterCard Trophy game to what is already a fantastic series. Ireland is a key market for us and we look forward to activating the sponsorship with some of our local key customers as we continue to build our rugby heritage ahead of the World Cup in 2011.”

Tickets for The MasterCard Trophy will go on sale on Wednesday 9th December and range from €30 to €55, plus family packs at €50 are available on www.Ticketmaster.ie and from all usual outlets including Thomond Park Stadium, or by phoning the Ticketmaster hotline on 0818 719 300.

As a pre 2009 Christmas special promotion, if you buy 2 full price tickets before January 1st 2010 you will receive a €20 merchandise voucher for use at the Munster Rugby Store. A maximum of 5,000 vouchers will be issued and purchases can be redeemed from May 1st – 5th June 2010.

(*Voucher promotion excludes family tickets and concessions)

THE BARBARIANS IN IRELAND

• 19 October 1957 v Ulster Invitation XV (Belfast) W 14-11
• 16 September 1970 v Wanderers (Dublin) W 30-9
• 10 September 1991 v Constitution (Cork) W 39-9
• 12 September 1991 v Old Wesley (Dublin) L 36-37
• 3 December 1994 v South Africa (Dublin) W 23-15
• 18 May 1996 v Ireland (Dublin) W 70-38
• 28 May 2000 v Ireland (Dublin) W 31-30