Good afternoon, European rugby fans! Ulster are in the middle of a barnstorming display at home to Clermont (full report to come from Belfast on that) and they already have a try-scoring bonus point. But we’re in Thomond Park to see if Munster can avenge last season’s losses to the Tigers and continue their excellent run of form.

Kick-off isn’t until 15.15, so you still have time to go watch Ulster in red hot form before settling in for Rassie’s boys.

Yeow! Charles Piutau has just run in a FIFTH try for Ulster and they are now beating the Top 14 leaders 36 – 18!

Here’s the updated line-ups for today’s action in Thomond Park

Munster: 

15. Simon Zebo
14. Darren Sweetnam
13. Jaco Taute
12. Rory Scannell
11. Keith Earls
10. Tyler Bleyendaal
9. Conor Murray

1. Dave Kilcoyne
2. Niall Scannell
3. John Ryan
4. Donnacha Ryan
5. Billy Holland
6. Peter O’Mahony (captain)
7. Tommy O’Donnell
8. CJ Stander

Replacements:

16. Rhys Marshall
17. Thomas du Toit
18. Stephen Archer
19. Jean Kleyn
20. Jack O’Donoghue
21. Duncan Williams
22. Ian Keatley
23. Andrew Conway

Leicester: 

Leicester:

15. George Worth
14. Adam Thompstone
13. Manu Tuilagi
12. Owen Williams
11. Peter Betham
10. Freddie Burns
9. Ben Youngs

1. Ellis George
2. Tom Youngs (captain)
3. Logovi’i Mulipola
4. Ed Slater
5. Graham Kitchener
6. Mike Fitzgerald
7. Brendon O’Connor
8. Lachlan McCaffrey

Replacements:

16. George McGuigan
17. Pat Cilliers
18. Greg Bateman
19. Luke Hamilton
20. Will Evans
21. Sam Harrison
22. Jack Roberts
23. Tom Brady

Referee: Romain Poite [FFR].

Leicester have made some cute-hoorish front row changes:

Logo Mulipola has moved to tighthead, Greg Bateman is now among the replacements and Ellis George comes in as loosehead.

Confused? I’ll update the team-sheets below.

Ulster have gotten themselves in a bit of bother since opening up a winning lead over Clermont. Their lead now is just seven points, 39 – 32 and both sides have a try bonus.

Well, it was much nervier than it should have been, but Ulster have beaten Clermont 39 – 32.

Here’s our view for the afternoon. It’s turned into a nice day in Limerick, perfect for the high-tempo game that Munster have made their own in recent weeks.

Stand up and Fight has been sung, the red flags are flying and Munster and Leicester are on the field. Time for kick-off!

Leicester return the restart deep to Zebo. Munster can attack.

Tigers defence has started well though and the pressure is on the hosts in their own half.

Murray’s first box kick brings a knock on and we’ll have the first scrum of the day. What will Leicester do with those late change?

The first scrum laid the platform for a poor kick from Tyler B, but Leicester still happy to return the ball the back three.

Minutes after that scrum, they kick to Zebo and his break makes space for Stander to charge through…

Stander’s pass to Murray in support was a little behind the scrum-half and he was caught. Scannell takes the ball on up to within five, but Poite pings Munster for holding on.

Bleyendaal’s second kick is an absolute beaut! Sweetnam rises high on the right wing to pluck it above Bethan, but his pass to Taute doesn’t stick.

Another great effort from Sweetnam to contest, but it’s knocked on. Munster have to settle for a penalty.

PENALTY! Munster 3 Leicester 0 (Bleyendaal ’11)

PENALTY! Munster 6 Leicester 0 (Bleyendaal ’15)

Sweetnam is in searing form, Leicester have moved Thompstone over to deal with him, but he’s felt his way into the game already.

And, despite a mix-up between POM and Stander, the pack is humming too to generate that last penalty.

Donnacha Ryan penalised on halfway for pulling down the line-out jumper. Just got his timing marginally wrong. Burns will aim for the posts.

Poite takes the advice of Peter O’Mahony and walks the penalty back two feet. Burns hits a low stinger of a shot that just dips under the posts.

Boom! Taute is the man chasing Munster’s kick this time and he times his tackle perfectly to ram Worth back and force a turnover.

PENALTY! Munster 9 Leicester 0 (Bleyendaal ’23)

Leicester cutting a very frustrated side at the minute as Poite pings them for going in from the side after a terrific tackle and drive from Rory Scannell.

Scannell though has been forced into the blood bin. Ian Keatley wiil step in.

PENALTY! Munster 12 Leicester 0 (Bleyendaal ’27)

Tigers just can’t get a handle on Munster, that penalty coming off the back of a line-out on the 22.

30 minutes on the clock then and Munster in commanding position. This is absolutely clinical from Rassie’s men. By my count, they’ve only held the ball in the Tigers 22 once and every time they go into the half, they mine a penalty.

Play stopped for a TMO check for a neck roll on O’Mahony. It’s not the worst one we’ve seen, but Tigers a bit fortunate to escape with just a penalty in the current climate.

SIN-BIN: Ed Slater gets the bold corner for not rolling away.

Bleyendaal though, finally cracks his perfect run, pulling the kick to the left of the posts.

TRY! Munster 19 Leicester 0 (Zebo ’36)

Five minutes of the sin-bin had elapsed and the roar began to grow around Thomond Park. A beautiful reverse pass from Conor Murray set Zebo through the line and under the posts.

Niall Scannell earns the applause on halfway, getting on on the jackal to force a penalty. This time, Bleyendaal passes up the chance to kick though and quick taps.

HALF-TIME: Munster 19 Leicester 0

The second half is away and running. Can Munster keep up that tempo?

Rory Scannell rifles a kick downfield, but the touch judge calls it out on the full. The crowd aren’t happy. But they’re soon cheered up when Logo Mulipola is rocked back on his arse by a twin tackle from Niall Scannell and John Ryan.

Super stuff from Keith Earls. Saved a bad kick from Bleyendaal by rising high and instantly passing to Zebo.

He then won the chase and Munster are on the attack again.

TRY! Munster 24 Leicester 0 (Taute ’50)

Munster won the ball back in the Tigers 22 and laid a short siege to the line, ending with the excellent medical joker barging over from close range.

Bleyendaal added the extras too.

Munster 26 Leicester 0

TRY! Munster 31 Leicester 0 (Taute ’57)

More brilliance from Sweetnam after a long pass wide from Zebo. The former hurler weaves in and out of tackles before offloading into the grateful arms of Taute.

Bleyendaal can’t convert on this occasion, but it’s all about tries now for Munster.

SIN-BIN: Manu Tuilagi is give time-out for a swinging arm charge on Stephen Archer.

It’s a first real sniff at the line for Tigers, but Munster withstand the pressure and CJ Stander rips the ball free.

Ooh, so close. A loose pass out on Leicester’s right is chased by Conway. He easily overtakes Betham, but his kick round the corner just goes out of touch and denies him the chance to open up his stride with nobody at home.

PENALTY TRY! Munster 38 Leicester 0

Bonus point secured!

Taute cruelly denied a hat-trick by being dragged back after grubbering a loose ball to the in-goal.

Never mind though, another five point win in the bag for Munster.

FULL-TIME: Munster 38 Leicester 0