Much like Munster's opening run-out of the season against Rotherham a week ago, the expectation is that Alan Gaffney will play his Irish squad members from the start before ultimately using all of his 31-man squad at some juncture in this evening's pre-season friendly against Connacht at the Sportsground (kick-off 4.0).
With members of the Irish management travelling up from Limerick, Eddie O'Sullivan has reiterated that there is still significant importance attached to this game away from Thomond Park's madding crowds with a view to the form and fitness of World Cup aspirants.
Accordingly, Keith Wood, Paul O'Connell, David Wallace, Alan Quinlan, Peter Stringer and Anthony Horgan are all expected to play for the first 40-50 minutes or so before Gaffney begins to take a look at the bulk of the players who will back-bone Munster's defence of the Celtic League in the opening two months of the campaign.
The one other available member of the Irish squad who is not taking part today is Anthony Foley, who is still slightly troubled by the strained hamstring he sustained in the win over Wales, when he eclipsed Willie Duggan as Ireland's most capped number eight with his 40th cap out of 45 in the position.
To make even more of the time remaining after his Irish players have had their run-out, Gaffney and his Connacht counterpart, Michael Bradley, have agreed to follow the first period of 40 minutes with two additional periods of half-an-hour each.
Likewise, Bradley is expected to rotate his side in this the second of two pre-season warm-up matches for Connacht, after their impressive showing against London Irish on Tuesday.
None of the Irish management will be in attendance at Ravenhill when London Irish continue their pre-season tour against Ulster (kick-off 7.30), although reports and a video of the game will monitor the performances of Tyrone Howe and Justin Bishop, as well as the anticipated return of Neil Doak.
The latter is expected to appear from the bench at some juncture for his first outing of the season. Ryan Constable has been withdrawn from the Ulster side.
The elusive Australian centre did not train on Monday or Tuesday following an ankle injury picked up against Orrell last Friday and though the management had anticipated that he would be fit to play this Friday, he has not fully recovered.
Seamus Mallon will move up from the bench to the centre and last season's sometime-Ireland under-21 full-back Tommy Bowe moves to the bench.
ULSTER: B Cunningham; T Howe, R Constable, S Stewart, A Maxwell; P Wallace, K Campbell; R McCormack, M Sexton, S Best, M Mustchin, R Frost, A Ward (capt), N Best, R Wilson. Replacements: N Brady, B Young, M McCullough, T Barker, N Doak, T Bowe, S Young, A Larkin.
LONDON IRISH: M Horak; P Sackey, G Appleford, N Greenstock, D Armitage; M Mapletoft, D Edwards; N Hatley (capt), N Drotske, R Hardwick, K Roche; N Kennedy, D Danaher, M Haslett, C Sheasby. Replacements: A Flavin, D Wheatley, P Durant, R Strudwick, P Murphy, K Barrett, B Everitt, J Bishop.
