Munster have agreed terms with Llanelli Scarlets secondrow Chris Wyatt to replace Trevor Hogan, who moves to Leinster during the summer. The 30-year-old Wyatt has played 214 games for the Scarlets and 38 Tests for Wales.
He has lately become less an automatic choice for the Welsh side but remains a formidable athlete. At 6ft 5ins (196 centimetres) and 112kg, he is noted for his speed and mobility and will doubtless provide a valuable option for coach Declan Kidney alongside Irish internationals Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan and Mick O'Driscoll.
Kidney's immediate concern is the fitness of John Kelly and Rob Henderson, who both went off injured during the Heineken European Cup victory over Leinster at Lansdowne Road on Sunday.
They have undergone scans and the prognoses are promising. Kelly (severe bruising to a shoulder) is likely to be out for a couple of weeks only. Henderson could be back within a week. He won't play against the Border Reivers on Friday night, nor will Marcus Horan or Alan Quinlan.
Ronan O'Gara may be rested following his heroics on Sunday.
His likely replacement, Jeremy Manning, has signed a new two-year deal with the province, a significant coup.
Munster are in discussion with the luckless Christian Cullen, who has trained over the last few days and could mark his competitive return against the Borders.
The Leinster secondrow Bryce Williams is likely to be out for the rest of the season after breaking a hand in the defeat by Munster. The New Zealander battled on through the pain barrier but looks to have played his last match for the province; he joins the French side Bourgoin in the summer.
Meanwhile, Connacht welcome back captain Andrew Farley, following a back injury, for Saturday's trip to the Arms Park and a clash with a Cardiff side that have taken 23 points from a possible 25 in their last five games.
Centre John Hearty has recovered from the broken jaw sustained in the defeat to Leinster. Dan McFarland has been added to the extended squad as cover for prop Ray Hogan, who is nursing a foot injury.
Connacht are just five points outside a European Cup play-off position after the Dragons lost their third game on the trot, to Llanelli. To qualify for Europe's premier competition, Connacht must finish ahead of the lowest-ranked teams from Wales, currently the Dragons, and Scotland, currently the Glasgow Warriors.
If they manage that, they will enter a play-off with Italy's third-ranked side in June. It would be wrong to write off Connacht, but their task is a tough one, as the accompanying panel shows.
The Ospreys are not out of sight, but Connacht, who play them, will be hoping other Irish sides do them a favour, starting with Leinster on Saturday, by beating the Ospreys, who must play Munster and Ulster to boot.
Llanelli are disappearing over the horizon and will still entertain aspirations of winning the league but they could help Connacht by beating Glasgow and Borders on the run-in.
The Reivers have a tough schedule, though as they showed at home to Leinster they know the way to the try line.
A free weekend guarantees the Dragons four points, and of Connacht's remaining matches the clash with Glasgow could be pivotal. Michael Bradley's team find themselves in the position of hoping the Warriors beat the Dragons because three wins for Connacht, including one over Glasgow, would be good enough to get them past the Scots.
Stripping away the permutations, Connacht must win at least three of their remaining games.
CONNACHT SQUAD (v Cardiff): A Clarke, A Farley (capt), J Fogarty, A Gallagher, D Gannon, R Hogan, S Knoop, M Lacey, D McFarland, J Merrigan, J Muldoon, C Rigney, C Short, M Swift, J Hearty, C Keane, A Mailei, M McHugh, C McPhillips, M Mostyn, D Slemen, T Tierney, P Warwick, G Williams, D Yapp.
