While Munster sort out their injury worries and continue to align themselves as a unit against Castres, a number of smaller struggles inevitably play out within the team. Nowhere more than in the second row where Cork Constitution's Mick O'Driscoll and Young Munster's Paul O'Connell each seek a place in the starting line-up.

O'Connell, currently struggling with a shoulder injury, is likely to start if fit, while O'Driscoll has played in all but the quarter-final game in Munster's seven-match run to Saturday's European Cup semi-final.

"Myself and Paul are friendly about it," says O'Driscoll. "The competition does spur you on to try that bit harder. But there is no animosity between us. When you get in there, you try to stay there. At the moment, for the last few matches, Paul has been getting the nod ahead of me. It's not a big issue but you do know you've to get in there and try hard to stay there.

"I've come to the stage where I think I've been playing as good rugby now as I've been playing over the last few years. But I suppose to be honest I haven't started as many games as I'd have liked to for Munster."

The second row had been dogged by niggling injuries until March and it has only been over the last six weeks he has had a run at regaining higher-level fitness. The tough break for him was that those months were the international "shop window" period, the weeks most players on the Irish A side want to be at their best.

"I still feel fresh enough," he says. "It has been tough campaigning between Cork Con, the Irish As and everything else. But this match is what we have been gearing up for since the quarterfinal. The vital thing for us is to go in fresh rather than over-worked because they are very physical in contact. They go all out.

"From what I remember of the previous games it was 50-50 in the scrum and lineouts. Their continuity was good and they released the ball well in the tackle. Both matches were very quick and open. They are tough up front, have good backs and they've a very good goal-kicker. That will be important, not to give away penalties."

The threatened warmer conditions near the Cote D'Azur promise a less comfortable afternoon than earlier in the year but O'Driscoll views such hastily constructed hurdles as peripheral.

"I don't think Munster will have problems with the conditions. We're generally known as a second-half team, so fitness is no problem. We've fast backs, backs who can ruck. Dec (Kidney) has made us aware of the heat in the last few weeks and at Musgrave Park 17 degrees or 18 degrees has been the hottest this year. But I don't think it will be an issue."

Sticking with policy, Munster will give injured players as long as possible to be available and O'Driscoll probably won't know until Friday the composition of the second row. "If Paul is fit then well and good," he says. "If I get a run . . . I'll do the best I can."

Generally the best has been more than good enough.