Last weekend's disappointing defeat away to table-topping Leinster at the RDS has all but ended Munster's slim hopes of capturing this season's Magners League. Coupled with the fact that the province is now out of the running for the title, coach Declan Kidney also has the added headache of the untimely injuries picked-up by half-back pairing Ronan O'Gara and Peter Stringer.

Paul Warwick may have a large part to play for Munster over the next fortnight.

Both players are influential to the side's fortunes and their respective abilities to recover for the Heineken Cup semi-final in nine days time will have a large bearing on that game's outcome. Stringer has been under pressure to retain his starting place of late, given the recent performance levels of Tomas O'Leary. However Ireland's most capped number nine still remains an integral component to the squad, his speed of thought and pass may yet prove crucial to his province's armoury over the coming weeks.

On Saturday evening Munster will entertain the Neath/Swansea Ospreys at Musgrave Park. This Magners League clash may well be treated as somewhat of a training exercise, especially given Leinster's unassailable lead at the top of the table. Kidney will be anxious not to pick up anymore knocks or bruises ahead of the Saracens game, however the coach will also be aware of the pitfalls of resting too many stars ahead of that crucial European Cup semi final. If Paul O'Connell and co are not mentally and physically prepared for the Ricoh arena on Sunday week, then what promised to be an historic season could end up as another missed opportunity.

The defeat to Michael Cheika's side last Saturday sounded some alarm bells within the visiting squad. Forcefully out-muscled at the breakdown, Munster were once again dominated up-front by a Leinster team at the top of their game. Whereas Gloucester stood off them in the quarter-final two weeks ago, both the Ospreys and Saracens may decide to attack the Munster breakdown in an equally aggressive manner. If Kidney's side continue to cough up a similar amount of cheap penalties, then kickers such as James Hook and Glen Jackson will inflict a maximum level of punishment.

This weekend's game offers the home side a chance to experiment with certain starting places. Niall Ronan was immense during the month of March and the former Leinster player can consider himself unlucky not to have been involved in the Heineken Cup quarter final a fortnight ago. This specialist number seven undoubtedly suffered from his supposed lack of versatility within the back-row and his exclusion from the match day squad was evidence of that fact. On a similar note, veteran number eight Anthony Foley could also use some high-level game time and the clash with the Ospreys offers the coach the chance to facilitate both players.

In the backline, given the stated injuries to the aforementioned duo above, Tomas O'Leary and Paul Warwick should undoubtedly start at nine and ten respectively. O'Leary has proved a revelation since recovering from a nasty bout of pneumonia earlier this season. His blistering pace and intelligent angles cause opposition sides untold problems both around the fringes and in broken play. Warwick meanwhile will be under intense scrutiny as his ability to replace the influential Ronan O'Gara once again comes under the microscope. The former Australian seven's player made a number of telling contributions during the second-half against Leinster, including converting some crucial penalties.

However it's his ability to dictate the pace and nature of a game which could prove crucial, especially in the event that O'Gara fails to recover sufficiently from his knock to the knee. Warwick clearly possesses the skills to perform at this level and playing with a dominant pack could well offer the out-half the platform he requires to perform.

With problems both on and off the field affecting preparations, Munster need to concentrate on their own game and get back to performing the basics in their usual ruthless and efficient manner. The province now possesses a squad to rival any other in Europe and they can be assured of a stern test from a star-studded Ospreys side in Cork on Saturday evening. How Kidney's side respond to their recent adversities will give a fair indication of how the remaining few weeks of this season will pan out.

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