Timely.

The Munster squad returned to training at the High Performance Centre in Limerick today as preparations started for their Guinness PRO14 clash away to Zebre on Sunday.

And the southern province have welcomed back a few familiar faces, with Ireland international Chris Farrell finally back in full training after recovering from a serious injury picked up in Six Nations training back in March.

Conor Oliver, Ronan O’Mahony, Calvin Nash and Jaco Taute are also all back in full training, handing Munster a massive boost as they get ready for a busy festive period.

In other news, Munster have confirmed our exclusive story yesterday that All Black Alby Mathewson has signed a contract extension with the province. The scrumhalf will be with the Irish province until at least the end of March.