Holland back in the centre with Mullins

The Munster team for Sunday's Heineken Cup match against Biarritz at Thomond Park shows one change from the side which beat Castres last weekend in Cork. Jason Holland will partner Mike Mullins in the centre with Killian Keane dropping to the replacements.

Holland returned to fitness just before the Castres game, having missed a month with a leg injury. He came on at half-time as a replacement for the injured John Kelly. Keane, who started that day, moved to the wing to accommodate Holland.

The Holland-Mullins axis is Munster's first choice midfield pairing and Holland's return to full fitness meant that it was always likely to be restored, though Keane proved a capable deputy in the Midleton man's absence.

The replacements bench has not been finalised as coach Declan Kidney considers his options. Of the one change, Kidney pointed out: "We are naming him (Holland) as a fit player."

True to form, Kidney was at pains to offer a more balanced view of Sunday's game. "I think Biarritz have been totally underestimated.

"They beat Leinster 30-10 and we didn't do so well against them (Leinster) a few weeks ago. There is very little footage of Biarritz available and we are not as prepared as we would normally be. They are a very big team and the last time we played a bigger team than us, Northampton in last season's European Cup final, we lost."

Kidney also pointed out that the weather forecast for the weekend wasn't great and that wouldn't do a physically bigger side any harm.

Meanwhile, Munster rugby was provided with an additional boost when Bank of Ireland announced a potential £1 million sponsorship agreement for the next three years. The bank are the existing sponsors, having first come on board in 1998, and this present agreement sees Munster through to the 2003-2004 season. The deal will also include the Munster under-21 team.

In addition to a basic sponsorship package, Bank of Ireland will provide Munster with a further incentive-based structure to take account of qualification and progress in sundry competitions, offering a potential payment of £500,000 to the Munster Branch over the three years.

Gary Teichmann has confirmed he will step down from top-flight rugby when his current Newport contract expires at the end of this season.

The 34-year-old former Springboks skipper, who led South Africa on a record 35 occasions, was recruited by Newport's millionaire backer Tony Brown after Nick Mallett sacked him as national captain in July 1999.

"It was a very difficult decision to make, but I have been listening to my body, more than anything else," Teichmann said.