Munster have agreed two-year contracts with James Cronin, John Ryan and Cathal Sheridan that will see them stay with the province until the summer of 2016.

The highly-rated youngsters have all made telling contributions for the Rabo Pro12 leaders over the last two campaigns and coach Rob Penney believes their development is a testament to the work being done by the academy.

“It’s great to have these young guys commit their talent and future to Munster,” Penney said this afternoon. “It just shows once again the hard work that is being done at grass-roots and underage level for guys of this calibre to break through, and it’s great for the province.”

Sheridan will start at scrumhalf against Ulster tonight, making his 25th Pro12 appearance for the province since making his debut in February of last year, while props Ryan and Cronin have both underlined their importance to the Munster set piece.