Former Ireland captain Paul O'Connell and Damien Varley have both been ruled out of the PRO12 semi-final clash with Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium on Friday.

O'Connell injured his left knee in the game against Ulster is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks while Varley suffered an ankle sprain but would be in consideration for the final should Munster win on Friday.

O'Connell's injury will almost certainly rule him out of Ireland's tour of New Zealand in June.

Meanwhile, Ronan O'Gara who has been out of action since sustaining a leg injury in the Heineken Cup quarter final against Ulster, is expected to train tomorrow and could be named in the squad when it's named tomorrow evening.