British and Irish Cup is set to show its full flavour in Melrose

Melrose supporters have done their bit to ensure the club and the Borders savours its first taste of the British and Irish Cup this weekend with a successful three-day snow-clearing effort, and now the players face arguably their biggest-ever test as Munster arrive in Scotland with some personnel looking to use the Greenyards as a step back into not only the pro game, but the RBS Six Nations and World Cup arenas.

Munster start Donnacha Ryan, who has made over 50 appearances for Munster's first team and won five Ireland caps, four this year before he was suspended for three weeks for stamping in Ireland's autumn Test with Samoa. There was some intrigue around the naming of 'D O'Callaghan', and the assumption that it was British and Irish Lions lock Donncha, but there is some light relief there for a relatively diminutive Melrose second row as it is in fact 20-year-old academy flanker Dave.

In the backs, Munster also include the dangerous Barry Murphy, who has made over 70 appearances for Munster and won four Ireland caps. They will be captained by 6ft 4in lock Billy Holland and include young Irish talents in Danny Barnes, returning today from a broken ankle, Tommy O'Donnell, Tom Gleeson, Peter Borlase and Scott Deasy, all of whom have worn the Munster jersey in the Magners League and some in the Heineken Cup.

Melrose are boosted by the inclusion of Dave McCall, prop Ryan Grant and wing Colin Shaw, also from Glasgow, and Edinburgh's Fijian No.8 Netani Talei. Melrose's last game was the narrow loss at Currie three weeks ago, but Munster's last 'A' game was a 15-13 defeat at home to Llanelli two months ago.

Melrose coach Craig Chalmers said: "Munster have picked a strong squad which includes Irish internationalists, but the inclusion of a handful of professionals will hopefully help us in what is a massive challenge. We have to concentrate on us and the level of our performance, and if we can lift it up a couple of notches, then I believe, and the players believe, that we can win the game."

Ayr flew the flag highest for Scottish rugby in last season's inaugural British and Irish Cup, yet were disappointed to claim just two victories from five games. But their achievement was put into perspective by the whitewash experienced by Heriot's and the Scottish Thistles team of SRU academy players and fringe pros.

That team has gone this year which, with Currie and Ayr claiming the top two spots, opened the door for Melrose. Ayr launch this term with a return game away to Pontypridd. ‘Ponty' edged a great battle at Millbrae 22-21 last season, and, currently top of the Principality league and having beaten Llandovery in their opening cup game, are hopeful that Sardis Road is declared playable.

Ayr coach Kenny Murray said: "We have no Glasgow professionals, but we have managed to get Nick Campbell and George Hunter from Glasgow Hawks and the club would like to thank the Hawks coaches Peter Wright and Jamie Dempsey for their continued support in this competition.

"The rest are Ayr players and include three 17-year-olds (Mark Bennett, Robbie Ferguson and Murray Beckwith) and 18-year-old Peter McCallum."

The third B&I Cup match was to have been played at Malleny Park but there was no chance of the Balerno pitch being playable and so Currie's opponents the Cornish Pirates - the 2009/10 champions - stepped in and have paid Currie 14,000 to cover flights to the south of England and an agreed share of the ticket revenue.

Currie face a professional side that boasts a better academy system than Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Pirates currently sit third in the Championship, 12 points off leaders, recently-relegated Worcester, having not missed a week in 15 since the start of the season.

Highlighting the difference in resources, Currie have been snowbound. The Scottish league champions are without sevens caps James Johnston and Douglas Fife, Finlay Gillies is injured and Steve Burton has university exams today, but Glasgow's Alex Dunbar is drafted in with help from Ayr, flyer Andy Turnbull starts on the other flank and Johnny Smith and skipper Andy Adam are back.

TEAMS

Cornish Pirates (v Currie at The Mennaye, 2.30pm): To come…

Currie: T Brown; A Dunbar, H Abercrombie, A MacMahon, A Turnbull; M Scott, R Snedden, J Cox, S Simonsen, A Hamilton, R Wilson, G Temple, M Cairns (capt), M Entwhistle, R Weston. Subs: F Scott, R Merrilees, A Adam, A Best, A Binikos, J Smith, A Whittingham.

Melrose (v Munster at the Greenyards, 2pm): F Thomson; C Anderson, J Murray, J helps, D McCall; S Wight (capt), R Chrystie; N Little, G Innes, R Grant, G Elder, G Dodds, J Dalziel, G Runciman, N Talei. Subs: R Ferguson, N Beavon, H Mitchell, R Miller, S McCormick, C Jackson, C Shaw.

Munster: from, S Deasy, S Scanlon, D Barnes, B Murphy, T Smith, I Dineen, T Gleeson, C Sheridan, C Murray, D Cusack, Dave Ryan, S Archer, P Borlase, S Henry, D Casey, B Holland capt, D Ryan, D Foley, D O'Callaghan, K Essex, T O'Donnell, P Butler.

Pontypridd (v Ayr at Sardis Road, 2.30pm): G Wyatt; L Williams, A Thomas, D Lockyer, O Williams, D Gunter, L Jones; L Smout, T Hetherington, K Knaggs, C Locke, R Savage, J Thomas, D Waters, C Dicomidis (capt). Subs: K Baller, S Humberstone, C Clayton, H Dowden, E Siggery, C Hill, S Williams.

Ayr: G Anderson; M Bennett, R Curle, R McCallum, C Taylor; F Climo, AJ MacFarlane; G Reid, S Fenwick, A Kelly, D Kelly, N Campbell, J Crossan, R Colhoun, A Dunlop. Subs: S Adair, G Hunter, P McCallum, G Tippett, D Steele, R Ferguson, M Beckwith.

TODAY

Worcester Warriors v Newport

(1pm, S4C)

London Welsh v Moseley (2pm)

Melrose v Munster A (2pm)

Rotherham v Llandovery RFC (2pm)

Pontypridd v Ayr (2.30pm)

Swansea v Neath (2.30pm)

Bedford v Ulster Ravens (3pm)

Currie v Cornish Pirates

(at Penzance, 3pm)

Esher v Llanelli (3pm).

TOMORROW

Birmingham-Solihull v Doncaster (3pm)