Date: Friday, 29 August Kick-off: 1930 BSTVenue: Musgrave Park, Cork
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio Berkshire

Eoghan Hickey joined Irish from Munster in 2007

London Irish head coach Toby Booth insists his team are taking their friendly with Munster very seriously.

The Exiles take on the reigning European champions at Musgrave Park in Cork on Friday.

Booth told BBC Radio Berkshire they will be treating the match as serious as any Premiership encounter.

He said: "If you go to Munster on a Friday night and you don't bring intensity, you're going to come second by a considerable margin."

He continued: "We'll also be refining things - taking fewer players - which means people will be playing for their positions for the week after."

It's all-embracing in the community - you'll see elderly women and children all wearing Munster jerseys there London Irish player Eoghan Hickey

Captain Bob Casey, formerly of Leinster, said it is important for Irish to have a stern challenge ahead of the start of the league campaign.

"It's going to be very tough, but that's what we want.

"We want as tough pre-season friendlies as we can get, which will set us up because we're playing the Guinness Premiership champions [Wasps] first up, so it will be a great test for our boys.

"It's something which we're very much looking forward to, taking on the European champions in their own back yard."

Versatile Eoghan Hickey is the only London Irish player to have represented Munster and is looking forward to experiencing the Munster crowd again.

"It's all-embracing in the community - you'll see elderly women and children all wearing Munster jerseys there.

Munster were crowned European champions for the second time in 2008

"It's all very good natured. They're a very supportive bunch - but they support their own team and that's it.

"It's a pleasure to play somewhere like that, where it really means something. It brings the best out of players.

"It's a big game for them as well - it's their first home game since winning the Heineken Cup, so they'll be out to prove a point.

"If we don't respond, it'll be very one-sided. We're not going there to make up the numbers. We need a big result to take us into the Wasps game."