Connacht 30 Scarlets 17: Connacht Rugby players take a deserved six-day break after finishing a run of 16 games with a European quarter-final in the diary and a top-four Guinness Pro 12 spot secure.

Brive 21 Connacht 18: Connacht’s European hopes hang in the balance after what coach Pat Lam termed as “probably their worst game” this season.

Connacht 3 Ulster 10: Ulster’s European winning form continued in the Guinness Pro12 when they took the spoils in a tight festive derby at the Galway Sportsgound on St Stephen’s night.

Cardiff Blues 20 Connacht 16: Connacht’s poor record at the Arms Park continued last evening when they lost their grip on the lead of the Guinness Pro12 to a dogged Cardiff Blues.

John Muldoon becomes the first player to make 200 appearances in the Guinness Pro12 when he leads Connacht against Cardiff at Arms Park this evening (7.05pm).

Connacht 21 Brive 17: Connacht remain top of their European pool but have been left counting the cost of injuries ahead of their meeting with Munster on Saturday, having taken a heavy hit on personnel during their victory over French visitors Brive in the Sportsground on Saturday.

Youth fills in for experience when Connacht try to halt an 11-year losing run in Wales to the Ospreys.

Connacht 19 Grenoble 52: Bernard Jackman returned to Connacht with his Grenoble troops and blitzed the westerners for eight tries at the Sportsground. 

In a return to Kingsholm, injury-hit Connacht go head to head with English Premiership side Gloucester for the chance to play Champions Cup rugby next season.

A first home semi-final is the prize for Connacht if they overcome this evening’s Challenge Cup quarter-final opponents Gloucester at Kingsholm.

Guinness Pro12

Connacht 53 Benetton Treviso 5

Guinness Pro12

Guinness Pro12: Scarlets 32 Connacht Rugby 14: Connacht’s top six qualification hopes were give a shake-up when they were outgunned by fellow hopefuls Scarlets in yesterday’s lunchtime Pro12 clash.

Connacht’s first All Black, Mils Muliaina, makes his debut for the province tonight when Connacht host Zebre at the Galway Sportsground (7.35pm).

Rodney Ah You takes over injured Nathan White’s tighthead prop spot, having been released from the Ireland camp at Carton House, for Connacht’s Guinness Pro12 fixture with leaders Ospreys in Swansea this evening (7.35pm).

Exeter Chiefs 33 Connacht 13

Connacht’s seasonal ambitions could well come down to games such as this evening’s in Italy at Stadio Monigo (7pm, Irish time).

Connacht 24 Cardiff 24

Guinness Pro12:

The return of Ireland international Robbie Henshaw is one of three changes to Connacht’s starting XV for this evening’s Guinness Pro 12 fixture with Edinburgh at Murrayfield (7.35pm).

Connacht 16 Newport 11

Ireland internationals, Craig Gilroy and Iain Henderson have recovered from injury and have been named in Mark Anscombe's starting XV for the game against Edinburgh at Ravenhill tomorrow evening.

Connacht 7 Ulster 18

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

Ulster coach, Mark Anscombe, has made seven personnel to the team that lost to Newport Gwent Dragons last week for tomorrow's clash with Glasgow Warriors at Ravenhill (kick off 19:05).

RABODIRECT PRO 12:

Ulster coach, Mark Ancombe, has named Paddy Jackson at outhalf for their first RaboDirect PRO12 game of the season against Newport Gwent Dragons tomorrow night.

Ulster 21 Leinster 19

No one would benefit more from Brian O’Driscoll’s absenceat Twickenham on Saturday than Brian McLaughlin — but the Ulster coach is keeping his fingers crossed that the Irish centre is fit to play in the Heineken Cup final.

There is no place for rested Ireland internationals Stephen Ferris and Rory Best in Ulster’s starting XV for Friday’s RaboDirect PRO12 match against Leinster at Ravenhill (7.05pm).

Ulster will have all their peripheral Ireland players available for Friday’s RaboDirect Pro 12 League clash against the Blues at the Arms Park.

ULSTER skipper Johann Muller says he will not have to say much to psyche up the team ahead of Friday’s RaboDirect Pro12 derby clash with Munster at Ravenhill.

THE result was inevitable as soon as Ulster named a second string team staffed largely by rookies.

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin has handed competitive debuts to five players for the RaboDirect PRO12 clash against Leinster at the RDS on Monday (kick off 5.30).

IRELAND hooker Rory Best has demanded maximum points from Ulster’s next two Heineken Cup fixtures with Aironi if the province is to repeat last year’s run to the quarter-finals.

Stephen Ferris, Rory Best, John Afoa, Chris Henry and Craig Gilroy have all been included in Brian McLaughlin’s extended 33 man squad for the crucial RaboDirect PRO12 game against Scarlets at Ravenhill on Friday (7.05pm).

PAUL MARSHALL is looking forward to what could be his last start for Ulster in the RaboDirect Pro 12 League for quite a while.

The Ulster team which will run out against Glasgow Warriors in the RaboDirect PRO12 at Firhill tomorrow (7.35pm) shows four personnel changes and one positional switch from the starting XV that was defeated 20-9 by Leicester in the Heineken Cup last weekend.

EASY to forget now after their blazing finish to the season but there was a point early in the last campaign when Leinster were pinned on the ropes.

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin been forced into two changes to his starting team for the Heineken Cup Pool 4 clash with Leicester Tigers on Saturday (6pm).

ULSTER coach Brian McLaughlin wants a helping of the same intensity and physicality from his pack when they head to the Leicester Tigers liar at Welford Road on Saturday for the second instalment of their Heineken Cup campaign.

Brian McLaughlin has named an unchanged team for Ulster's opening Heineken Cup Pool 4 match against ASM Clermont Auvergne in Ravenhill tomorrow (3.40pm).