Zebre 6 Connacht 33

Pat Lam has a hard act to follow when his Connacht team take to the field in today’s Rabodirect Pro 12 opener against Italian visitors Zebre (5pm).

Recent performances in the Heineken Cup excepted, it has been a poor campaign by Munster’s exalted standards and it will be a whole lot worse should they become the first team to lose to Zebre in their last match of the season at the Stadio XXV Aprile in Parma this evening.

Zebre 22 Leinster 41

RABODIRECT PRO12

Connacht 23 Zebre 19

Connacht 25 Zebre 20

Failure to manage a bonus point in last weekend’s loss to Harlequins has made it mathematically impossible to catch pool runners-up Biarritz, but pride and a third Heineken Cup win are at stake for Connacht this evening.

Leinster 37 Zebre 7

Isa Nacewa was the key figure in Leinster’s bonus-point victory in last night’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash with an Italian side noted for causing upsets in this competition.

CONNACHT coach Eric Elwood was delighted with the opening day victory away to Benetton Treviso in Saturday’s RaboDirect Pro12 League clash at Stadio Monigo.

THE excitement of Heineken Cup rugby finally arriving for Connacht this season must take a back seat this weekend when the new Rabo Direct Pro12 League kicks off.

IRELAND will get one last shot at redemption when they take on Italy in the final outing of the U18 Six Nations Festival at Cork Institute of Technology today (2.30pm).

IRELAND U21 33 ITALY U21 0

IRELAND U21 14 ITALY U21 0