Rugby star Sophie Spence wants female Irish players to “receive an equal level of respect and treatment” as their male counterparts.

The IRFU Women’s Interprovincial Championship goes down to the wire this afternoon when Munster host champions Leinster in a top of the table clash at Thomond Park (2.30pm).

Ulster 52 Dragons 25: Ballymena’s Nick Timoney marked his first Ulster start with a double helping as the home side charged virtually unopposed to the top of Conference B following a comprehensive eight-try drubbing of a dreadful Dragons outfit at the Kingspan Stadium last night.

Joey Carbery will make his first start at full-back for Leinster in their Guinness PRO12 visit to Dragons tonight.

Connacht 14 - Dragons 9: Connacht coach Pat Lam says Kieran Marmion is fit to make his first start in the Six Nations next Saturday against France if called into action.

Ireland head coach Tom Tierney has named Cork woman Elaine Anthony in his side to take on their Italian counterparts at the Stadio Tommaso Fattori in L’Aquila on Sunday, as Ireland look to build on an injury-time win over Scotland last weekend.

Ireland women’s coach Tom Tierney has named five uncapped players in his Six Nations squad but it is the absence of former World Player of the Year nominee Sophie Spence that stood out.

Munster have dominated Leinster in recent years, but the province’s head coach Adam Griggs believes his side are ready to buck that trend in today’s ladies’ interprovincial title decider at Donnybrook (2.30pm).

Simonstown Gaels 1-14 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 0-8: Simonstown Gaels made no mistake at the third time of asking when capturing their first ever Meath SFC title before a crowd of 6,000 at Páirc Tailteann yesterday.

Munster and the Newport Gwent Dragons both received good news yesterday as they prepare for their Guinness Pro12 clash at Thomond Park tonight.

After a brief respite, Connacht Rugby return to Pro12 action and face an improving Newport Gwent Dragons in Newport this evening (7.30pm).

Anthony Foley has laid it on the line for his players ahead of tomorrow’s Guinness PRO12 clash with the Newport Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade.

Ulster’s new director of rugby Less Kiss has named Rory Best and Ruan Pienaar on the bench for tomorrow’s Guinness PRO12 clash away to Newport Gwent Dragons.

Munster 15 Leinster 7 (Ladies Interpro final): A polished performance from international Niamh Briggs led Munster, who had eight from the Highfield club in the starting side, to back-to-back interprovincial titles before a bigger than expected crowd at Thomond Park on Saturday

Jason Abbott’s free-kick winner four minutes from the end of yesterday’s Collingwood Cup semi-final sealed University College Cork a place in today’s decider against Trinity College.

Clontarf 17 Old Belvedere 20

U19 Interprovincials: Leinster were clinical defeating Munster (19-10) in Saturday’s U19 Interprovincial Championship at Templeville Road.

Leinster Schools’ Senior Cup final:

Clongowes Wood College stand between Blackrock College and their back-to-back Senior Cup aspirations, after Noel McNamara’s charges held off a strong showing from St Andrew’s College to book their place in the March 16 decider.

Leinster will finally get to road test their expensive new flyer tonight when Zane Kirchner makes his first start for the province before checking out again for duty with South Africa.

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

Munster coach Rob Penney has resisted the temptation to field his strongest side in response to last week’s second half meltdown at Treviso for this evening’s Rabo Direct clash with the Newport Gwent Dragons.

Champions Cork have been pitted against Dublin in the quarter-finals of the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies SFC.

RABODIRECT PRO12

Kanturk 0 Tullamore 24

Connacht 30 Newport Gwent Dragons 11

Billed as a must-win for both sides, Connacht return to the Galway Sportsground for this evening’s RaboDirect Pro 12 joust with the Newport Gwent Dragons.

Fulham 1 Swansea 2

Munster 33 Dragons 13

Rob Penney may now have a defeat on his record as Munster head coach, but the New Zealander sends a much-changed team out tonight at Thomond Park (8pm) against Newport Gwent Dragons confident his players are heading in the right direction with a big month coming up in October.

Munster will reunite Peter Stringer and Ronan O’Gara at half-back for the first time in 19 months as head coach Rob Penney shuffles his deck for tomorrow night’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Newport Gwent Dragons at Thomond Park (8pm).

Team manager Guy Easterby has played down a historic double and warned Leinster they have won nothing yet.

Leinster will have to plan without Luke Fitzgerald for the rest of the season.

Michael O’Neill named his first Northern Ireland squad this morning, with former captain Aaron Hughes the standout name in a party of 24 having been persuaded to reverse his retirement.

Ulster have been rocked by the loss of influential skipper Johann Muller ahead of tonight’s RaboDirect Pro12 League clash against the Dragons at Ravenhill.

THIS was more like it.

IT was more spit than polish at Musgrave Park as a workmanlike Munster kicked off their RaboDirect PRO12 campaign with four winning points on Saturday night.

TOMÁS O’LEARY suffered another blow yesterday when he was forced to withdraw from Munster’s squad for tonight’s opening clash with Newport-Gwent Dragons at Musgrave Park.