The inclusion of prop Denis Buckley, who joins the front-row in place of the injured Brett Wilkinson, is the only change Eric Elwood has made for his side’s PRO12 meeting with Aironi in the Sportsground tomorrow (5pm).

A calf injury sustained against Ulster has ruled Brett Wilkinson out of Connacht's RaboDirect PRO12 clash with Aironi in The Sportsground on Saturday (5pm).

Scarlets, who play Munster next weekend, kept their hopes of a place in the RaboDirect Pro12 play-offs alive with a hard-fought victory over bottom side Aironi in Viadana yesterday.

So, it came as no surprise yesterday when Brian McLaughlin named the big Irish flanker in his Ulster side for the massive Heineken-Cup quarter final clash with Munster at Thomond Park tomorrow.

Ulster captain Johann Muller is anticipating a war of attrition between both sets of forwards when his team travel to Thomond Park for their Heineken Cup quarter-final on Sunday (1.45pm).

Ulster will have an anxious wait before knowing whether explosive flanker Stephen Ferris will be available for next Sunday’s European shoot-out with Munster at Thomond Park.

Ulster 45 Aironi 7

Andrew Trimble and his Ireland buddies Rory Best and Stephen Ferris are champing at the bit to get a piece of RaboDirect Pro 12 action tonight when Italian minnows Aironi arrive at a bone-dry Ravenhill.

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin has once again made several changes to his starting XV for their RaboDirect PRO12 fixture against Aironi at Ravenhill (kick off 7.05pm).

It will be small compensation to Connacht’s Eric Elwood following yet another narrow defeat but Declan Kidney left the Sportsgrounds on Saturday night with an encouraging glimpse of Ireland’s front-row future.

Benetton Treviso 23 Ulster 27

Connacht captain Gavin Duffy says tonight’s RaboDirect Pro12 home game against Munster has kept his side fully focused and motivated during the Six Nations-enforced lull in provincial action.

Glasgow 29 Aironi 6

Italy coach Jaques Brunel has made six changes to the squad that lost against Wales in Cardiff last weekend for their final RBS Six Nations game against Scotland in Rome on Saturday.

Munster supporters watching Donnacha Ryan’s man of the match performance and Sean Cronin making a massive impact off the bench in Ireland’s victory over Scotland must have been wondering why the former is being closely linked with Leinster for next season and the latter is already one of the boys in blue.

It wasn’t exactly the script David Wallace was looking for on his return from a long term injury, but the veteran backrower was nevertheless upbeat despite Munster’s shock defeat in Viadana yesterday.

Munster will welcome David Wallace back to the fold at some stage of tomorrow’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Aironi at Stadio Zaffanella in Viadana.

Leinster have finally ended the longer-than-expected process of bringing Brad Thorn to Dublin by signing the Kiwi World Cup winner on a three-month contract that shores up a gaping hole in their second-row.

David Wallace has been included in the 27-player Munster squad for their RaboDirect PRO12 clash with Aironi in the Stadio Zaffanella on Sunday (3pm).

Munster double centurion Mick O’Driscoll reckons Saturday’s victory over Newport Gwent Dragons was crucial to Red Army’s Pro12 hopes.

Lansdowne 22 St Mary's College 27, Aviva Stadium back pitch

Aironi 6 Leinster 22

Luke Fitzgerald’s badly-timed absence through injury will finally end this evening when he lines out at full-back for Leinster’s RaboDirect Pro12 encounter with Aironi at the Stadio Zaffanella.

Richardt Strauss tried hisbest to stay on message and turn the attention to Aironi yesterday but even the tight-lipped South African couldn’t prevent the conversation from zeroing in on his imminent eligibility for Ireland.

Munster coach Tony McGahan has chosen what can only be construed as a team hell-bent on winning the first of four important RaboDirect Pro12 games away to Treviso today.

Ospreys 23 Aironi 7

Chris Robshaw will captain an unchanged England team into Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Italy in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

Tony McGahan’s plans for a week with his squad in northern Italy have been disrupted by adverse weather conditions which have rendered the postponement of their RaboDirect PRO12 game with Aironi was unavoidable.

Munster’s hopes of holding a camp in Italy on Sunday have gone by the wayside after their game against Aironi was called off yesterday because of the freezing weather.

Leicester's disappointing European campaign came to an end with a comfortable but far from convincing 33-6 win over a battling Aironi at Welford Road.

Italy coach Jacques Brunel has named four uncapped players in his 30-man squad for the for the first two games of the RBS 6 Nations Championship.

Ulster captain Johann Muller refuses to lose sight of next weekend’s challenge after his side’s empathic 41-7 thrashing of the Leicester Tigers at Ravenhill on Friday night.

Ulster 41 Leicester 7

Connacht Rugby have made three changes to the team that lost to Aironi last weekend for the visit to Toulouse this Saturday (4.40pm local time).

STAND up BJ Botha, Isa Nacewa and Johann Muller, you and your foreign cohorts all have a point to prove this weekend as you bid to put your Irish provinces a step closer to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

A COUPLE of months ago Connacht were relishing the prospect of playing French aristocrats Toulouse in the Heineken Cup; this week they head there in a different frame of mind.

Aironi 20 Connacht 6

CONNACHT bid to end a miserable run of form away to Aironi this afternoon.

OVER the years, Munster have learned some opponents should be shown more respect than others and Treviso enter that category at Thomond Park tonight in a hugely important RaboDirect Pro12 clash.

Connacht head coach Eric Elwood highlighted his side’s poor goal-kicking display as the main contributing factor to Sunday’s 15-13 defeat to Leinster at the Sportsground.

GAVIN HENSON was denied a happy return to the Liberty Stadium as the Ospreys continued their home dominance over city rivals Cardiff Blues with a 17-12 victory in a scrappy RaboDirect PRO12 encounter.

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin has rung the changes for tomorrow's sold out clash against Munster at Ravenhill.

LUCIANO ORQUERA kicked all of Aironi’s points as they won their all-Italian meeting with Treviso in the RaboDirect PRO12.

ULSTER’S victory in the Milanese suburb was not as convincing as the score suggests, but the only thing that mattered for the visitors was the attainment of a winning bonus point, according to Pedrie Wannenburg.