Pat Lam will bid to get rid of one of Connacht’s remaining hoodoos when he hopes to lead them to a first win in Belfast since 1960 this evening.

Iain Henderson and Chris Henry return to the Ulster side for this evening’s Guinness Pro 12 game at Cardiff Blues, a match both teams regard as critical to relaunching their seasons.

Winger Rob Lyttle has been rewarded for his try-scoring exploits when he earns a start for Ulster against Edinburgh at Murrayfield this evening.

The loss of Charles Piutau through injury has been softened by Tommy Bowe’s return to the Ulster side for the first time this season for tonight’s derby with Connacht at the Sportsground.

Ulster will roll out their strongest available line-out when they visit 2015 Guinness Pro12 winners Glasgow tonight.

Ulster struggled to defeat a weakened Scarlets side at the Kingspan Stadium last night.

New Zealander Charles Piutau is anxious to get back into Ulster action for the visit of the winless Scarlets to the Kingspan Stadium this evening (7.05 pm),

Munster A 31 Ulster A 38

Roger Wilson will make his 200th appearance for Ulster when the Guinness Pro12 table-toppers welcome Scarlets to Kingspan Stadium tomorrow afternoon.

Treviso 13 Ulster 32: Stuart Olding scored a try on his return to action for Ulster as they secured a bonus-point 32-13 Pro12 victory over Treviso at the Stadio Monigo.

Ulster 56 Oyannax 3: Eight tries, all converted, and a clinically attacking Ulster got the bonus point win over Oyannax on Saturday at the Kingspan Stadium needed to prolong – for 24 hours at least – hopes of a Champions Cup quarter-final spot.

Ireland international wingers Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble start for Ulster in the pre-season game against Edinburgh at Goldenacre tonight (6:30).

Ulster 21 Leinster 24: A little half-time word in the ears of his charges gave new Leinster head coach Leo Cullen a perfect start to his tenure with what was in the end a comfortable warm-up victory over Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium last night.

When Ulster coach Neil Doak named 33 players in his matchday panel for tonight’s friendly with Leinster (7.30pm), he said he was throwing down a challenge in his squad.

A 69th minute Conor McKinley point was crucial as Antrim dug deep to claim their 55th Ulster Senior Hurling title in Owenbeg this afternoon.

Carlow 2-18 Antrim 1-11: Carlow’s 10-point victory over visitors Antrim at Netwatch Cullen Park yesterday in this final round robin Leinster SHC tie saw the Barrowsiders retain their Liam MacCarthy Cup status while condemning the Saffrons to the Christy Ring Cup for 2016.

Carlow carved out a deserved success in this controversial Leinster SHC round robin clash which saw both sides end with 13 men.

Munster A 41 Ulster Ravens 27: Kiwi outhalf Tyler Bleyendaal made his long-awaited Munster debut for the province’s second string during a 41-27 victory against the Ulster Ravens at Naas yesterday.

A Pro 12 title and a top six qualification are on the line in today’s meeting of Ulster and Connacht in the Galway Sportsground (2.40pm).

Guinness Pro12

Gwent Dragons v Ulster

Ian Humphreys will again be dictating matters for Ulster when they travel to face in-form Edinburgh at Murrayfield this evening.

Guinness Pro12: Ulster winger Andrew Trimble faces a battle to be fit for the World Cup after undergoing surgery yesterday.

Craig Gilroy will become the youngest player to win 100 caps for Ulster when he lines out against Benetton Treviso at Kingspan Stadium tomorrow night, kick off 7.35pm.

Treviso 20 Ulster 24: This was one of the most astonishing games in the league for a long time.

Ireland’s Jared Payne returns to a strong Ulster’s match-day squad for tomorrow’s difficult Pro12 trip to Treviso.

National Cup Men’s Semi-final

Although matches against Ulster in recent seasons evoke positive memories for Leinster, defeat this weekend could deepen the sense of crisis ahead of a significant month that will also decide the province’s fate in the Champions Cup.

Ulster have made four personnel changes and Leinster five for the PRO12 meeting between the two sides in the RDS tomorrow afternoon.

If there is one person Ulster have missed more than any other during an injury-plagued 2014, it has been their cultured scrum-half Ruan Pienaar.

Neil Doak has made two changes to the side that were narrowly defeated by Scarlets in the Champions Cup last weekend.

Scarlets 22 Ulster 13

Luke Marshall returns to the Ulster starting 15 for the first time since his knee injury in October as one of the three changes to the side for their Champions Cup match against Scarlets on Sunday.

Internationals Stuart Olding, Craig Gilroy and Darren Cave have been released by Ireland and will boost Ulster’s hopes of dethroning Pro12 table-toppers Ospreys at the Kingspan Stadium this evening.

Darren Cave, Stuart Olding and Craig Gilroy have returned to Ulster from Ireland duty and all three start tomorrow night in Kingspan stadium for the PRO12 clash with the Ospreys.

Ulster 23 Newport Gwent Dragons 6

Ulster’s big Springbok lock Franco van der Merwe knows the score. With second-row partners dropping like flies, he knows he will have to step up to the plate in what will be his first taste of European rugby when Neil Doak’s men head to Welford Road to face the Leicester Tigers.

Former Lansdowne flanker Clive Ross will make his first competitive start for Ulster when they travel to Parma to face Zebre later this afternoon (3pm kick-off Irish time).