RABO DIRECT PRO12:

Garryowen 15 St Marys College 24

There was obviously a good reason for this RaboDirect Pro12 game to be handed the same kick-off slot as Ireland-New Zealand tomorrow but, for the life of us, it is impossible to think of one.

Leinster 29 Ospreys 29

Ulster 21 Leinster 19

RaboDirect PRO12: Cardiff Blues v Leinster

With so many players wrapped up in international duty, Leo Cullen will skipper a new-look Leinster team as they take on Cardiff Blues in tomorrow night's RaboDirect PRO12 clash in Cardiff Arms Park (7.30pm).

Roger Wilson will make his return from injury today as Ulster Ravens kick off their British & Irish Cup campaign against Bridgend Ravens in Deramore Park. Wilson will line out in his familiar number 8 position while former Ireland U20 captain Niall Annett starts at hooker.

Young Munster 16 St Marys College 14

Leinster 45 Newport G’went Dragons

Leinster’s new overseas signing, Quinn Roux, will make his home debut when the Heineken Cup champions take on Newport Gwent Dragons in tonight’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash at the RDS.

Second row Quinn Roux and academy back-row forward Ben Marshall will make their home debuts for Leinster after been named in Joe Schmidt’s starting XV for Saturday evening's RaboDirect PRO12 encounter with the Dragons in the RDS (6.15pm).

Scarlets 45 Leinster 20

Leinster captain Leo Cullen is backing fellow lock Devin Toner to make more giant strides in his game over the coming season as the European champions open their RaboDirect Pro12 campaign at Scarlets today (6.30pm).

Shane Jennings will captain Leinster against the Scarlets in Saturday evening's opening game of the RaboDirect PRO12 in Parc y Scarlets (6.30pm).

Sale Sharks 10 Leinster 10

Ian Madigan laid down a notable marker as Leinster kicked off their season with an impressive victory in the unfamiliar surroundings of Tallaght Stadium on Saturday evening.

Joe Schmidt gets his first chance today to run the rule over the Leinster fringe players who will steer him through the early stages of the RaboDirect Pro12 campaign when they meet Gloucester in a friendly at Tallaght Stadium (5pm).

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

With top seed secured ahead of next weekend's PRO12 play off in the RDS, there is a fresh look to the Leinster team to face the Newport Gwent Dragons in Saturday night's clash in Rodney Parade (7.30pm).

Brendan Macken was the star of the show at Anglesea Road yesterday with a hat-trick as Leinster A, on World Cup-winning All Black Brad Thorn’s debut, comfortably dispatched Connacht A.

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.

LEINSTER eased into the British & Irish Cup semi-finals at a canter at Donnybrook yesterday.

IRELAND U20’s hammered a Leinster Development side 40-15 in the annual challenge at Donnybrook yesterday.

COLIN McENTEE’S Leinster A couldn’t add the scalp of London Welsh to those of Esher, Melrose and Llanelli at Donnybrook yesterday but a draw was enough to secure a home quarter-final in the British & Irish Cup.

FULL-BACK Gavin Dunne was the star of the show for St Mary’s College last night as his 15-point haul sent the Templeogue side joint top of the Ulster Bank Division 1A table.

LEINSTER scored an emphatic away victory over Ulster in the ‘A’ Interprovincial at Donnybrook.

Twenty-one-year-old flanker Dominic Ryan will captain Leinster ‘A’ in their interprovincial friendly against Ulster ‘A’ in Donnybrook on Friday (6pm).

MANY of Leinster’s Irish Internationals intend to take out their World Cup frustrations on Edinburgh in the seventh round of the RaboDirect Pro 12 at the end of the month.

KEVIN McLAUGHLIN returns from injury to boost Leinster against Connacht in this evening’s RaboDirect Pro 12 clash at the RDS (5pm).

After a mounting injury list during the week sparked suggestions of calling up U20 players to the Connacht team to face Leinster in the RDS this Saturday (5pm) Eric Elwood will be relieved he’s only had to make three changes to his starting team.

LEINSTER’S new prop Nathan White has admitted he is in Ireland on a wing and a prayer after leaving Waikato, the recently defeated ITM finalists.

LEINSTER back rower Dominic Ryan is looking forward to inflicting more torture on Glasgow Warriors at the RDS tonight (6pm) in the first of at least four encounters between the sides this season.

THIS was more like it.

NEW ZEALAND might be far away in many senses for Darren Cave and Eoin O’Malley right now, but Ireland’s potential future centre partnership have more pressing issues back home.

PREMIERSHIP club Northampton Saints gained a small measure of revenge as they won this Heineken Cup final rematch at Donnybrook last night.

THE problem with dress rehearsals is that people continually fluff their lines. That’s one reason why pre-season friendlies have to be treated with a certain amount of scepticism, especially when coaches make so many changes that at one stage last night, substituted players were coming back onto the field to replace substitutes.

THE selection of Donnacha Ryan in Munster’s British and Irish Cup squad confirms Paul O’Connell’s involvement in the Heineken Cup clash with the Ospreys at Thomond Park on Sunday.

The teams for this weekend's All-Ireland League fixtures have been announced.

The teams for this weekend's round of AIL rugby fixtures have been announced today.

LAST season’s British and Irish Cup finalists Munster made a bright start to the new season when they proved too good for Leinster in yesterday’s A Interprovincial at Donnybrook.

IRELAND’s U20s have two jobs to do tomorrow (8.10pm Irish time): silence the crowd and secure a first win at the IRB Junior World Championships.