Aaron Gillane pointed a free in the fifth minute of injury-time to snatch a draw for All-Ireland champions Limerick against the only team to beat them in last year’s championship.

Meanwhile, Tipperary hurling manager Michael Ryan has handed a first league start to corner-forward Cian Darcy.

The honours went to Waterford in this Allianz Hurling League Division 1A clash at Walsh Park yesterday, but it is important to note Clare were already guaranteed a quarter-final (pitted against Limerick).

Davy Fitzgerald’s Wexford put paid to his native county’s perfect start to Division 1A of the Allianz Hurling League on Sunday afternoon courtesy of an impressive and dominant second-half performance.

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

Leo Cullen believes Ian Madigan’s versatility, far from being a weight around his neck at Leinster, is actually benefiting the 26-year-old who has been the subject of rumoured interest from Harlequins and Bristol.

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.

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.

So the scramble for Ireland survival begins.

And so it begins.

Irish coach Joe Schmidt insisted during the week that places in the World Cup squad were still up for grabs. After yet another defeat to the Barbarians at Thomond Park last night, he will go home for another re-think after a performance he described as “a bit inaccurate.”

An enormous game for both teams. So said Tommy Bowe earlier this week of tonight’s Guinness PRO12 meeting in Belfast between Ulster and Leinster.

Connacht 20 Ulster 27: Ulster’s title hopes and Connacht’s less ambitious but equally important Champions Cup qualification dreams both remain on target after a seven-try Pro 12 thriller at the Galway Sportsground.

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

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.

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.

Clare 2-20 Waterford 0-17

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.

Ireland duo Tommy Bowe and Paddy Jackson return for Ulster’s trip to Blues at the Arms Park tonight.

Ireland internationals Tommy Bowe and Paddy Jackson both make their first starts of the season for Ulster on Friday in the away match against Cardiff Blues.

GUINNESS PRO12:

Ireland’s most-capped hooker, Rory Best, will be back in familiar territory when he captains Ulster against Italian side Zebre this evening at a packed Kingspan Stadium.

Rory Best returns to the Ulster line-up as captain for this weekend’s PRO12 match against Zebre.

Ireland international Craig Gilroy gets a quick opportunity to show his credentials after being named on the left wing for Ulster in tonight’s Guinness Pro12 opener at Parc de Scarlets.

Louis Ludik, Franco van der Merwe and Wiehahn Herbst will make their debuts for Ulster against Scarlets at Parc Y Scarlets, tomorrow afternoon (kick-off 2.40pm).

Leinster 7 Ulster 10

Seán O’Brien insists there will be no nostalgia around the Leinster squad as they fine-tune their preparations before next weekend’s Pro12 kick-off.

Clare 3-19 Dublin 2-18

Leinster 13 Ulster 9

Plots, sub-plots and challenges abound ahead of Ulster’s clash with Leinster at the newly refurbished Ravenhill tonight with Leinster looking to cement their place at the top, but more crucially Ulster continuing their bid to claim the final semi-final berth.

Tipperary 2-24 Clare 2-17