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 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).

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.

Ulster 26 Leicester 7: European Champions Cup Pool 3: Darren Cave helped clip the Tigers’ claws in an attritional Champions Cup clash at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday when Ulster had their bonus point on the board by the 50th minute before a brickwall defence proved almost impenetrable.

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.

Rory Best will start for Ulster against Munster in tomorrow's match at Thomond Park while Munster coach Anthony Foley has named a strong squad bolstered by a number of returning internationals.

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.

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).

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.

No one would benefit more from Brian O’Driscoll’s absenceat Twickenham on Saturday than Brian McLaughlin — but the Ulster coach is keeping his fingers crossed that the Irish centre is fit to play in the Heineken Cup final.

On a night when injuries and handling errors threatened to overshadow a promising display, Munster appear to have found another youngster with the potential to make a long-term impact.

Fears that an injury to Keith Earls would be another long-term problem for Munster and Ireland were eased yesterday when he was given a place on the bench for his province at Thomond Park tonight.

Brian McLaughlin has made 10 changes to the Ulster XV for Saturday’s RaboDirect PRO12 clash with Munster at Thomond Park (kick off 7.30pm).

The Ulster team to face Edinburgh in Saturday's Heineken Cup semi-final (5.45pm) has been named with Paddy Jackson starting at outhalf.

Connacht grabbed their first interprovincial win over Ulster since 2005, but Brian McLaughlin is not giving up hope just yet for a RaboDirect Pro12 top-four place.

Ulster flanker Willie Faloon has a two-fold goal ahead of today’s RaboDirect Pro 12 derby clash against Connacht at the Sportsground.

Brian McLaughlin has named Stephen Ferris in his starting XV for the massive Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Munster on Easter 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.

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).

Brian McLaughlin praised the fighting spirit of his team after Ian Whitten’s late try rescued Ulster against Treviso on Saturday.

Twice-capped lock Dan Tuohy wants another bit of action in New Zealand during the summer and hopes playing with a confident Ulster side will give him the opportunity to give Declan Kidney a nudge in the right direction.

Ulster head coach Brian McLaughlin has made five personnel changes and one positional switch to his starting team for the away fixture against Treviso on Saturday (3.15pm).

Brian McLaughlin has been forced into making some changes to his starting XV for the visit of Edinburgh to Ravenhill on Friday night (kick off 7.05pm).

Brian McLaughlin has named Paul Marshall and Pedrie Wannenburg in the starting line up for Ulster's RaboDirect PRO12 clash with the Ospreys at Ravenhill tomorrow (7.05pm).