MUNSTER skipper Peter O’Mahony hopes to celebrate his 22nd birthday in style by leading Munster to a third successive RaboDirect Pro12 victory at Musgrave Park tonight (7.45pm).

AFTER an opening victory over Treviso, coach Eric Elwood says Connacht must raise the bar again today when they open their home season against the Scarlets in the Rabo Direct Pro12 at 3.15pm.

MUNSTER may be struggling for team silverware this season but the personal accolades continue to head towards the southern province.

DENIS LEAMY has admitted Munster are determined to do the Magners League and Amlin Challenge Cup double after he led his side to a hard-fought triumph over the Scarlets in west Wales.

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan handed the captain’s armband to seasoned international back-rower Denis Leamy, but named an experimental side to face Llanelli Scarlets in tonight’s Magners League clash in Wales.

ULSTER temporarily moved second in the Magners League with a gritty but unconvincing victory over the Scarlets at Ravenhill.

BJ BOTHA and Ian Humphreys could not have staged a more appropriate return to the Ulster starting lineout when they face the Scarlets at Ravenhill tonight.

JONATHAN SEXTON returns to the number 10 jersey at the RDS tonight for Leinster’s Magners League clash against fellow play-off contenders the Scarlets (7.35pm).

WALES wing George North made a try-scoring return from injury as the Scarlets ended a run of six straight defeats in all competitions with a narrow Magners League victory at Parc y Scarlets.

ULSTER left it late to rekindle their hopes of reaching the Magners League play-offs, with Ruan Pienaar kicking an injury-time winner in Wales.

CONNACHT received a much needed boost with this victory on Saturday night, their first Magners League win since mid-September.

CONNACHT face second-placed Scarlets in tonight’s Magners League tie at the Sportgrounds (7.35pm).

GAME lost, but another goal achieved.

CONNACHT head coach Eric Elwood is expecting the Scarlets to be smarting tomorrow after an opening-day Magners League loss against Benetton Treviso last weekend.

CONNACHT are set to be with-out Ray Ofisa for their mam-moth Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final against Toulon on Friday.

MUNSTER enhanced their unbeaten home record with a deserved Magners League triumph over struggling Llanelli Scarlets at Musgrave Park last night.

LEINSTER-BOUND Isaac Boss wants to end his season with Ulster on a high by helping them to the inaugural knock-out stages of the Magners League.

THE highs and lows of professional rugby were very evident at the RDS on Saturday evening as Leinster clocked up their fourth win over the Scarlets who must be sick of the sight of them by now.

SHANE JENNINGS will captain a Leinster side that is boosted by the inclusion of the four other Ireland internationals in the pack for tonight’s Magners League encounter with the Scarlets at the RDS (6.30pm).

SUCH was the magnitude of this performance that Leinster travelled to the Welsh valleys on Saturday with their Heineken Cup title hanging by a thread and yet they departed with their grip seemingly tighter than ever.

WITH only one win to date in the Magners League, Connacht will be desperate to utilise home advantage in tonight’s last fixture before the break for Guinness Internationals.

TOMÁS O’LEARY admitted on Saturday night that he is “a stronger player and person” after he returned from the horror injury which destroyed his Lions dream.

SIMON EASTERBY returns to the Llanelli Scarlets team for tomorrow’s Magners League clash with Munster (Parc Y Scarlets, 6.30pm).

MICHAEL CHEIKA admitted ill discipline cost Leinster dearly after the reigning Heineken Cup champions slumped to a shock opening day defeat to the Scarlets in the Magners League.

LEINSTER may have ended a run of near-misses and underachievement in glorious fashion by winning the Heineken Cup, but that will not stop Michael Cheika from imposing a change of playing style this season.

A SIX-TRY salvo helped the Scarlets leapfrog Ulster to finish fifth in the Magners League with a convincing bonus-point victory at Parc y Scarlets.

JOB done. Seven tries, just the one conceded and, most importantly, not an injury in sight.

The Scarlets coach Nigel Davies has named British & Irish Lions hooker Matthew Rees and out-half Stephen Jones in the side to play Leinster in the Magners League at The Rds on Friday night.

GORDON D’ARCY will have caught Ireland coach Declan Kidney’s eye as defending champions Leinster kept the heat on Magners League table-toppers Munster.

The Scarlets coach Nigel Davies has opted to leave Stephen Jones on the bench and retain Rhys Preistland at out-half ahead of their Magner’s League encounter with Connacht at The Sportsground on Friday evening.

The Scarlets coach Nigel Davies knows he needs a win at Ulster to keep alive their Heineken Cup hopes.

WHILE his “galacticos” had been labouring at the Rugby World Cup in France, Michael Cheika’s set of replacement backs have been cutting a swathe through the first two rounds of the Magners League.

Wales head coach Gareth Jenkins has dropped Brent Cockbain from his World Cup plans - and given a surprise call-up to uncapped Gloucester lock Will James.

IRELAND A coach Michael Bradley has warned England A they must be ruthless if they are to have any hope of toppling the New Zealand Maori in Saturday’s Churchill Cup final.

Gareth Thomas will lead Wales from full-back and veteran hooker Mefin Davies returns at hooker as the tourists look to level the Test series against Australia at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.

LEINSTER fly-half Felipe Contepomi will captain Argentina in the first test against Ireland in Santa Fe on Saturday.

Gavin Henson has today been named in the Wales squad for their Test matches against Australia on May 26 and June 2.

Ireland internationals Geordan Murphy and Shane Jennings will start for Leicester Tigers against Llanelli Scarlets in the Heineken Cup semi-final at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday.

ULSTER captain Justin Harrison wants his side to make history in Stradey Park this evening.

LIFIEMI MAFI makes his first start for Munster in tomorrow’s Magners League clash with Llanelli Scarlets in Stradey Park (Setanta Sports, 5.35pm).

ULSTER’S stand-in captain and resident hard man Justin Harrison wants the same performance from his players against Llanelli at Stradey Park tonight that they produced in humiliating Toulouse last week.

OSPREYS boss Lyn Jones has predicted “an encounter to remember” when his star-studded Welsh challengers tackle English champions Sale Sharks in a mouth-watering Heineken Cup clash this evening.

PROMISING full-back Danny Riordan — he will be 22 on Monday — has received a timely birthday with his inclusion in the Connacht side to play Edinburgh Gunners in the Magners League at the Sportsground tomorrow night.

Ireland's Trevor Brennan will be in the second row for last year's beaten finalists Toulouse at Llanelli Scarlets in the Heineken Cup's Pool 3 tomorrow night.