Guinness Pro12

Cardiff Blues 13 Leinster 22: Reigning Pro12 champions Leinster believe they have turned a corner in the New Year after coming from behind to claim a bonus-point victory over Cardiff Blues on Saturday.

Cardiff Blues may be lying ninth in the Pro12 table, but with a pack boasting three British and Irish Lions, as well as a recalled Alex Cuthbert on the wing, Leinster know it won’t be easy at the Arms Park.

Cardiff 28 Ulster 23

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

Leinster 34 Cardiff Blues 20

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

RABODIRECT PRO12

South Africa-born forward Andries Pretorius has been named in the Wales squad for this season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship.

Cardiff Blues 18 Munster 24

The return to home comforts at Cardiff Arms Park tonight is no guarantee to help the Blues end a dismal run of defeats by Munster, but director of rugby Phil Davies remains hopeful the visitors might find it hard to grind out a result there.

Cardiff Blues 19 Ulster 48

Connacht 9 Cardiff Blues 13

None of Connacht’s new big-name signings feature in today’s opening RaboDirect Pro 12 clash against Cardiff at the Galway Sportsground (5pm).

Wales captain Sam Warburton admits it is time his RBS 6 Nations title contenders avoided any further outbreaks of the yellow peril that threatened to lay them low in Dublin last weekend.

Gavin Henson could be in line for a first RBS 6 Nations appearance since 2009 after being included in head coach Warren Gatland's 35-man training squad.

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS are determined to complete their European revenge mission against Munster on Saturday after ending the Scarlets Heineken Cup hopes.

TWO tries by Stephen Ferris helped Ulster come back from an early bombardment by the Scarlets to claim much-needed RaboDirect Pro 12 League points at Ravenhill last night.

WITH the future of Ronan O’Gara uncertain, Munster at least had the satisfaction of watching new signing Ian Keatley pick up a man of the match award as they climbed to the summit of the RaboDirect Pro12 at Musgrave Park on Saturday night.

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).

Gavin Henson has been selected in a 24-man Wales squad for next month’s Millennium Stadium clash against the Barbarians.

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.

THAT’LL do. Leinster last night recorded a perfunctory win to keep their Magners League play-off hopes firmly on message while Jonathan Sexton came through a useful 80 minutes unscathed.

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.

WALES star Stephen Jones gave national coach Warren Gatland an injury worry just four weeks before they play England at Twickenham as the Scarlets claimed a vital Magners League win at Rodney Parade.

SIMON EASTERBY has been ruled out of the remainder of the Scarlets’ Heineken Cup campaign.

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.

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.