RABODIRECT PRO 12:

A heavy list of injuries and poor weather will not help Connacht’s hopes of claiming a home victory over French heavyweights Biarritz this evening.

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.

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.

EUROPEAN kings Leinster made a nightmare start to the RaboDirect Pro12 after being blown away by the Ospreys in Swansea last night.

LUKE FITZGERALD will seek to put his World Cup disappointment behind him tonight when he takes his place in an unfamiliar and inexperienced Leinster side which begins its RaboDirect Pro12 campaign away to the Ospreys (7.05pm).

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.

New Zealand Maori 27 Ireland A 6