Munster 26 Newport Gwent Dragons 5: Two salient points emerged from Saturday night’s Guinness Pro 12 game at Thomond Park.

Munster and the Newport Gwent Dragons both received good news yesterday as they prepare for their Guinness Pro12 clash at Thomond Park tonight.

After a brief respite, Connacht Rugby return to Pro12 action and face an improving Newport Gwent Dragons in Newport this evening (7.30pm).

Anthony Foley has laid it on the line for his players ahead of tomorrow’s Guinness PRO12 clash with the Newport Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade.

Leinster 37 Dragons 12: Isa Nacewa and Fergus McFadden led by example at the RDS on Saturday, when their combined tally of 27 points helped Leinster to a comprehensive victory over Newport Gwent Dragons in the Guinness Pro12.

Connacht 29 Dragons 23: Connacht opened their Guinness Pro 12 season with a valuable home win, edging a lively encounter against the Newport Gwent Dragons at the Galway Sportsground last evening.

There are few surprises in Pat Lam’s Connacht squad for this evening’s Guinness Pro 12 opener at the Galway Sportsground (7.30pm).

Anthony Foley will send his Munster players out against Newport Gwent Dragons today hoping last Saturday’s late meltdown was not an omen for the last throes of the regular season.

With their European Rugby Champions Cup semi-final against Toulon just eight days away, Leinster coach Matt O’Connor has opted to wrap his star players in cotton wool for the province’s Guinness Pro12 encounter with Newport Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade tomorrow.

Guinness Pro12

Guinness Pro12: Leinster 14 Gwent Dragons 16: Leinster suffered a setback to their Pro12 play-off aspirations, as Tom Prydie’s 70th-minute penalty at the RDS yesterday meant they finished the weekend outside the league’s top-four spots.

Newport Gwent Dragons 9 Cardiff Blues 11

GUINNESS PRO12:

GUINNESS PRO12:

Connacht 16 Newport 11

Dragons 8 Connacht 24

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

Ulster 38 Newport-Gwent Dragons 8

Connacht 14 Newport Gwent Dragons 11

Ireland captain Paul O’Connell makes his return to Munster colours ahead of schedule tonight having been cleared by the IRFU to face Newport Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade.

Dragons 15 Ulster 8

RABODIRECT PRO12

Newport Gwent Dragons 19 Leinster 26

RABODIRECT PRO12

Connacht 30 Newport Gwent Dragons 11

Billed as a must-win for both sides, Connacht return to the Galway Sportsground for this evening’s RaboDirect Pro 12 joust with the Newport Gwent Dragons.

Newport Gwent Dragons 14 Connacht 3

Munster will reunite Peter Stringer and Ronan O’Gara at half-back for the first time in 19 months as head coach Rob Penney shuffles his deck for tomorrow night’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Newport Gwent Dragons at Thomond Park (8pm).

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).

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.

THE inaugural IRB Junior World Championship, to be held in Wales in June, will be uppermost in the minds of respective Irish and Welsh U20 team coaches Eric Elwood and Patrick Horgan at Dubarry Park, Athlone, tonight (7.30pm).