RABODIRECTPRO12:

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.

Leinster will finally get to road test their expensive new flyer tonight when Zane Kirchner makes his first start for the province before checking out again for duty with South Africa.

Dragons 15 Ulster 8

RABODIRECT PRO12: Ulster 31 Dragons 5

Newport Gwent Dragons 19 Leinster 26

RABODIRECT PRO12

Newport Gwent Dragons 14 Connacht 3

Rob Penney may now have a defeat on his record as Munster head coach, but the New Zealander sends a much-changed team out tonight at Thomond Park (8pm) against Newport Gwent Dragons confident his players are heading in the right direction with a big month coming up in October.

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).

Leinster 45 Newport G’went Dragons

Leinster’s new overseas signing, Quinn Roux, will make his home debut when the Heineken Cup champions take on Newport Gwent Dragons in tonight’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash at the RDS.

Cian Healy will be watching a rerun of the recent Argentina and South Africa clash, a rugged affair in which both sides put physicality before quality.

Team manager Guy Easterby has played down a historic double and warned Leinster they have won nothing yet.

CONNACHT returned to winning ways last evening, but it took a huge second-half effort to overcome a physical Dragons side at the Galway Sportsground.

THIS was more like it.

IT was more spit than polish at Musgrave Park as a workmanlike Munster kicked off their RaboDirect PRO12 campaign with four winning points on Saturday night.

TOMÁS O’LEARY suffered another blow yesterday when he was forced to withdraw from Munster’s squad for tonight’s opening clash with Newport-Gwent Dragons at Musgrave Park.

Things are going from bad to worse for Tomás O'Leary who has been withdrawn from the Munster squad to face Newport-Gwent Dragons at Musgrave Park on Saturday (7.45pm) because he is still suffering from lower back trouble.

TOMÁS O’LEARY, John Hayes, James Coughlan and Johne Murphy are named in the 28-man Munster squad for Saturday’s RaboDirect Pro12 opening fixture against Newport Gwent Dragons at Musgrave Park (7.45pm).

Newport-Gwent Dragons 13 Ulster 20

A TRAINING accident has ruled Willie Faloon out of Ulster’s do-or-die Magners League clash against the in-form Dragons tonight.

MUNSTER strengthened their hand at the top of the Magners League with a bonus point win with an inexperienced side at Musgrave Park on Saturday night.

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan will give youth its fling in tonight’s Magners League clash with Newport Gwent Dragons at Musgrave Park (7.30pm).

CONNACHT bid to end their worst losing run since the game went professional over a decade and a half ago when they take on the Dragons at Rodney Parade this evening. (7.35pm).

WASPS director of rugby Tony Hanks was delighted with the pay-off for the hard work which ensured yesterday’s Heineken Cup clash with Newport Gwent Dragons went ahead.

MUNSTER failed to extend their lead at the top of the Magners League table after falling to a disappointing defeat to the Dragons at a snowy Rodney Parade last night.

A SIXTH win on the trot moved Leinster up into fourth place in the Magners League at the RDS last night as their second string brushed the Dragons aside and picked up a bonus point en route.

CLINT NEWLAND makes his debut for Leinster tonight against the Dragons at the RDS (7.05pm), when the New Zealand Maori prop lines up in a front row which includes Heinke van der Merwe and Richardt Strauss.