Leinster A 44 Jersey 13

Munster 19 Aberavon 11

Munster enjoyed the time of their lives for 40 minutes in last night’s Rabo Direct Pro12 clash with the Cardiff Blues at Thomond Park.

High hopes of Connacht repeating their famous victory of 10 years ago in Cardiff Arms Park were dashed last night when the Blues claimed victory on home soil.

Connacht coach Eric Elwood rallied his side for tonight’s clash with Cardiff Blues by urging them to show the spirit they showed in Europe this season.

COLIN McENTEE’S Leinster A couldn’t add the scalp of London Welsh to those of Esher, Melrose and Llanelli at Donnybrook yesterday but a draw was enough to secure a home quarter-final in the British & Irish Cup.

NORTHAMPTON crashed to a second consecutive Heineken Cup defeat and to the brink of elimination.

ULSTER coach Brian McLaughlin conceded his side have plenty to work on following their 24-17 loss to Scarlets on Saturday.

ANOTHER frustrating night for Connacht.

IRELAND winger Andrew Trimble hopes to vent his frustrations this afternoon when he lines-out against the Scarlets in Llanelli.

LEINSTER coach Joe Schmidt is worried their Heineken Cup qualification next year could be under threat unless they pick up sufficient results in the RaboDirect PRO12 while their frontline players are away.

MUNSTER maintained their winning start to the season and while they conceded their first try of the season, another superb defensive display was the foundation for victory at Cardiff City Stadium last night.

LEINSTER’S new prop Nathan White has admitted he is in Ireland on a wing and a prayer after leaving Waikato, the recently defeated ITM finalists.

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).

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.

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.

JAMES COUGHLAN scored the game’s only try but it was Munster’s defence that saw them put one foot in the Magners League play-offs in Cardiff last night.

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).

CARDIFF BLUES boss Dai Young is expecting a stern test from Ulster in tomorrow’s Magners League clash at Cardiff City Stadium (3.45pm).

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 A 34 Heriot’s 7

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).

Ospreys 26 Cardiff Blues 0

OSPREYS coach Scott Johnson is keen for his side to get into a positive frame of mind ahead of a month that will shape their season.

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

THERE was a time when Munster was the last place a promising young back-row forward would have looked when it came to forging a career as a professional rugby player.

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.

IN-FORM Bulls’ centre Wynand Olivier will be back to give the Waikato Chiefs an even harder time in the New Zealanders’ first Super 14 final in Pretoria tomorrow (Sky Sports Xtra, 4pm)

LEINSTER coach Michael Cheika admitted his team still has a way to go before it can successfully compete on two fronts after their Magners League campaign ended with defeat at Newport Gwent Dragons.

MUNSTER failed to shrug offtheir Heineken Cup hangoverafter crashing to defeat at Cardiff Blues.

Ulster 9 Cardiff 11

PINT-SIZED scrum-half Paul Marshall will relish the opportunity to shine when Ulster finish their home Magners League programme against the Cardiff Blues tonight (7.30).