Although matches against Ulster in recent seasons evoke positive memories for Leinster, defeat this weekend could deepen the sense of crisis ahead of a significant month that will also decide the province’s fate in the Champions Cup.

Guinness Pro12

Ulster 24 Scarlets 9

GUINNESS PRO12:

Ulster 23 Newport Gwent Dragons 6

Leicester put indifferent domestic form behind them as they made a strong start to their European Rugby Champions Cup Group Three campaign by sinking Ulster at Welford Road.

RABO DIRECT PRO 12:

HEINEKEN CUP POOL 5:

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

The Boston Marathon blasts have revived painful memories of the 1998 Omagh bomb in the North, a Stormont Assembly member said.

RaboDirect PRO12: Ulster v Ospreys

Ulster 27 Leinster 19

Lock Neil McComb was the hero for Ulster as he raced over for a match-winning try three minutes from the end to give new coach Mark Anscombe a winning start.

Andrew Trimble and his Ireland buddies Rory Best and Stephen Ferris are champing at the bit to get a piece of RaboDirect Pro 12 action tonight when Italian minnows Aironi arrive at a bone-dry Ravenhill.

Dan Parks was the hero as Cardiff Blues continued their winning return to the Arms Park with a RaboDirect PRO12 victory over Ulster.

Ulster’s Nevin Spence hopes to avoid the blues when he runs-up against Gavin Henson in Cardiff’s traditional Arms Park home tonight.

BALLYNAHINCH’S Paddy McAllister gets a rare start when he lines out at loose-head as Ulster tackle Italian visitors Aironi in the first of important back-to-back Heineken Cup fixtures at Ravenhill this evening.

BALLYNAHINCH’S Paddy McAllister gets a rare start when he lines out at loose-head as Ulster tackle Italian visitors Aironi in the first of important back-to-back Heineken Cup fixtures at Ravenhill this evening.

AFTER seven defeats on the bounce, Connacht’s Pro12 fixture with Treviso at the Galway Sporstground tomorrow is a must-win for the home side.

EASY to forget now after their blazing finish to the season but there was a point early in the last campaign when Leinster were pinned on the ropes.

ULSTER’S latest signing arrived at Belfast airport yesterday with a confident pep in his step.

ULSTER face Aironi this afternoon confident of retaining their 100% record on Italian soil.

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.

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).

ULSTER temporarily moved second in the Magners League with a gritty but unconvincing victory over the Scarlets at Ravenhill.

LEINSTER coach Joe Schmidt can name three senior Irish internationals in the team to face Aironi at the RDS tonight despite having 13 players away on Six Nations duty and another two out injured.

ULSTER head coach Brian McLaughlin has warned his side must not lose focus ahead of their Pool Four showdown with Biarritz next month after their epic 26-22 Heineken Cup weekend victory at Bath.

ULSTER scored 15 points in a four-minute spell midway through the second half to end a run of seven straight defeats at the hands of Cardiff Blues.

ULSTER will be without all five of their international squad members for Friday night’s Magners League interpro with in-form Munster at Ravenhill.

Ulster’s unbeaten record in the Magners League came to an end at rain-soaked Murrayfield as David Blair’s drop goal put the seal on Edinburgh’s win.

Ian Humphreys will make his first competitive start of the season for Ulster in their Heineken Cup match with Aironi on Friday night at Ravenhill (kick off: 7:30pm).

MUNSTER will crank up their preparations for the new season with the introduction of several senior players for the friendly with Gloucester at Musgrave Park tomorrow (7pm).

IRELAND duo Stephen Ferris and Rory Best will have their first taste of action in over four months in Ulster’s pre-season friendly against English Premiership side Leeds at Ravenhill tomorrow night (7.30pm).

ISAAC BOSS returns to a 29-man Ulster squad for Saturday’s Magners League return clash with Cardiff Blues at Ravenhill.

XAVIER RUSH is keen to show his new employers that it will be money well spent when the Kiwi packs down for his 100th competitive game for the Blues when they take on Ulster in the Magners League at the Cardiff City Stadium tonight.

LEINSTER coach Michael Cheika has ordered Isa Nacewa to wrap himself up in cotton wool to ensure his availability for Heineken Cup action against Llanelli Scarlets on Saturday week.

PAUL O’CONNELL will captain Munster’s final away game of the season against the Cardiff Blues, in the Arms Park this Sunday at 4.35pm.

Paddy Wallace and Isaac Boss return as the two changes to the Ulster side looking to complete the double over The Scarlets in the Heineken Cup at Parc y Scarlets on Friday evening.

Ulster coach Matt Williams has brought back Carlo Del Fava, David Pollock, Timoci Nagusa and Cillian Willis into his side to take on Harlequins in the Heineken Cup at Twickenham Stoop on Saturday (3.30pm).

Ulster coach Matt Williams has made eight changes to the side that beat Llanelli for the trip to Munster in the Magner's League tomorrow.

DUP leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin chief negotiator Martin McGuinness strengthened their ministerial co-operation today by sending a joint letter of congratulations to Ireland’s World Cup cricket team.

ULSTER have signed Scotland wing Simon Danielli on a two-year contract.

ULSTER continue their search for the form that will take them to the knock-out stages of Europe after going down to a tense 21-15 defeat at Llanelli last night.