WHILE ALL THE focus may be on New Zealand at the moment, the Irish provinces are quietly going about the early stages of the Pro12 League. All four face Welsh opposition this weekend, with three of them on the road.
Cardiff Blues v Munster (Fri)
Munster lead the way with three wins from three, topping the table on 13 points. They face a stern test away to the Cardiff Blues tonight, and the Welsh side will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Ulster last weekend.
Kerryman Danny Barnes returns to the side while Wian du Preez replaces the injured Marcus Horan and Stephen Archer comes in for John Hayes.
Advertisement
Former Ireland schools and U20 prop John Ryan comes into the match day squad for the first time. The 23-year-old can play on both sides of the scrum and is one for the future.
Scarlets v Leinster (Sat)
Leinster also have a difficult away trip in store as they face the Scarlets on Saturday evening. The two sides are level on points in the league and will both be chasing a second win of the season.
Nathan White and Jordi Murphy will make their first starts for the province while Damian Browne will pack down alongside Devon Toner in the second row. The backline remains unchanged as Leinster look to build some momentum after a poor start to the domestic campaign.
Ospreys v Ulster (Sun)
Ulster’s impressive start to the season continued last week with a 20-3 demolition of the Blues at Ravenhill, and they make just one change to their side for their game away to the Ospreys on Sunday.
Luke Marshall comes in to the centre to replace the injured Darren Cave, forming a familiar midfield partnership with Nevin Spence. With both sides locked on 12 points just behind Munster, this promises to be a big challenge for Brian McLaughlin’s men.
Connacht v Dragons (Fri)
Finally, Connacht will be looking to build on their solid start to the season when they face the Dragons at The Sportsground this evening. After taking maximum points against Edinburgh last week, Eric Elwood makes five changes to his starting 15.
Ray Ofisa replaces the injured George Naopu at number 8 while second row Dave Gannon will make his first start since returning to the province.
Pro12 Preview: Provinces name sides for this weekend's clashes
WHILE ALL THE focus may be on New Zealand at the moment, the Irish provinces are quietly going about the early stages of the Pro12 League. All four face Welsh opposition this weekend, with three of them on the road.
Cardiff Blues v Munster (Fri)
Munster lead the way with three wins from three, topping the table on 13 points. They face a stern test away to the Cardiff Blues tonight, and the Welsh side will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Ulster last weekend.
Kerryman Danny Barnes returns to the side while Wian du Preez replaces the injured Marcus Horan and Stephen Archer comes in for John Hayes.
Former Ireland schools and U20 prop John Ryan comes into the match day squad for the first time. The 23-year-old can play on both sides of the scrum and is one for the future.
Scarlets v Leinster (Sat)
Leinster also have a difficult away trip in store as they face the Scarlets on Saturday evening. The two sides are level on points in the league and will both be chasing a second win of the season.
Nathan White and Jordi Murphy will make their first starts for the province while Damian Browne will pack down alongside Devon Toner in the second row. The backline remains unchanged as Leinster look to build some momentum after a poor start to the domestic campaign.
Ospreys v Ulster (Sun)
Ulster’s impressive start to the season continued last week with a 20-3 demolition of the Blues at Ravenhill, and they make just one change to their side for their game away to the Ospreys on Sunday.
Luke Marshall comes in to the centre to replace the injured Darren Cave, forming a familiar midfield partnership with Nevin Spence. With both sides locked on 12 points just behind Munster, this promises to be a big challenge for Brian McLaughlin’s men.
Connacht v Dragons (Fri)
Finally, Connacht will be looking to build on their solid start to the season when they face the Dragons at The Sportsground this evening. After taking maximum points against Edinburgh last week, Eric Elwood makes five changes to his starting 15.
Ray Ofisa replaces the injured George Naopu at number 8 while second row Dave Gannon will make his first start since returning to the province.
In the saddle: tough climbs and tall tales lead the way to Knight’s Point
Ashton defends swallow dive; mocks James Haskell
Kidney dismisses ‘scandalous’ fake injury accusations
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Guinness PRO12 Connacht Irish Rugby Leinster Munster Ulster Weekend Warriors