Nov 29,2024
While Ireland are taking on Australia in the final game of the Autumn Nations Series, the BKT United Rugby Championship returns for round seven.
Leinster lead the way with six wins from six, and they take on Ulster, who won both of last season's league meetings before Leo Cullen's side won their quarter-final clash.
Connacht, fifth in the standings, welcome the Bulls to Galway on Saturday, while Munster, who are still on the look-out for a head coach, host the Lions in Limerick.
Find out all you need to know here.
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We'll have live updates, live scoring, reports and reaction from all three games on rte.ie/sport.
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WEATHER
Belfast is set for light rain showers on Friday evening with a moderate breeze from the south in temperatures of about 12C.
There will be a moderate breeze in Galway and Limerick and a good chance of rain during the Saturday games in the west of Ireland with temperature around 13C.
Ulster are back in action having had to stew over an agonising 21-19 defeat to Cardiff in round six after they blew a 19-0 lead.
Richie Murphy's side have won their last four home games against Irish provinces but take on a Leinster team who have won all games this season, only once failing to pick up a bonus point.
Number 8 Nick Timoney returns from Ireland camp to start for the hosts but Iain Henderson, Tom O'Toole, Stuart McCloskey and Cormac Izuchukwu all still on national duty.
Jimmy O'Brien, Jordan Larmour and John McKee have all recovered from injury to take their respective places in the starting Leinster side.
Leo Cullen's men have won on three of their last six visits to Kingspan Stadium, while Ulster boast a eight-game winning run in Belfast going back to a defeat to Edinburgh in December 2023.
Ulster: Stewart Moore; Werner Kok, Ben Carson, Jude Postlethwaite, Michael Lowry; Aidan Morgan, Nathan Doak; Eric O'Sullivan, James McCormick, Scott Wilson; Alan O'Connor (capt), Kieran Treadwell; James McNabney, Nick Timoney, David McCann
Replacements: Tom Stewart, Andrew Warwick, Corrie Barrett, Harry Sheridan, Marcus Rea, John Cooney, James Humphreys, Ben Moxham
Leinster: Jimmy O'Brien; Jordan Larmour, Liam Turner, Charlie Tector, Andrew Osborne; Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath; Jack Boyle, John McKee, Rabah Slimani; Diarmuid Mangan, Brian Deeny; Max Deegan, Will Connors, Jack Conan (capt)
Replacements: Lee Barron, Michael Milne, Rory McGuire, RG Snyman, James Culhane, Fintan Gunne, Harry Byrne, Scott Penny
Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU, 23rd game)
Fifth-place Connacht welcome third in the table Bulls to Galway on Saturday afternoon looking to build on a relatively positive opening block.
While they lost all three derbies they impressed in wins over Sharks, Scarlets and Dragons and have picked up six bonus points.
Their home record against South African opponents in the URC is won ten, lost two.
The Bulls only defeat in the URC this season was by a solitary point on their trip to Scarlets in Round 5.
The visitors have won only once in seven previous visits to Irish provinces: 27-26 over Leinster at the RDS Arena in the 2022 semi-final.
This will be the third meeting of the teams with the home side winning on each occasion.
Teams: Midday
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU, 87th game)
Munster, still looking for a head coach following last month's departure of Graham Rowntree, welcome the Lions to Limerick.
The hosts have lost their last three United Rugby Championship matches since beating Ospreys in Cork in Round 3; they have not lost four in succession in the same season since 2003/04.
The visitors' winning start to the season ended with their defeat to Leinster at Aviva Stadium in Round 6. and the Lions only previous victory on a visit to an Irish province was 38-14 over Connacht in Galway in March.
This is the Lions first visit to Thomond Park as their 3-33 defeat in January 2023 was played in Cork.
Teams: Midday
Referee: Adam Jones (WRU, 40th game)
Elsewhere, Glasgow host Scarlets in the other Friday night game, while Saturday's action kicks off with a South African derby between Sharks and Stormers.
Cardiff welcome the Dragons, Benetton are in Edinburgh, and Zebre take on Ospreys later on Saturday.
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