It's the final leg of the pool stage sprint, and by Sunday evening we'll know how the road to Cardiff looks in the Investec Champions and Challenge Cups.
All four provinces have something to play for heading into this final round of games. Leinster are looking to lock in a high seed and home advantage for as long as they stay in the competition, while Munster know a win away in Northampton will see them play at Thomond Park in the next round.
Ulster's hopes of advancing to the Round of 16 are hanging by a thread, but a win will at the very least see them go down the trapdoor into the next round of the Challenge Cup, while Connacht can claim the top seed for that competition on Friday night.
For a detailed breakdown of what your province needs this weekend, have a look at our permutations guide which we put together earlier in the week, while you can find out all you need to know about the weekend's games right here here.
ONLINE
We'll have live updates, live scoring, reports and reaction from all games on rte.ie/sport.
TV
You can watch live coverage of Leinster v Bath (Saturday 5.30pm) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Ulster v Exeter Chiefs (Friday 8pm) and Northampton Saints v Munster (Saturday 3.15pm) are live on Premier Sports. The Challenge Cup meeting of Cardiff and Connacht (Friday 8pm) is also on Premier Sports.
RADIO
There will be live commentary of Leinster v Bath on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.
WEATHER
It's forecast to be a perfect evening for rugby in Belfast on Friday, with no rain expected, moderate winds and temperatures of 9C for the 8pm kick-off.
Connacht should also get a dry track to work with over in Cardiff, but it's forecast to be a colder evening in Wales, with temperatures dropping to 3C during the game.
On Saturday, Munster will be dealing with similarly cold temperatures in Northampton, around 3C, while it's forecast to be a misty afternoon in the English east midlands.
Back in Dublin, it will be a dry, mild evening at the Aviva where Leinster host Bath, with temperatures as high as 9C.
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Even allowing for the fact that they are in the toughest pool of the lot, this has been a dismal Champions Cup campaign for Ulster.
And yet, there is a real possibility that that could sneak into the Round of 16.
Richie Murphy's side need a bonus-point win on Friday night to stand any chance, while they would also require the Sharks to lose heavily away to Bordeaux on Sunday. A win of any kind will at least see Ulster go into the Challenge Cup knockouts.
Like Ulster, Friday's opponents Exeter have lost three games out of three, and sit below the province on points difference.
Rob Baxter's side have fallen from grace in the last year, and are second from bottom in the Premiership with just one win from 10 games.
Ulster will look to take on the Chiefs at the lineout - they have the lowest return on their own throw, winning just 64% of their lineouts this season, the lowest in the competition.
Ulster: Stewart Moore; Werner Kok, Ben Carson, Jude Postlethwaite, Mike Lowry; Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak; Eric O'Sullivan, Rob Herring, Scott Wilson; Iain Henderson (capt), Cormac Izuchukwu; James McNabney, Nick Timoney, David McCann.
Replacements: Tom Stewart, Callum Reid, Corrie Barrett, Kieran Treadwell, Harry Sheridan, John Cooney, Jake Flannery, Rob Lyttle
Exeter Chiefs: Harvey Skinner; Ben Hammersley, Joe Hawkins, Will Rigg, Paul Brown-Bampoe; Will Haydon-Wood, Niall Armstrong; Will Goodrick-Clarke, Jack Innard (capt), Josh Iosefa-Scott; Rus Tuima, Christ Tshiunza; Martin Moloney, Richard Capstick, Ross Vintcent
Replacements: Max Norey, Kwenzo Blose, Jimmy Roots, Jack Dunne, Lewis Pearson, Joe Bailey, Tom Cairns, Zack Wimbush
Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
For the fifth time in just over two years, and the 11th time in total, Northampton Saints and Munster go head to head on Saturday afternoon, where a home Round of 16 game (and maybe even a home quarter-final) is the prize on offer.
The Premiership champions are guaranteed to be in the last 16, and while Munster's passage isn't yet confirmed, it would take a very specific set of results for them to miss out.
Northampton won both games between the sides last season, including their Round of 16 meeting at Franklin's Gardens last April, but Munster did win both home and away to the Saints in 2022/23.
On paper, the sides are evenly matched - those four recent meetings have been decided by an average of seven points.
The fight for the gainline could be fascinating, with Northampton having the third highest rate of gainline success with their carries (49.7%0, while Munster's 7.2% rate of dominant tackles is the second best in the competition.
In an added twist, former Saints director of rugby Chris Boyd is part of the Munster coaching setup, offering some insight to the opponents as a performance consultant.
Northampton Saints: James Ramm; Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall (capt), Rory Hutchinson, Tom Seabrook; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Tarek Haffar, Curtis Langdon, Trevor Davison; Alex Coles, Tom Lockett; Josh Kemeny, Tom Pearson, Juarno Augustus.
Replacements: Henry Walker, Tom West, Luke Green, Callum Hunter-Hill, Angus Scott-Young, Henry Pollock, Tom James, Tom Litchfield
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Jack Crowley, Conor Murray; Dian Bleuler, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager; Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Peter O'Mahony, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Stephen Archer, Tom Ahern, Jack O'Donoghue, Paddy Patterson, Tony Butler, Brian Gleeson.
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)
With three wins from three Leinster are already qualified for the next round, but Leo Cullen's side will have their sights firmly set on picking up a bonus-point win which leave them very likely to finish as one of the top two seeds.
Despite losing their first two fixtures in the pool, Bath responded with a big 40-21 win against Clermont last week, and they know even a losing bonus-point would give them a great chance of sneaking into the next round.
Saturday's game will see former Johann van Graan return to Ireland for a competitive game since he departed Munster in 2022. The South African took over Bath after they finished bottom of the table, and has transformed the club, bringing them to a Premiership final last season, and leading the league through 10 games in the current campaign.
If Bath are to unlock the Leinster defence, Finn Russell will be the key. In 12 games in all competitions this season, the province have been exceptionally stingy, conceding an average of just 12 points per game.
This will be a 14th meeting of the sides in the Champions Cup, with only Leicester Tigers and Toulouse having played Leinster more in this competition. In 13 previous meetings, Leinster have won 11.
Aside from the walkover they were forced to concede to Montpellier in 2021, Leinster are also on a 25-game winning streak in the pool stage, dating back to October 2018.
Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jordie Barrett, Jamie Osborne; Sam Prendergast, Jamison-Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Rabah Slimani; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt)
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, RG Snyman, Caelan Doris. Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Jimmy O'Brien
Bath: Tom de Glanville; Joe Cokanasiga, Ollie Lawrence, Max Ojomoh, Ruaridh McConnochie; Finn Russell, Ben Spencer; Beno Obano, Niall Annett, Will Stuart; Quinn Roux, Ross Molony; Ted Hill, Miles Reid, Alfie Barbeary.
Replacements: Tom Dunn, Francois van Wyk, Thomas du Toit, Charlie Ewels, Josh Bayliss, Louis Schreuder, Orlando Bailey, Jaco Coetzee.
Referee: Luc Ramos (FFR)
With three bonus-point wins from three Connacht have already secured top spot in Pool 1 of the Challenge Cup with a game to spare, but a win on Friday against Cardiff will give the province home advantage all the way through to a potential semi-final, should they get there.
The Welsh side's defeat to Perpignan last weekend means they might need something from the game if their Challenge Cup campaign is to continue into the spring, although if they win they could be in the hunt for home advantage in the next round.
Connacht have won three of the last four meetings of the sides, although their record in Cardiff is more mixed.
While they did come out on top 16-12 at the Arm's Park last February in the URC, that ended a run of four consecutive defeats in the Welsh capital.
Cardiff: Jacob Beetham; Gabe Hamer-Webb, Rey Lee-Lo, Rory Jennings, Tom Bowen; Ben Thomas (capt), Ellis Bevan; Rhys Barratt, Evan Lloyd, Keiron Assiratti; Josh McNally, Teddy Williams; Alex Mann, Thomas Young, Alun Lawrence
Replacements: Efan Daniel, Danny Southworth, Rhys Litterick, Rory Thornton, Seb Davies, Johan Mulder, Callum Sheedy, Cam Winnett
Connacht: Santiago Cordero; Chay Mullins, Piers O'Conor, Bundee Aki, Byron Ralston; Josh Ioane, Ben Murphy; Peter Dooley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Josh Murphy, Joe Joyce; Cian Prendergast (c), Conor Oliver, Paul Boyle.
Replacements: Eoin de Buitléar, Jordan Duggan, Jack Aungier, David O'Connor, Sean Jansen, Matthew Devine, JJ Hanrahan, David Hawkshaw.
Referee: Morne Ferreira (SARU)
Elsewhere in Ulster's Pool 1, leaders Bordeaux-Begles can lock in the top seed with a bonus-point win against the Sharks, while Toulouse host Leicester Tigers, with both of those games on Sunday .
Leinster's Pool 2 rivals La Rochelle kick off away to Benetton at 5.30pm on Saturday, while earlier that afternoon Clermont Auvergne host Bristol Bears.
In Pool 3, Munster supporters will be keeping a keen eye on Pretoria, where the Bulls take on Stade Francais at 1pm on Saturday, while Saracens entertain Castres on Sunday
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