After three weeks off, the BKT United Rugby Championship returns this weekend as we head into a busy middle-third of the season for the provinces.
Ten games in as many weeks, six of those in the URC, with some big European and interprovincial games to navigate along the way, including the Christmas and New Year derbies.
First up on Friday night is Ulster, who were impressive in winning five of their first six games in the opening block.
Dan McFarland's side lie second in the table, eight points back from Leinster with a game in hand after their meeting with the Sharks in Durban had to be postponed due to a bug in the tourists' camp.
They'll be heavy favourites to pick up where they left off in October when they welcome bottom side Zebre Parma to Kingspan Stadium.
Leaders Leinster are in action on Saturday afternoon, looking to maintain their 100% record against a Glasgow side that have been up and down in their six games, winning three and losing three.
The big game of the weekend is at Thomond Park on Saturday night when Connacht travel to Munster, who are out for revenge after their 20-11 defeat in October's meeting at the Sportsground.
TV
Leinster v Glasgow Warriors (Saturday, 3.15pm) is live on RTÉ1 and RTÉ Player, while Munster v Connacht (Saturday, 7.35pm) is available to watch on TG4.
RADIO
RTÉ Radio 1 will have live commentary of Leinster v Glasgow at the RDS, while you can also hear commentary of Munster v Connacht on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra.
ONLINE
RTE.ie/sport will have live scoring across the weekend with match reports and reaction from the grounds. All games are live on URC TV.
WEATHER
Conditions look ideal for Ulster v Zebre Parma on Friday night, with temperatures of around 8C and no rain forecast in Belfast. Leinster and Glasgow will likely have to deal with some showery conditions in Dublin on Saturday afternoon, but temperatures are expected to be around 12C. It should be slightly better in Limerick for Munster v Connacht on Saturday night, with the rain likely to clear before kick-off.
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Even without Stuart McCloskey, Rob Baloucoune, John Cooney, Rob Herring, Kieran Treadwell, Nick Timoney and Tom O'Toole, Ulster will be expected to keep up their good form when they resume URC duties on Friday.
Zebre are winless in their opening seven games, and even the early-season attacking flair that caused Leinster and the Sharks problems deserted them as the first block of games progressed.
A look at the Ulster team shows the depth Dan McFarland has built, with their backline in particular loaded with young, exciting, skillful talent.
While Ulster have been beaten at home this season, going down narrowly to Leinster in Round 3, you have to go back as far as February 2018 for the last time a non-Irish team came to Belfast and returned home with a win.
Ulster have lost just twice to Italian opponents since 2011, both away to Zebre in 2014 and 2017, and have beaten the Parma side in each of their last five meetings.
Ulster: Stewart Moore; Ethan McIlroy, James Hume, Luke Marshall, Jacob Stockdale; Jake Flannery, Nathan Doak; Callum Reid, Tom Stewart, Marty Moore; Cormac Izuchukwu, Sam Carter; Matty Rea, Marcus Rea, Duane Vermeulen (capt)
Replacements: John Andrew, Andy Warwick, Jeff Toomaga-Allen, Iain Henderson, David McCann, Michael McDonald, Angus Curtis, Ben Moxham
Zebre Parma: Lorenzo Pani; Jacopo Trulla, Richard Kriel, Enrico Lucchin (capt), Simone Gesi; Geronimo Prisciantelli Chris Cook; Juan Pitinari, Jacques Du Toit, Matteo Nocera; Jan Uys, Andrea Zambonin; Guido Volpi, Giacomo Ferrari, Matt Kvesic
Replacements: Marco Manfredi, Daniele Rimpelli, Riccardo Genovese, Leonard Krumov, Iacopo Bianchi, Ratko Jelic, Joey Caputo, Erich Cronjé
Referee: AJ Jacobs (SARU)
We can only hope Glasgow will be better than their last visit to the RDS.
When they Warriors came to Dublin in early June for a URC quarter-final, there was a sneaking suspicion they could have caught Leinster on the hop, after the province had been beaten in the Champions Cup final by La Rochelle just seven days earlier.
However, the Scottish side were humiliated that afternoon, their 76-14 defeat to Leinster eventually costing head coach Danny Wilson his job, with Franco Smith taking over in the summer.
Under Smith, they've been consistently inconsistent so far, their form line reading LWLWLW, the three wins coming at Scotstoun, the three defeats being away from home.
Leinster, meanwhile, have been typically predictable, with seven wins from seven seeing them open up a comfortable lead after the first block of games.
The Warriors have not won away from home in the URC since a visit to Connacht on 29 January, while their record against Irish provinces last season was won two, lost three.
Leinster have lost just one of their last eight encounters with Glasgow, and they've only ever been beaten twice by the Warriors at the RDS Arena, in September 2011 and April 2019.
Leinster: Jamie Osborne; Rob Russell, Liam Turner, Charlie Ngatai, Dave Kearney; Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath; Ed Byrne, Rónan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson; Ross Molony, Joe McCarthy; Rhys Ruddock (capt), Scott Penny, Max Deegan
Replacements: John McKee, Michael Milne, Vakh Abdaladze, Jason Jenkins, Ryan Baird, Cormac Foley, Harry Byrne, Chris Cosgrave
Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay; Sebastian Cancelliere, Kyle Steyn (capt), Stafford McDowall, Rufus McLean; Tom Jordan, George Horne; Oli Kebble, Fraser Brown, Murphy Walker; Sintu Manjezi, Alex Samuel; Gregor Brown, Sione Vailanu, Jack Dempsey
Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Jamie Bhatti, Simon Berghan, JP du Preez, Lewis Bean, Euan Ferrie, Jamie Dobie, Ross Thompson
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
It's only seven weeks since these sides last met. On that occasion, the western province were 20-11 winners, a scoreline that flattered Munster.
Since then both sides have made improvements. That win was a first of the season for Connacht, sparking a run of three victories in four games.
And while Munster would only go on to win one of their next three URC games before the break, they seem to be playing better rugby in that period, while they followed it up with a morale-boosting win against a South African Select XV at Páirc Uí Chaoimh during the international break.
Graham Rowntree's side also appear to be getting bodies back on the pitch after an injury crisis earlier in the season.
While Munster came out on top when the sides last met at Thomond Park in October 2021, it's their only win in this fixture in the last four meetings of the sides, while they've also lost their last five Interprovincial derbies.
Connacht have won only two of their last nine clashes with fellow Irish provinces and both were against Munster in Galway on New Year's Day and in early October.
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Rory Scannell, Shane Daly; Joey Carbery, Craig Casey; Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Barron, Roman Salanoa; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O'Mahony (capt), John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen
Replacements: Niall Scannell, Jeremy Loughman, John Ryan, Edwin Edogbo, Jack O’Donoghue, Paddy Patterson, Jack Crowley, Gavin Coombes
Connacht: John Porch; Ryron Ralston, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki, Alex Wooton; Jack Carty (capt), Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Josh Murphy, Gavin Thornbury; Cian Prendergast, Conor Olvier, Jarrad Butler
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Peter Dooley, Jack Aungier, Niall Murphy, Oisín Dowling, Kieran Marmion, Conor Fitzgerald, Paul Boyle
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
FULL URC FIXTURES, RESULTS AND TABLE
Elsewhere there are two big Test matches this weekend, with some countries adding extra fixtures outside of the designated window.
Wales host Australia in Cardiff at 3.15pm, in a meeting of two sides in desperate need of a win, before attention turns to Twickenham at 5.30pm where England host South Africa in a repeat of the 2019 World Cup final.
