European rugby is on the horizon but first there is a crucial round of matches for the Irish provinces in the BKT United Rugby Championship.
There is plenty to play for at both ends of the table as Leinster and Ulster look to pull clear at the summit while Connacht and Munster attempt to keep their play-off hopes alive.
Six days after a morale-boosting win over Connacht, Munster travel to Edinburgh seeking their first away success of the season.
Edinburgh crashed to a surprise loss away to Benetton last weekend, despite having a numerical advantage for over 70 minutes, but they are a much tougher nut to crack on home soil.
Saturday sees Connacht host Benetton in front of the RTÉ camera and nothing less than a victory will do for Andy Friend's men after five losses in eight games.
The big game of the weekend takes place at the RDS as leaders Leinster face second-placed Ulster, who were victorious on their last visit to Dublin in November 2021.
TV
Edinburgh v Munster (Friday, 7.35pm) is live on TG4 and Premier Sports 1, with Connacht v Benetton live on RTÉ1 and RTÉ Player from 2.45pm on Saturday.
Leinster v Ulster (Saturday, 7.35pm) is live on TG4 and Premier Sports 1.
RADIO
RTÉ Radio 1 will have live commentary of Leinster v Ulster from 7.30pm on Saturday.
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 Munster’s trip to Edinburgh, where a dry evening with temperatures of around 8C is forecast. Similar conditions are expected for Saturday in both Galway and Dublin, with sunshine expected for Connacht’s meeting with Benetton.
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
It will be an emotional evening at DAM Health Stadium, which hosts the first professional match in Scotland since Doddie Weir lost his battle against motor neurone disease.
Supporters have been encouraged to wear tartan garments while a moment’s applause be held in the former Scotland international’s memory before kick-off.
"As a squad, we’ve spoken a lot about Doddie this week and what he stood for," said Edinburgh coach Mike Blair.
"It’s brilliant we’re able to pay tribute to a real icon of Scottish rugby and it will be an emotional moment as we celebrate his life pre-match."
Bernard Jackman told Against The Head that Antoine Frisch could make a bigger impact at Munster than international centres Malakai Fekitoa and Damian de Allende
Seven Scotland internationals return to Edinburgh’s starting line-up after being rested for last weekend’s defeat at Benetton, which brought their three-match winning run to a shuddering halt.
Munster prop John Ryan makes his 200th appearance for his home province while Simon Zebo starts on the wing as Graham Rowntree makes five changes to the team that started their win over Connacht.
Munster have not won back-to-back URC matches since April but they have lost just one of their last six league games against Edinburgh, an 18-16 reverse in Cork in November 2019.
Edinburgh: Wes Goosen; Darcy Graham, Mark Bennett, Chris Dean, Duhan van der Merwe; Blair Kinghorn, Ben Vellacott; Pierre Schoeman, Paddy Harrison, Luan de Bruin; Jamie Hodgson, Grant Gilchrist (co-capt); Jamie Ritchie (co-capt), Luke Crosbie, Viliame Mata.
Replacements: Tom Cruse, Boan Venter, WP Nel, Marshall Sykes, Nick Haining, Charlie Shiel, Jaco van der Walt, James Lang.
Munster: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Rory Scannell, Simon Zebo; Joey Carbery, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony (capt), John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, Roman Salanoa, Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen, Paddy Patterson, Jack Crowley, Patrick Campbell.
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (FFR).
Connacht headed into the international break on the back of successive wins but they were brought crashing down to earth at Thomond Park last weekend as their problems in attack resurfaced.
The Westerners’ attack is the worst in the URC. They are the lowest scorers with 134 points, which is an average of less than 17 per game, while only Munster have scored fewer than their 18 tries.
"We always associated Connacht as being this free-playing, free-spirited attacking side, and it has changed."
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) November 29, 2022
Murray Kinsella analyses Connacht's struggles in attack against Munster. #RTERugby #AgainstTheHead pic.twitter.com/fUtszpWxN5
"We’re tough to beat in terms of the resistance we put up to opposition, our set-piece is functioning well and we’re creating opportunities, but we’ve got to be more accurate and more effective in finishing off those opportunities and turning them into points," said Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins.
With five defeats from eight games and another two interpros looming after their Challenge Cup fixtures, victory is a must for Connacht if they are to retain any hope of finishing in the top eight.
Benetton have made a promising start to the season, winning four of their five home matches, but their record on the road is rotten. In three away games this season they have shipped 95 points, while they have won just once in 10 previous visits to the Sportsground.
Connacht: John Porch; Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen; Jack Carty (capt), Kieran Marmion; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Oisín Dowling, Niall Murray; Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Paul Boyle.
Replacements: Dylan Tierney-Martin, Peter Dooley, Jack Aungier, Gavin Thornbury, Jarrad Butler, Caolin Blade, Tom Daly, Tiernan O'Halloran.
Benetton: Rhyno Smith; Marcus Watson, Tommaso Menoncello, Marco Zanon, Edoardo Padovani; Jacob Umaga, Dewaldt Devenage (capt); Ivan Nemer, Giacomo Nicotera, Filippo Alongi; Niccolo Cannone, Scott Scrafton; Manuel Zuliani, Michele Lamaro, Giovanni Pettinelli
Replacements: Lapo Frangini, Thomas Gallo, Nahuel Tetaz, Marco Lazzaroni, Alessandro Izekor, Alessandro Garbisi, Jaoquin Riero, Ignacio Mendy
Referee: Marius van der Westhuisen (SARU).
The two pacesetters in the URC collide at the RDS in what is the perfect appetiser ahead of the opening round of the Heineken Champions Cup.
Leinster have won all eight games this season, six with try bonus points, and arguably the toughest of those victories came at Kingspan Stadium in round three, where they withstood a second-half fightback by their hosts to claim a 20-13 success in torrential conditions.
Ulster responded impressively to that setback, embarking on a four-game winning streak, and the last time they won five on the bounce was in March 2021.
"It's a great opportunity for Ulster to lay down a marker."
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) November 29, 2022
Bernard Jackman and Murray Kinsella look ahead to Saturday’s top of the table clash between Leinster and Ulster. #RTERugby #AgainstTheHead #URC pic.twitter.com/fOFgjgWJFu
Dan McFarland’s side did the double over Leinster last season - it is little over 12 months since they claimed a 10-point win at the RDS, James Hume scoring a late interception try.
Starting strong has been a regular feature for Leinster and Ulster this campaign. They have both scored seven tries inside the opening 10 minutes of matches.
Leinster have scored 15 tries on first phase, more than any other team, while 22 of their 37 tries have come from lineouts.
Ulster, meanwhile, have made 212 maul metres, more than any other team. They have also dominated possession, making a league-high average of 128 carries per game.
Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose (capt), Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Ross Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Cian Healy, Rónan Kelleher, Michael Ala'alatoa; James Ryan, Jason Jenkins; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong, Ross Molony, Caelan Doris, Nick McCarthy, Charlie Tector, Liam Turner.
Ulster: Michael Lowry; Ethan McIlroy, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Stewart Moore; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Andy Warwick, Tom Stewart, Marty Moore; Alan O'Connor, Kieran Treadwell; Iain Henderson (captain), Marcus Rea, Nick Timoney.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Callum Reid, Tom O’Toole, Sam Carter, Duane Vermeulen, Nathan Doak, Jacob Stockdale, Matty Rea.
Referee: Christopher Ridley (RFU).
Follow the BKT United Rugby Championship across RTÉ radio, TV, RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.
Watch Connacht v Benetton live on RTÉ1 and RTÉ Player from 2.45pm on Saturday, and listen to live commentary of Leinster v Ulster on RTÉ Radio 1 from 7.30pm.
