The novel derby clash of Connacht and Munster at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar is the standout fixture in round 14 of the BKT United Rugby Championship.
That game kicks off at 2.30pm on Saturday.
Ulster are the first of the Irish sides in action when they host the Stormers in Belfast this evening.
League leaders Leinster complete their South African trip with a clash against the Sharks late on Saturday afternoon.
Find out all you need to know here.
TV
Connacht v Munster (Saturday, 2.30pm) is live on TG4 and Premier Sports, Sharks v Leinster (Saturday, 5.15pm) is on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
Ulster v Stormers (Friday, 7.35pm) is on TG4 and Premier Sports, while all games are shown live on URC.tv.
ONLINE
We'll have live scores updates, reports and reaction from from all games.
RADIO
Connacht v Munster is live on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.
WEATHER
Clouds are set to clear in Belfast around kick-off with a moderate breeze expected in around 6C.
Light rain is forecast ahead of the Irish derby in Castlebar but that should move on before the game starts. Temperatures around 12C.
In Durban, the forecast is for sun and light winds. Temperatures are set to be around 26C but with a real feel of 34C.
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Ulster come into this fixture on the back of one-score wins over Scarlets and Dragons in the last two rounds, results which saw Richie Murphy's side move up to ninth.
John Dobson's men sit just a point ahead in the table after consecutive victories over Bulls and Scarlets.
Ulster have a perfect 'played ten, won ten' record against South African opponents in Belfast in the URC.
Stormers' only previous victory away at an Irish province was when they beat Connacht 16-12 in
Galway in May 2024.
The teams have met on four previous occasions, with Stormers' only defeat being 5-35 at
Kingspan Stadium in January 2023.
Ulster welcome back Ireland wing Rob Baloucoune, who has been injured since April.
Ulster: Michael Lowry; Rob Baloucoune, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Jack Murphy, John Cooney; Andrew Warwick, Rob Herring, Tom O'Toole; Alan O’Connor (capt), Kieran Treadwell; Matty Rea, Nick Timoney, David McCann.
Replacements: Tom Stewart, Callum Reid, Scott Wilson, Harry Sheridan, James McNabney, Nathan Doak, Ben Carson, Zac Ward.
DHL Stormers: Damian Willemse; Ben Loader, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas; Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Dewaldt Duvenage; Ali Vermaak, Joseph Dweba, Neethling Fouche (capt); Connor Evans, Ruben van Heerden; Dave Ewers, Marcel Theunissen, Evan Roos.
Replacements: Andre-Hugo Venter, Brok Harris, Sazi Sandi, Gary Porter, Willie Engelbrecht, Paul de Wet, Jurie Matthee, Wandisile Simelane.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
Munster assistant coach Mossy Lawler says the prospect of playing Connacht at MacHale Park on Saturday is "hugely exciting" #URC pic.twitter.com/5cWlgys5mF
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 27, 2025
Mayo GAA's MacHale Park becomes the 56th different venue to host a United Rugby Championship
fixture as Connacht welcome Munster on Saturday afternoon. It's a full house of over 25,000.
The hosts are in 12th place after picking up two bonus points in last weekend's loss at Ospreys, while Munster arrive on the back of defeats to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Connacht, with head coach Pete Wilkins on sick leave, have lost their last seven fixtures against fellow Irish provinces since beating Munster in Galway on New Year's Day 2023.
Ian Costello's side have won twice away from home this season, at Ulster in December and at Dragons in January.
The last seven meetings between the two provinces have been won by the home team on the day while Munster’s most recent success on Connacht soil was at the Sportsground in January 2021.
Bundee Aki, Finlay Bealham, Mack Hansen and Cian Prendergast all return from international duty to Connacht's starting XV, while Munster captain Tadhg Beirne, Calvin Nash, Jack Crowley and Conor Murray are also back.
Connacht: Mack Hansen; Chay Mullins, Hugh Gavin, Bundee Aki, Finn Treacy; Josh Ioane, Caolin Blade; Jordan Duggan, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Joe Joyce, Darragh Murray; Cian Prendergast (capt), Shamus Hurley-Langton, Sean Jansen.
Replacements: Dylan Tierney-Martin, Denis Buckley, Jack Aungier, Josh Murphy, Paul Boyle, Matthew Devine, JJ Hanrahan, Santiago Cordero.
Munster: Ben O'Connor; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Seán O’Brien; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager; Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Tom Ahern, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Niall Scannell, Josh Wycherley, Stephen Archer, Jean Kleyn, Ruadhán Quinn, Conor Murray, Rory Scannell, Alex Kendellen.
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)
Table-toppers Leinster lost their 16-game winning streak after last weekend's late 21-20 defeat to Bulls but still hold a nine-point lead over Glasgow at the top of the table.
Today's hosts sit in fourth, thanks to a 35-34 win over Zebre in round 13.
Leo Cullen's side have won only once in South Africa since 2019, 39-36 against Lions at Emirates Airlines Park in April 2023.
John Plumtree's Sharks have won all six home games they have played at Kings Park this season in the URC and their last two fixtures at home to Irish provinces.
The sides have met on four previous occasions with the Sharks' only victory being 28-23 in Durban in April 2022.
Fintan Gunne is set for his first Leinster start while Alan Spicer will make his debut if he is introduced off the bench
Hollywoodbets Sharks: Yaw Penxe; Ethan Hooker, Jurenzo Julius, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi; Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse; Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch; Jason Jenkins, Emile van Heerden; James Venter, Vincent Tshituka, Siya Kolisi (capt).
Replacements: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Ruan Dreyer, Corne' Rahl, Manu Tshituka, Bradley Davids, Siya Masuku, Francois Venter.
Leinster: Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Liam Turner, Charlie Tector, Andrew Osborne; Ciarán Frawley, Fintan Gunne; Cian Healy, John McKee, Thomas Clarkson; Diarmuid Mangan, Alan Spicer; Alex Soroka, Will Connors, Max Deegan (capt).
Replacements: Lee Barron, Michael Milne, Rory McGuire, Alan Spicer, Scott Penny, Oliver Coffey, Ross Byrne, Henry McErlean.
Referee: Ben Breakspear (WRU)
