It's round three of the BKT United Rugby Championship and a return to action for all four provinces after Ulster and Connacht had their matches postponed last weekend.
Leinster fell to a second defeat against Bulls and will look to bounce back against Sharks, while Munster made it two in a row as they scraped past Cardiff.
They welcome Edinburgh to Cork on Friday evening.
Connacht make their way to Cardiff after missing out on a home game against Scarlets, while Ulster return from Edinburgh to host the Bulls.
Find out all you need to know here.
TV
Munster v Edinburgh (Friday, 7.45pm) and Cardiff v Connacht (Saturday, 7.45pm) are both live on TG4 and Premier Sports.
Leinster v Sharks (Saturday, 5.30pm), Ulster v Bulls (Saturday 7.45pm) and all other games are live on Premier Sports and URC.tv
RADIO
Live commentary of Leinster v Sharks on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.
ONLINE
We'll have live score updates, reports and reaction from across the league.
WEATHER
Calmer conditions prevail this weekend. It will be cloudy fo r Munster's game in Cork with temperatures around 12C.
It will be mainly clear for Leinster's first game at Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening with temperatures dipping to about 10C.
Belfast is set for partly cloudy conditions in similar temperatures, while it's a clear sky in Cardiff on Saturday evening, with a light wind expected and about 13C.
More t
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Wins over Scarlets and Cardiff have Munster in fine fettle as they start life under Clayton McMillan.
Impressive on their opening day in Llanelli, they struggled for periods in Limerick last weekend before digging out the victory when defeat would have been a massive deflation.
They face a stiff test against a well-rested Edinburgh outfit who handed Munster their only defeat since 2019 at Virgin Media Park just last February and have won three times at the venue.
The hosts have also lost their last three games against Scottish opposition, while the visitors are looking for their fourth win in row over Irish provinces.
There is a huge incentive for Munster to make it three on the bounce ahead of next weekend's derby against Leinster at Croke Park.
Edwin Edogbo makes his long-awaited return after a knee injury, while former Munster out-half Ben Healy starts for Edinburgh.
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Seán O'Brien, Andrew Smith; JJ Hanrahan, Paddy Patterson; Michael Milne, Diarmuid Barron (capt), Oli Jager; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Jack O'Donoghue, Ruadhán Quinn, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Lee Barron, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Edwin Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler, Dan Kelly.
Edinburgh: Wes Goosen; Darcy Graham, Piers O'Conor, James Lang, Duhan van der Merwe; Ben Healy, Ben Vellacott; Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman, D’arcy Rae; Marshall Sykes, Sam Skinner; Liam McConnell, Dylan Richardson, Magnus Bradbury (capt).
Replacements: Paddy Harrison, Boan Venter, Paul Hill, Glen Young, Freddy Douglas, Ben Muncaster, Charlie Shiel, Harry Paterson.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
Leinster are back home after a dispiriting tour to South Africa from which they earned just a solitary point from their double-header against Stormers and Bulls.
The 35-0 loss first up had little in the way of positives, while the 39-31 loss in Pretoria showed signs of improvement in attack but defensive fragilities remain.
Leo Cullen's men bring a strong home record to this fixture; they haven’t lost at home the URC since January 2024 against Ulster.
John Plumtree’s Sharks began their campaign with a loss to Glasgow and a draw with Dragons.
They’ll be boosted by the additions of some of their Springboks but have lost all of their last four meetings with Leinster, who have only been beaten at home by South African opposition once.
Leinster: Jamie Osborne, Jimmy O'Brien, Robbie Henshaw, Ciarán Frawley, James Lowe, Harry Byrne, Fintan Gunne, Paddy McCarthy, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong, Brian Deeny, Ryan Baird, Alex Soroka, Josh van der Flier (CAPT), Max Deegan
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Jack Boyle, Thomas Clarkson, Diarmuid Mangan, James Culhane, Luke McGrath, Hugh Cooney, Joshua Kenny
Sharks: Edwill van der Merwe, Ethan Hooker, Jurenzo Julius, Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, Jean Smith, Jaden Hendrikse, Simphiwe Matanzima, Fez Mbatha, Ruan Dreyer, Jason Jenkins, Marvin Orie, Phepsi Buthelezi, Emmanuel Tshituka, Vincent Tshituka (CAPT)
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Dian Bleuler, Vincent Koch, Bathobele Hlekani, Nick Hatton, Ross Braude, Siya Masuku, Francois Venter
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)
Connacht return to action after an unwanted and frustrating weekend off.
That the official confirmation of the postponement of their home clash against Scarlets came late on Friday night added to their annoyance.
Stuart Lancaster's side, who beat Benetton in round one, have a fantastic record against Welsh opposition with their loss to Ospreys last March their only defeat since October 2021.
They also beat Cardiff three times last season, in all competitions, including twice at the Arms Park.
The hosts started the league with a 33-20 win over the Lions and are looking to make it four victories in a row at the venue for the first time since 2022.
Corniel van Zyl’s side, for whom number 8 Alun Lawrence is the league’s top carrier with 36, ran Munster close in Thomond Park last weekend with winger Tom Bowen scoring a stunning hat-trick.
Cardiff Rugby: Cam Winnett, Jacob Beetham, Harri Millard, Steff Emanuel, Tom Bowen, Callum Sheedy, Johan Mulder, Danny Southworth, Liam Belcher (CAPT), Keiron Assiratti, Josh McNally, Teddy Williams, Ben Donnell, Dan Thomas, Alun Lawrence
Replacements: Daf Hughes, Rhys Barratt, Javan Sebastian, George Nott, Taine Basham, Aled Davies, Ioan Lloyd, Osian Darwin-Lewis
Connacht Rugby: Sean Naughton, Chay Mullins, David Hawkshaw, Cathal Forde, Shayne Bolton, Jack Carty, Ben Murphy, Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Jack Aungier, Darragh Murray, Joe Joyce, Cian Prendergast (CAPT), Sean O'Brien, Sean Jansen
Replacements: : Eoin de Buitléar, Jordan Duggan, Sam Illo, David O’Connor, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Matthew Devine, Hugh Gavin, Finn Treacy
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
Ulster also had to endure a Storm Amy-related postponement with their fixture in Edinburgh falling victim to the weather.
The squad had already travelled to Scotland before conditions turned for the worse.
Richie Murphy's side beat Dragons in round one at Affidea Stadium and have won three of their last four at the venue.
However, they have a poor record against South African opposition, winning just one of their last six ties, a narrow victory over Stormers in March.
The Bulls only defeat in their last 11 URC fixtures was in last season’s final to Leinster at Croke Park.
Johan Ackermann’s side arrive off the back of two victories, over Ospreys and the defending champions last weekend.
The teams have met on four previous occasions with the home side winning each time.
Ulster: Jacob Stockdale, Robert Baloucoune, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Zac Ward, Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak, Sam Crean, Rob Herring, Tom O'Toole, Iain Henderson (CAPT), Cormac Izuchukwu, David McCann, Nick Timoney, Juarno Augustus
Replacements: Tom Stewart, Eric O’Sullivan, Scott Wilson, Harry Sheridan, Sean Reffell, Conor McKee, Jake Flannery, Jude Postlethwaite
Vodacom Bulls: Devon Williams, Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, Harold Vorster, Stravino Jacobs, Handre Pollard, Zak Burger, Gerhard Steenekamp, Johann Grobbelaar (CAPT), Wilco Louw, Cobus Wiese, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Marco van Staden, Mpilo Gumede, Jeandre Rudolph
Replacements: Juann Else, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Mornay Smith, Reinhardt Ludwig, Nama Xaba, Paul de Wet, David Kriel, Willie le Roux
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)
