Connacht will hope to lead Irish involvement from the front when they kick off their Magner's Celtic League season this year. Michael Bradley's side travel to Netherdale to face Border Reivers on Friday night but then play six matches in succession at home, where they will aim for an early glut of points.
The first of Connacht's home games in the league is on Friday, September 8th, against the Ospreys, and in the following weeks Llanelli Scarlets, Edinburgh Gunners, Leinster, Ulster, and Newport Gwent Dragons visit the Sportsground.
Bradley and his assistant Eric Elwood yesterday named a 22-man squad for the opening game against the Scottish side, with a number of players - Ireland A prop Ray Hogan, Ronan Loughney, David McGowan, Joe Merrigan and Ted Robinson - not considered because of injury.
Munster, who travel to Wales to face Cardiff Blues, will name a team later in the week.
Ulster will hold a media session today in Belfast ahead of their first competitive game of the season, against Llanelli Scarlets.
In a change from tradition, Ulster meet the Scarlets on Saturday, not Friday night, in Ravenhill Road.
The province have never lost an opening match in the league and are undefeated in their last 10 league games, going back to New Year's Eve, when they lost to Connacht 12-22.
Munster, whose last visit to Cardiff was to bring home the European Cup last season, should take comfort from the fact that Cardiff, in contrast to Ulster, have never won their opening league match.
Leinster, meanwhile, have no game on the first weekend of the season and have a week to consider how they might go about getting their lineouts to function and their creative fireworks to spark. Michael Cheika's team face Edinburgh in Murrayfield on Friday, September 8th.
Meanwhile, it has been decided last year's practice whereby sides on "free" weekends were awarded four points will be discontinued.
According to common practice, four points will be awarded for a win and two for a draw. Teams scoring four tries and teams losing by seven points or less will get a bonus point.
A working party set up by the English Rugby Football Union is considering whether to recommend to the International Rugby Board that scrums should be uncontested.
The working party was set up after the Leicester prop Matt Hampson suffered a serious neck injury last year while training with the England Under-21s.
Hampson was released from hospital five weeks ago, over 16 months after being paralysed from the neck down, having been awarded £1.125 million in compensation under the RFU's insurance policy.
l New Zealand coach Graham Henry has announced his team for Saturday's Tri-Nations test against South Africa in Rustenburg, with 10 changes from the team that won 45-26 in Pretoria last weekend.
NEW ZEALAND (v South Africa): D Howlett; J Rokocoko, M Muliaina, A Mauger, S Sivivatu; D Carter, J Cowan; T Woodcock, A Hore, C Hayman; C Jack, A Williams; J Collins, R McCaw (capt), R So'oialo. Replacements: A Oliver, N Tialata, J Eaton, M Holah, B Kelleher, L McAlister, R Gear.
Fixtures
Friday - Celtic League: Connacht v Border Reivers, Netherdale 7.30; Cardiff Blues v Munster, The Arms Park 7.10; Glasgow v Newport Dragons, Hughenden, 7.30. Saturday - Magner's League: Ulster v Llanelli Scarlets, Ravenhill Road 7.30; Ospreys v Edinburgh, Liberty Stadium 5.30.
Team
Connacht (squad v Border Reivers): J Fogarty, M Diffley, S Knoop, B Wilkinson, A Flavin, A Farley, M Swift; D Gannon, B O'Connor, C Rigney, J Muldoon, M Lacey, P Warwick, M McHugh, T Tierney, C Keane, C McPhillips, D Riordan, M Mostyn, G Williams, D Yapp, K Matthews.
