News: Leinster have suffered further disruptions to their back-up staff with the news that their well-regarded video analyst Brett Igoe will be leaving the province to link up with Matt Williams as part of his Scotland management team. Igoe will become the Scots' coaching co-ordinator.
At least Leinster will have a month's notice to find a replacement, though it causes additional backroom upheavals in light of Williams' own departure in the close-season, when replaced by Gary Ella as head coach, as well as kicking coach Mick Byrne, not to mention the departure of Williams' then assistant coach Alan Gaffney a year before.
At Williams' invitation, Leinster's scrummaging coach Roly Meates travelled to Murrayfield last week for discussions with the outgoing Scottish Director of Rugby Jim Telfer and his successor after the World Cup, Ian McGeechan, although the Scottish RFU firmly denied that Meates had been offered any portfolio, merely that he had been sought on a "consultative basis".
To Leinster's relief, Meates stayed put anyhow, although now they've been hit with the impending departure of Igoe, who had also been part of the management staff for the last two successful Irish A campaigns.
Meanwhile, Munster, with wins over Leinster and Connacht from the opening two rounds of the Under-21 Interprovincial Championship, have made just one change to the side which won 25-15 in Galway last week for the first of their back-to-back meetings with Ulster at Thomond Park (2.30) tomorrow.
Emmet McLoughlin - a son of former international Ginger - returns from injury to take his place in the front row with Ger Collins (Bruff) dropping to the bench.
Ulster make changes from the side which drew against Leinster last weekend.
Leslie George of Coleraine, just returned from a summer playing rugby in South Africa, replaces injured prop Adrian Kirkpartick while Oisín Hennessey - who has recovered from an ankle injury - replaces David Burns at openside flanker and Neil Patterson replaces Johnny McLaughlin at inside centre.
