Leinster have confirmed a pre-season clash against Northampton Saints at Donnybrook on Friday August 30th, a week after they travel to Belfast to play Ulster for the unveiling of two new stands at Ravenhill.

The game against the Saints will kick-off at 7.0pm a week before the season starts and new coach Matt O’Connor believes the two encounters will provide the perfect end to pre-season for his squad.

“It has been a busy few weeks and we are looking forward to having a full complement of players over the next month or so as we build up two massive pre-season friendlies against top quality opposition,” said the former Leicester coach.

“I have been impressed by the application of the players during the pre-season programme, which can be quite gruelling. They’re working hard and are enthusiastic about improving as a unit, which is encouraging from my perspective and that of the rest of the coaching team.

“You couldn’t ask for tougher opponents than Ulster and Northampton Saints. They’re two hugely talented teams with great aspirations in their respective leagues as well as in Europe.”

Leinster are also continuing their open training sessions across the province next month with stops at Cill Dara RFC on Friday August 9th and Dundalk RFC on Thursday August 22nd ahead of the game at Ravenhill. Both sessions are scheduled to start at 11am and are free to attend, with opportunities to meet the players afterwards.