Irish provinces gear up for European return

It could be a big weekend for the Irish provinces in European competition

Having rung in the new year with a much-needed weekend off, the Irish provinces are preparing for a return to European action.

On the back of a morale-boosting win over Connacht, Ulster will attempt to breathe new life into their Investec Champions Cup campaign when they travel to Leicester on Saturday night (20:00 GMT).

Earlier on Saturday (17:30), Munster host Saracens while in-form Leinster lock horns with familiar foes Leinster on Sunday (15:15).

Connacht, meanwhile, return to Challenge Cup action at home to Lyon on Saturday (20:00).

Ulster must stop Pollard to keep Tigers at bay

Springbok fly-half Handre Pollard has been in excellent form for Leicester

The Champions Cup has brought Ulster much pain already this season, defeats by Toulouse and Bordeaux seeing Richie Murphy's side ship 101 points.

Those losses arrived during a five-game losing run, and while Tom O'Toole's ban is certainly a blow, they approach Saturday's trip to Welford Road with renewed belief after a battling 17-7 victory at Connacht on 28 December.

Two-time champions Leicester have been inconsistent of late, their past six matches yielding two wins, three defeats and a draw. They, like Ulster, shipped over 40 points to Bordeaux in their opening pool fixture but thumped the Sharks at home.

While that was followed by a crushing 54-24 Premiership home defeat by Bristol, they earned a thrilling 34-34 draw with Harlequins before warming up for Ulster with a 28-15 win over Exeter, who Ulster will face in their last pool game on 17 January.

The brilliance of South Africa fly-half Handre Pollard has shone through in recent weeks for Leicester, who are fourth in the Premiership.

Having missed the Bordeaux defeat, the 30-year-old - who last month cast doubt on his future - starred against the Sharks and has caught the eye in each of his three Premiership outings since.

Leicester are brimming with talent, but thwarting the two-time World Cup winner will be key for Ulster's chances on Saturday.

The sides last faced each other in the 2021 Challenge Cup semi-finals. Ulster led by 11 points at the break but the Tigers tore them apart in the second half to win 33-24.

Munster welcome Sarries to Limerick

Ireland scrum-half Craig Casey is one of several players on the Munster treatment table

Still without a permanent successor to Graham Rowntree and a fair chunk of their squad because of injury, Munster welcome three-time champions Saracens to Thomond Park on Saturday.

The Irish side have a win and a defeat from two European games this season and are smarting from a loss to Leinster during the festive period. They have, however, been boosted by Diarmuid Barron, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Jack O'Donoghue and Conor Murray's return to training ahead of Saturday.

The Sarries, meanwhile, have given themselves a strong chance of a home knockout game with victories over the Bulls and Stade Francais.

They followed that up with a win over Northampton but were on the wrong end of a 10-try rout against Premiership pacesetters Bath, who won 68-10 on 28 December.

However, beating Bristol on Saturday somewhat extinguished that humiliation and they will arrive in Limerick confident of extending their impressive European start.

The six-time Premiership champions boast plenty of proven Test players, including England captain Jamie George, Theo Dan, Maro Itoje, Ben Earl and Elliot Daly, while back rower Tom Willis again staked his claim for a spot in Steve Borthwick's Six Nations squad last weekend with two tries against Bristol.

This fixture has produced some European classics down the years and Saturday could prove another fascinating chapter in their rivalry.

Familiar foes Leinster and La Rochelle meet again

Leinster have suffered much anguish at La Rochelle's hands in recent years but the Irish side won both of last season's encounters

Speaking of rivalries, few have gripped European club rugby in recent years as much as Leinster and La Rochelle.

Sunday's renewal at Stade Marcel-Deflandre will be their sixth meeting since 2021. La Rochelle lead 3-2 in that sequence, with two of those wins coming in the 2022 and 2023 Champions Cup finals.

But Leinster exacted revenge last season, first with a pool-stage victory before a resounding 40-13 quarter-final win at Aviva Stadium.

Leo Cullen's side have won all 11 games this season, including their opening two pool games against Bristol and Clermont.

La Rochelle, however, have not been at their brilliant best recently. They needed a last-gasp penalty to beat a under-strength Toulouse at the weekend, leading head coach Ronan O'Gara to admit his side are "suffering".

However, the sight of Leinster shirts back on the pitch at Stade Marcel-Deflandre will surely stir the Top 14 side's competitive juices.

It could prove the game of the weekend. Leinster's quarter-final win last April was surprisingly emphatic. Tussles between these two go down to the wire more often than not.

Connacht host Lyon in Challenge Cup

Following a miserable festive period that yielded defeats by Leinster and Ulster, Connacht are hoping for more continental comforts in the Challenge Cup.

Pete Wilkins' side won their first two pool games against Zebre and Perpignan but will face a stiff test at home to Lyon, who are also two from two.

Lyon, the 2022 Challenge Cup winners, are unbeaten in their past five games but have been a mixed bag in the Top 14 this season with five wins and seven defeats.

Connacht, who are 13th in the United Rugby Championship, are also waiting to hear if Mack Hansen will be sanctioned for his comments following last month's defeat by Leinster.

The Ireland wing will face a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday after saying it felt like Connacht had been "reffed out of the game for the first 40 minutes" in their URC loss to Leinster on 21 December.