THE FIXTURES FOR the coming Rabodirect Pro12 season were released today, casting some extra light on how the provinces can expect the season to shape up.
The Opening weekend will see Irish sides in action against Welsh and Scottish outfits with runners-up Leinster and 2011 champions Munster heading away for day one.
Rob Penney’s first competitive outing will be a tricky encounter in Edinburgh while the Heineken Cup champions make the trip to Llanelli.
The competition, kicking off on the weekend of August 31, will most likely be kicked off by Ulster. They get proceedings underway with a home tie against the Glasgow Warriors which in all probability will be scheduled for the Friday night. Connacht get their second Heineken Cup season underway against the Cardiff Blues in the Sportground, while new franchise Zebre will be up against the Newport-Gwent Dragons.
The first inter-provincial meeting of the season will be on the weekend of September 14 when Ulster welcome Munster to Ravenhill. Connacht host Leinster a fortnight later, a week before the eastern province’s first seasonal battle with Munster.
You can see the full list of fixtures here on RaboDirectPro12.com.
