United Rugby Championship Round 13: All you need to know

The second Six Nations break week means that attention turns back to domestic action, and a full round of games in the United Rugby Championship.

Eleven players from the Ireland squad have been released back to their provinces, and it will bulk out the teamsheets for the Irish sides, particularly Ulster and Connacht who face crucial games on Friday night.

Dan McFarland's side can solidify their place in the top two this weekend when they face Cardiff at Kingspan Stadium, while Connacht will be looking for a third win in a row as they travel to the Edinburgh Rugby Stadium.

On Saturday, leaders Leinster will be expected to cement top spot, with Leo Cullen's side away to Benetton, while Munster will prepare for their South African tour with a home game against the lowly Dragons.

TV

Ulster v Cardiff (Friday) and Benetton v Leinster (Saturday) are live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, while Edinburgh v Connacht (Friday) and Munster v Dragons (Saturday) are live on TG4.

ONLINE

RTE.ie/sport will have live scoring and blogs across the weekend with match reports and reaction from the grounds. All games are live on URC TV.

WEATHER

All four provinces are set to get reasonable weather conditions this weekend, with clear skies and temperatures of around 5C expected in Belfast for Ulster v Cardiff, and it's likely to be similar conditions across in Edinburgh where Connacht are in action against the Scottish side, albeit with a slight chance of rain. Leinster are in Treviso on Saturday afternoon where it's forecast to be a sunny afternoon and temperatures creeping into double figures. Munster v Dragons will naturally be a bit colder, but it's expected to be a dry evening in Limerick with just a slight breeze.

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