Friday 26 September 2014 12:22, UK
Reigning PRO12 champions Leinster will aim to arrest their early-season slide on Friday as Cardiff Blues visit the RDS.
Matt O’Connor’s Leinstermen have lost two of their opening three matches, bowing to Glasgow Warriors in a repeat of last year’s Grand Final before being edged out by Connacht last weekend.
Cardiff meanwhile enter Round Four on the back of successive defeats having lost to Glasgow and Ulster in recent weeks.
In response to their sequence of reveres, Cardiff boss Mark Hammett has made several changes, with a debut for winger George Watkins while Gethin Jenkins, Chris Dicomidis, Cory Allen, Dafydd Hewitt and Wales captain Sam Warburton all return.
Meanwhile, Australian lock Kane Douglas has been named to start his first match for Leinster and Ireland veteran Gordon D’Arcy returns to partner Ian Madigan in midfield.
Unbeaten Glasgow Warriors bid to return to the PRO12 summit as they welcome Connacht to Scotstoun.
After gaining revenge for Grand Final defeat in the season curtain-raiser, Glasgow went on to beat Cardiff and the Dragons but have been overtaken by Ospreys, who have collected an extra bonus point.
There is just a solitary point between the Warriors and Leinster-conquering Connacht heading into the fourth round of action, with the Irish province already beating Edinburgh and the Dragons as well as claiming a major scalp last weekend.
Second-row Al Kellock makes his first start of the campaign for Glasgow and centre James Downey makes his full debut after returning from Munster, while Sean Lamont returns to take up his regular wing berth.
Meanwhile, Connacht head coach Pat Lam has made five changes to his starting XV, with Michael Swift, Rodney Ah You, George Naoupu, Danie Poolman and Ian Porter all called up.
Friday’s final clash sees Scarlets travel to Murrayfield to take on Edinburgh, with both sides desperate to claim a second win and gather momentum.
The Welsh region broke their duck last time out with a 43-0 thumping of Treviso at Parc y Scarlets, while Edinburgh are winless since the opening day of the season when they edged Munster 14-13.
While Scarlets handed out a drubbing last weekend, Edinburgh found themselves on the wrong end of a thrashing, losing 62-13 to Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.
After their success on home soil Wayne Pivac has made just two changes to the Scarlets side with Rob McCusker coming in at No 8 and Aled Davies starting at scrum-half.
