MUNSTER AND ULSTER are likely to be without their international stars when the sides meet at Thomond Park on the eve of the World Cup final.
The full fixtures list has been revealed for the 2015/16 Pro12 season, with much of the scrutiny on who the provinces will face while their test players are on World Cup duty.
While the first Irish derby of the season doesn’t take place until October 30, it’s likely that both Munster and Ulster will be without a number of key players when they meet at Thomond Park.
Should Ireland reach a quarter final or better at the tournament, they would more than likely be unavailable to play this game, with it falling less than two weeks after the quarter final weekend.
Even a quarter-final elimination for Joe Schmidt’s side would likely rule out the internationals, who will be given a rest period before returning to their provinces.
In total, six rounds of Pro12 games should be affected by the World Cup, with the opening round set to take place on Friday September 4, the day before Ireland play England in their final World Cup warm-up game.
Munster open their account with a home game against Treviso, while Ulster and Connacht are also at home against Ospreys and Dragons respectively. Leinster are travelling to Scotland for their first game of the season, as they take on Edinburgh.
It will be a weekend of Irish derbies on the 27th and 28th of November, with Leinster hosting Ulster and Munster at home to Connacht.
Meanwhile, the always anticipated meetings of Munster and Leinster will take place in Limerick on December 27, while the Blues will host Munster on the first weekend in April ahead of the Champions Cup quarter finals.
To see the full list of Pro12 fixtures for the season, click here.
