Round-Up: Bell helps Ulster hang on

Connacht, Irish rugby's awkward squad, made life tough for Ulster at the Galway Sportsground before going down to a 19-13 Celtic League defeat yesterday.

Connacht, Irish rugby's awkward squad, made life tough for Ulster at the Galway Sportsground before going down to a 19-13 Celtic League defeat yesterday.

Ulster were able to call on Ireland's fly-half, David Humphreys, prop Simon Best and centre Kevin Maggs thanks to a rare moment of munificence from the Irish Rugby Football Union, who these days control their resources in a way Clive Woodward would have killed for. Connacht, in comparison, have no current senior internationals. Such is the way of things in a system where three of four sides get most of the funding and talent.

Ulster scored tries through one hope for Ireland's future, the wing Tommy Bowe, and one figure from Ireland's past, the centre Jonathan Bell. Humphreys, playing his 100th game for his province, provided three penalties. Humphreys' opposite number Paul Warwick, until this season the captain of Australia's Sevens team, kicked eight points around a late try from the replacement scrum-half Conor O'Loughlin, an Ireland Under-21 international.

In the day's other all-Irish tie, Leinster survived a late comeback from Munster to win 17-15 in Dublin. The Leinster full-back James Norton and the winger Gary Brown scored tries, with the scrum-half Brian O'Meara kicking seven points. Munster's former Harlequins fly-half Paul Burke kicked five penalties for his international-light side.

In the Zurich Premiership today Harlequins visit Newcastle and, with a pleasing sense of symmetry, hand the former Munster player Jeremy Staunton his first start at fly-half. Newcastle mark their first match at Kingston Park after two away wins with a start for the former Wallaby full-back Matt Burke and a first competitive home outing for Jonny Wilkinson's new longer, blonder hairdo.

At the Madejski Stadium London Irish meet Leicester, who looked in ominous touch last week. Irish, after a typically dogged start to the season, include the young lock Nick Kennedy. Nothing like introducing a 22-year-old tiro to one Martin Johnson, Esq in the first line-out of the game. Particularly when he's 6ft 8in and a pork pie or two under 18 stone.

The team thumped by the Tigers last week, Leeds, kick off their match against Wasps at the novel time of 7.30 on a Sunday evening, presumably in an attempt to bump up some disappointing Headingley attendances. Mike Shelley, the Tyke's totem at prop, returns to attempt to disrupt the on-going and encouraging comeback of Wasps' bald bullet of an England hooker, Phil Greening.