Leo Cullen’s side are in France where Joey Carbery will return to Leinster colours for the first time in eight years

Clermont Auvergne 0-0 Leinster

2 mins: Leinster get away with giving away an early scrum right on their 22.

The frontrow gets a big shove on at the scrum, driving Clermont back. Noah, at number eight, tries to pick and go but spills the ball. Now it’s a Leinster scrum in the same position.

They get another shove and, this time, win a penalty. Leinster winning a scrum penalty against a big French pack?

1 min: Matthew Carley is today’s referee. He’s told Clermont to kick things off as they’re underway on a wet, greasy-looking surface in France.

Straight away, Leinster make an error. Fintan Gunne doesn’t use the ball when told while lining up a box-kick. He was trying to ask Carley if he was in or outside the 22 to know if he could kick to touch, but in the time it took to pose the question, Carley said he had left the ball for longer than 5 seconds inside the ruck.

Clermont 0-0 Leinster

The players are out but before we start, there will be a moment’s silence in honour of Hyron Andrews.

The South African lock tragically died on Friday while travelling with the Lions for their game against La Rochelle.

On the Premier Sports coverage, they’re discussing some of the selection calls made by Leinster. It’s hard to say there are any ‘controversial’ calls, but the most hotly contested is probably at inside centre. Robbie Henshaw gets the nod today, with Jamie Osborne on the bench having started there last week.

Over to the provincial run of games so. Leinster are set to kick-off in 10 minutes time.

It’s just gone full-time in the first games of the day. Glasgow’s maul was dominant in the final quarter as they’re up and running with a hefty win over Sale.

Champions Cup

Sale 27-47 Glasgow

Bulls 56-20 Stade Francais

Challenge Cup

Black Lion 14- 39 Ospreys

Lyon 33-40 Sharks

Some stats for you. There’s been plenty of chatter on how new maul law applications have rendered that set-piece a more potent, if not unstoppable weapon.

If that is the case, which clubs appear well set, based on the strength of their mauls last season? The short answer, historically at least, is not the provinces.

For what it’s worth, Glasgow have just scored a maul try against Sale in one of the day’s early kick-offs...

Read the full story below.

A view of the team kits ahead of kick-off. Clermont are in their European navy strip as opposed to their usual home yellow.

As a result, Leinster can’t wear their own navy European offering, meaning they’re in the away white. Or at least I think it’s white?

Maybe it’s grey...

Here’s some pre-match reading for you. John O’Sullivan’s preview is well worth your time. In it, he covers Joey Carbery’s return, Clermont’s threat at lineout time and how Leinster have tried to evolve their attack in recent weeks.

Click the link below.

Given Ulster are in Challenge Cup action at the same time as Leinster, it’s worth reminding us of the squad they’ve picked to take on Zebre. Plenty wondered how seriously Ulster would take this competition, given they went all in for last year’s final and both lost that while missing out on the URC playoffs.

The answer is serious-ish. Richie Murphy has named seven of his 10 Ireland internationals - Tom O’Toole, Cormac Izuchukwu, Nathan Doak, Rob Baloucoune, Jacob Stockdale, Tom Stewart and Eric O’Sullivan. However, Jamie Benson at 10 or a centre pairing of Jake Flannery and Daniel Hawkshaw is not, you would think, Ulster’s first choice.

As for Clermont, they have avoided the French affliction of picking purely second string teams for European competition. Leinster at home and all the history these two have during the province’s pomp, winning three titles in four years between 2009-12, perhaps it makes sense why they’re going after this one.

Key man Baptiste Jauneau starts at scrumhalf with Bautista Delguy and AJ Lam providing running threats in the outside backs.

Perhaps fortunately for Leinster, the appropriately named prop Regis Montagne hasn’t been named in the squad having featured in last week’s narrow defeat to Bordeaux. Nevertheless, there is plenty of heft in this Clermont pack.

Let’s start with the team news from the day’s first Irish Champions Cup game. Leinster have made six changes to the XV that beat Cardiff in last weekend’s return to the RDS.

Tommy O’Brien replaces Joshua Kenny on the right flank while Robbie Henshaw comes in for Jamie Osborne in the outside backs. At halfback, with Jamison Gibson-Park not yet fit for action, Fintan Gunne swaps in for Oliver Coffey.

In the pack, Andrew Porter replaces Alex Usanov at loosehead, while Ryan Baird and Josh van der Flier come in for Max Deegan and Scott Penny in the backrow.

There is going to be a first Leinster appearance for Joey Carbery since the province’s Champions Cup final win back in 2018. After stints with Munster and Bordeaux, Carbery is back at his home province and provides outhalf cover on the bench, Leinster going with the more experienced option over exciting young 10 Caspar Gabriel.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to live coverage of the start of the provincial run in this year’s Champions Cup.

All three Irish sides involved in the top tier of European (and South African, for the sticklers) rugby are in action today. Ulster, who line out in the second tier Challenge Cup, also take to the field today.

We’ll bring you updates from all of the action as it happens this afternoon and into the evening. First up, it’s last season’s beaten finalists Leinster taking on Clermont in the raucous Stade Marcel-Michelin. At the same time, Ulster are in Parma to take on Zebre.

At 5.30pm, Connacht welcome three-time champions Saracens to Galway before Munster host Racing 92 in Cork at 8pm