The battle of the 15s is actually really interesting tonight.

Neither Jacob Stockdale and Ciaran Frawley are natural full-backs, but there's an opening there for Ireland with Hugo Keenen's injury concerns and Mack Hansen's ongoing injury.

Who will take their chance?

Ciaran Frawley, playing at 15, drops a high ball and Ulster will have the scrum.

It takes three players to stop Stuart McCloskey just shy of the line!

It's another penalty advantage for Ulster.

Ulster win the throw and here comes the maul...

It's another Ulster penalty, this time for a Leinster infringement at the ruck.

Referee Andrew Brace pulls over both captains and tells them to stop players calling for penalties and cards.

Down with this sort of thing.

Ulster manage to steal the ball and David McCann brings the visitors well into the Leinster half.

Ulster then win a penalty and it's into the corner.

Leinster win another penalty and Prendergast finds touch this time.

It's a scrappy auld start, this.

And that scrum becomes a penalty.

Sam Prendergast misses touch though, which is a bit sloppy.

It's superb defence from Leinster, who hold up Stuart McCloskey and form a maul, and once it was down the ball was never coming back out.

The hosts win the scrum.

Werner Kok does well to pluck the ball out of the air under pressure from Josh Kenny, who collects his man in the air and Ulster bring play up to the Leinster 22.

The opening five minutes have exclusively played in Ulster's half.

No harm done yet.

Gus McCarthy's throw is a bit off so Ulster have the scrum.

Leinster are looking to use the power of their runners to batter away at the Ulster defence, but they hold firm.

The hosts win the penalty and Prendergast puts it into the corner.

Sam Prendergast sticks a low kick through that Jacob Stockdale has to watch, and he does well to run up to the 22 by evading a number of blue shirts.

Right, this could be a Christmas cracker.

Let's go!

We've had a big lights show at the Aviva Stadium.

James Ryan jogs out ahead of the teams on his 100th Leinster appearance, and the other 29 players swiftly follow.

Image source, Inpho

Jacob Stockdale said "there's a good spirit and atmosphere" in the Ulster squad before tonight's game.

Ulster travel to the Aviva Stadium aiming to be the victors in the first inter-provincial derby of the season before matches against Connacht and Munster completing the festive run against their Irish rivals.

Stockdale, who has made 138 appearances for Ulster, has continued his impressive form from the last campaign and believes the mood within the squad is a major strength.

"Ulster is a really good place to be at the moment, the rugby is really fun and there is a good spirit and atmosphere among the squad and the coaching staff," the wing told BBC Sport NI's Nicola McCarthy.

"I'm really enjoying rugby here at the moment.

"These are the games you get excited about [against Irish sides] when the fixture list comes out and you equally go 'flip, they are going to be tough!'"

Ulster back row David McCann says inter-provincial derbies "are games you want to be involved in" ahead of Richie Murphy's sides' trip to the Aviva Stadium.

Ulster have made a bright start to the season in the URC (United Rugby Championship) but suffered their second defeat of the year against Cardiff in their last outing in the Challenge Cup.

Now, returning to URC action, they travel to face Leinster and Connacht before hosting Munster at the Affidea Stadium.

"All three of those games coming up are games you want to be involved in and you want to win them, so it is an exciting time for us as a club," McCann said.

"We know all the players in the other teams which adds a bit to it, it is definitely a bigger game naturally.

"That rivalry is something you want to be a part of and it's really good."

Image source, Inpho

Image source, Getty Images

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy says the returning Stuart McCloskey is a "player at the top of his game".

McCloskey started twice for Ireland during the autumn internationals but was withdrawn from both matches with a groin problem and has missed four games for Andy Farrell's side and Ulster since.

"Stuart has been training for the last few weeks. The idea was to slowly reintegrate him back in and he is fully fit now and ready to go," Murphy told BBC Sport NI's Nicola McCarthy.

"He's a player at the top of his game at the moment and with huge confidence.

"That battle between him and whoever plays centre against him - that could be Robbie Henshaw, Rieko Ioane or Garry Ringrose - is exciting and there are loads of match-ups that are going to be exciting and it's a really big opportunity for lots of players to put their hand up."