The Ravenhill ground covered with snow early on Friday morning

Friday night's Magners League game between Ulster and Munster at Ravenhill was called off after persistent heavy snowfalls in Belfast.

Both a pitch inspection and health and safety considerations were taken into account when making the final decision to postpone the match.

Ulster Rugby said the safety of the 12,000 ticket-holders was the main reason for rearranging the fixture.

No new date has yet been announced for the derby encounter.

With the Munster team having travelled from Cork on Thursday it had been hoped that the game would be able to go ahead as planned but a decision to postpone was taken around 1500 GMT.

The pitch had been under four inches of snow all day although there was no frost on the ground.

"With supporters travelling from all over the province for the match and treacherous conditions on the roads, not to mention within the ground itself, it was felt that it would be impossible to proceed," said a statement from Ulster Rugby.

Ticket holders have been advised to hold on to their tickets, which will be valid for the new date, and to ensure that they are not lost as it will not be possible to re-issue them.

If the rearranged date is unsuitable, supporters will be issued with a refund.