Get ready for a plethora of Guinness PRO14 derbies in the next few weeks as the league resumes after a five-month Covid-19-induced hiatus.
And so to whet the appetite, we have been looking back at some of our favourite match-ups – including Benetton and Zebre’s thrilling Christmas contest a fortnight ago.
This week, we have Connacht and Munster on the menu – two teams who have combined for two titles and two other final appearances in the last decade.
We’re going to take you all the way back to January 2019 this week, and their contest at the Sportsground that went right down to the wire.
The Build-up
Munster and Connacht were both drawn in Conference A in the 2018-19 season, and both were in contention for a place in the Guinness PRO14 Final Series.
Connacht were slightly off the pace of their inter-pro rivals, who were battling with a high-flying Glasgow Warriors at the summit of the conference.
With the two teams yo-yoing all season long, the opportunity to move top fell to Munster on this weekend – with the Irish province eyeing first place with a victory against their rivals.
The Match
Connacht handed a debut to talented centre Tom Daly, and he made an immediate impact with some strong carrying and consistent tackling.
But it was his centre partner Tom Farrell who made the breakthrough, as he stripped the ball from Arno Botha in the tackle and broke clear to score.
LIVE | Under The Sticks with Holley, Budd & guest Kyle Rees https://t.co/wTU4Jt0D9H
— PRO14 RUGBY (at 🏡) (@PRO14Official) August 12, 2020
Munster are not a side easily fazed and they gradually worked their way back into the game before striking mid-way through the half.
Ireland international Keith Earls broke through the Connacht defence and supplied a neat pass to his international colleague Peter O’Mahony to slide in and score.
That dented Connacht’s confidence and Munster set about doing what they do best – ramming the ball down their opponent’s throat through the forwards.
Prop John Ryan thought he scored their second of the day, only to see it ruled out, but Munster did get across shortly through Dan Goggin.
Munster threatened to grab a third and run away with it, so it was to Connacht’s credit that they stuck to their guns, held firm and scored a penalty just before the break through Jack Carty.
That changed the momentum of the match and the hosts build on that confidence with their second try just after the break to take the lead, with Cian Kelleher escaping down the right to score.
However, Munster were not perturbed and quickly re-took the lead when Alby Mathewson set up Goggin for this second.
Joey Carbery scored a penalty to stretch the lead to 27-17, before the fly-half scored a bonus-point try to put Munster out of sight.
Carty responded for Connacht to set up a dramatic finale, but the visitors hung on for a crucial 31-24 win.
What Happened Next?
Munster could not quite overcome Glasgow at the top of the Conference, finishing second in the group.
They faced Benetton in the quarter-finals and sneaked through 15-13 in a thriller, while Connacht were knocked out by Ulster 21-13.
Munster faced Leinster in the semi-finals, losing 24-9 to their great rivals – who would go on and lift the trophy.
