Lancaster looking forward to huge sold-out Irish derby

Stuart Lancaster has hailed this weekend’s all-Irish showdown between URC play-off rivals Connacht Rugby and Munster Rugby in Galway as a huge game for both teams.

Lancaster’s Connacht will welcome Munster to a sold out Dexcom Stadium on Saturday evening knowing just how crucial it is to get a win if they are to finish in the top eight and progress to the knock-out stage.

They currently lie in ninth spot, three points outside the play-off zone, with two rounds of matches to go.

Munster are seven points ahead of them in fifth having won their last two league matches against Benetton Rugby and Ulster Rugby.

“Every game feels like a big game,” said head coach Lancaster.

“The first game of the season against Benetton felt like a big game, the games in South Africa felt big, but obviously you are now getting to the business end and you are still in the fight.

“This one has got real significance because of the league position. We are fighting for every point and you’ve got the context of the other teams that are playing over the next two weekends.

“Every team above us is playing meaningful games where they can take points off each other.

“So there’s a lot to play for and it being an interpro as well makes it doubly exciting.”

The Connacht boss continued: “We need to play well because we know how good the team we are playing against is.

“The last couple of games, they have been excellent and it’s a huge game for them as well as it is for us. There’s no denying that.

“I think they will come confident, but we will just be very much focusing on what we can do, while the crowd will make a huge impact for us.

“I think Munster have been playing a lot more rugby in the second half of the season, so both teams will be going to win the game as opposed to trying not to lose.

“Our mentality will be to win by scoring tries, as it has been all season, while making sure we get the balance right in terms of when to play and when to kick and how to put pressure on in the right areas of the field.

“We also need to be on point and well organised defensively to make sure we stay in the fight throughout the course of the game.”

Connacht will be boosted by the return of Ireland duo Bundee Aki and Finlay Bealham, while Munster are without the likes of Tadhg Beirne, Tom Farrell, Calvin Nash, Jean Kleyn and Oli Jager through injury, although fly-half Jack Crowley is available again after recovering from a leg knock.

The visitors’ skills and attack coach Mossy Lawler said: “The quality of player we’re missing, they are obviously big losses. But where there's injuries, there's opportunities and loads of lads are chomping at the bit to get in this week and play a massive inter-pro game.

“From our DNA and the way we’re looking to play the game, we probably won’t change much in relation to what we’re about.”

As for the opposition, he said: “The big thing with Connacht is their contact skills and the physical presence they bring. So, from our physical point of view and our mentality point of view, we need to be able to match that. We have a big game ahead of us, a massive game.”

Following this weekend, Connacht will complete their regular season URC fixtures by travelling to Edinburgh Rugby, while Munster host the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions in Round 18.