Tucker and Connacht vow to keep fighting 'til the end
Connacht scrum and contact coach Colm Tucker. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Castlebar Connacht’s stand-in head coach Cullie Tucker promised his side would keep fighting to the end in their effort to reach the end-of-season URC play-offs following their narrow defeat to derby rivals Munster on an historic day for the province at MacHale Park on Saturday.
The decision to take the game from the regular ground, Galway’s Dexcom Stadium – currently being redeveloped - to the home of Mayo GAA for the first time paid off handsomely for the western province with a record 27,870 crowd.
But for a late disallowed try, Connacht might have marked the milestone with a famous victory. A 30-24 defeat did bring two bonus points, but with four rounds of the regular season remaining and two-game tour of South Africa up next, a top-eight finish may be beyond their reach.
Tucker, placed in interim charge with head coach Pete Wilkins on sick leave, said: “We'll keep fighting to the death, simple as that.”
Yet this was another tight game that got away from Connacht as they fell into a 18-5 half-time deficit, despite Munster’s Alex Nankivell being sent off on 25 minutes, and gave themselves too much to do to get back on terms against the 14-man visitors, who also had two yellow cards in the second half.
Connacht now turn their attention to a Challenge Cup Round of 16 back in Galway against Cardiff next Saturday night but Ticker added: “Very disappointed. Disappointment and frustration are the big things but we can't feel sorry for ourselves for too long. We have a huge game again next week.
“We have to review it hard, take the learnings and move on. It's a frustrated, disappointed dressing room for sure.
“You've got to get over the frustration very quickly and move on.”
Tucker praised the sell-out crowd in Castlebar and said: “The atmosphere was incredible today. Our own operations team, and the show they put on. It was a special day, I'm just disappointed we couldn't deliver a result.
“The Mayo people are incredible. Even last night when we came up and around the place yesterday, the welcome we got, the conversations, the excitement around was very visible.
“I think it was an incredible occasion, and it shows there's great strength in the province in terms of rugby.”
