Mayo man Dave Heffernan will start for Connacht Rugby in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park on Saturday afternoon.

He said before, that it was always a ‘dream’ to play in the home of Mayo GAA.

And the team will be boosted by the return of Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen, returning from Ireland duty for the Guinness Men's Six Nations.

The match has been coined 'Test in the West' and excitement around this fixture has been building in the past couple of days. 

Ballina man Heffernan and his teammates will hope to bounce back from a narrow defeat away to Ospreys in Swansea last week.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: Connacht versus Munster in MacHale Park

Valuable points in the United Rugby Championship are on offer, as both, Connacht and Munster are fighting for a top 8 finish in the table to qualify for the play-offs.

There have been permutations locally, as 'Signgate' erupted in Castlebar ahead of historic rugby game in Mayo.

Rugby fans will be delighted to hear, that a decision has been made on an alcohol licence for the match.

The Connacht squad for the Munster game

The Connacht coaching team led by Cullie Tucker have been able to call upon all four Irish internationals who missed last week’s trip to the Ospreys, led by captain Cian Prendergast at blindside flanker.

He forms a back row with Shamus Hurley-Langton and Sean Jansen, while the second row of Darragh Murray and Joe Joyce is unchanged.

In the front row, Jordan Duggan and Finlay Bealham both come into the starting side, alongside Mayo man Dave Heffernan on what will be a proud day for the Ballina native.

In the backs, Caolin Blade and Josh Ioane continue at #9 and #10, while Bundee Aki starts at inside centre to form an exciting partnership with Hugh Gavin. Mack Hansen comes into the side at full-back, with Finn Treacy and Chay Mullins on the wings.

The coaching group have opted for a 5:3 split on the bench, with Santiago Cordero wearing #23.

A final attendance of well over 26,000 is expected, which will almost treble the club’s current all-time record in the province. It’s also the first time a professional Connacht game is held in County Mayo, and the first time rugby is played at the Castlebar venue in its 95-year history.

This is the matchday squad for Connacht Rugby as announced by the team management: 

15. Mack Hansen (38)

14. Chay Mullins (6)

13. Hugh Gavin (5)

12. Bundee Aki (146)

11. Finn Treacy (3)

10. Josh Ioane (11)

9. Caolin Blade (206)

1. Jordan Duggan (57)

2. Dave Heffernan (213)

3. Finlay Bealham (213)

4. Joe Joyce (32)

5. Darragh Murray (34)

6. Cian Prendergast (81) Captain

7. Shamus Hurley-Langton (52)

8. Sean Jansen (19)

Finishers:

16. Dylan Tierney-Martin (51)

17. Denis Buckley (260)

18. Jack Aungier (81)

19. Josh Murphy (32)

20. Paul Boyle (109)

21. Matthew Devine (13)

22. JJ Hanrahan (24)

23. Santiago Cordero (17)