Rugby star with Mayo mother is central to Munster's win in Castlebar

A record attendance of 27,570 enjoyed a carnival atmosphere in Castlebar today before Munster defeated hosts Connacht in a hard-fought United Rugby Championship clash. The packed house was the biggest crowd ever to attend a Connacht home match and it took a top-drawer display from Munster to seal a crucial win.

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The teams emerged into a cauldron of noise, fire and excitement and it was the wind-assisted guests who took charge. Munster built a substantial 18-5 half-time lead with internationals Craig Casey, Jack Crowley and Tadhg Beirne to the fore. However, the men in red were dealt a blow when centre Alex Nankivell was red-carded for a no-arm tackle on Connacht second-row Cian Prendergast who was stretchered off the pitch.

A try from Sean Jansen raised a huge cheer from the home crowd as Ballina's Dave Heffernan popped up all over the field for the home side. When half-time arrived there was real hope of a Connacht revival as the home team would play the entire second half with an extra man and wind advantage.

That sense of hope grew when scrum-half Caolin Blade raced over for a converted try but that was erased just a few minutes later when Crowley raced over at the other end.

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Connacht needed to build momentum but they couldn't get their hands on the ball as Munster played smart rugby and dominated possession and territory. The guests were much the better team for long periods and centre Tom Farrell was particularly impressive in both defence and attack. 

It was a particularly special occasion for former Connacht player, Farrell, whose mother, Ann (Nee Collins) is a native of Islandeady. His excellent performance helped keep Munster on the front foot and when Diarmuid Barron dived over the line after 58 minutes the gap was stretched out to 30-12.

It seemed as if Munster would pull away at that stage but Connacht came to life and when Jansen and Josh Ioane crossed for tries the home side were just six back, 24-30.

The crowd powered Connacht forward and when Dylan Tierney Martin raced over in the corner with four minutes to play it seemed as if a fairytale victory was about to be delivered but the referee ruled out the score after consulting the big screen. That was the end of the affair and Munster held on until the final whistle to secure a crucial victory.