Frustrated Tucker rues soft Munster tries with Connacht sweating on playoffs

A memorable day in front of a provincial record 27,870 crowd for Connacht’s first fixture at MacHale Park ended with the bitter taste of regret

Munster interim head coach Ian Costello, left, and Connacht scrum and contact coach Colm Tucker before the United Rugby Championship match between Connacht and Munster at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar, Mayo. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

A damaging home defeat in Mayo on Saturday has left Connacht’s acting head coach looking for solutions to ongoing issues as the province turns its attention to Saturday’s Challenge Cup Round of 16 tie against Cardiff back at Dexcom Stadium.

What was a memorable day in front of a provincial record 27,580 crowd for Connacht’s first fixture at MacHale Park should have delivered a valuable URC derby victory for Cullie Tucker’s squad, but instead ended with the bitter taste of a 30-24 defeat and a plethora of regrets as the hosts face a fight to make the end of season knockout rounds.