Craggy Rugby podcast

Connacht were unable to manufacture the win that they so desperately needed to have any chance of a Top 8 finish, we hear from Pete Wilkins and Dave Heffernan as well as Stormers coach John Dobson in the post match press conference after Danny Deegan and Alan take you through the match while Linley MacKenzie, William Davies and Dave Finn try to figure out what went wrong yet again for Connacht.

We also reminice about Tiernan's last match in the Dexcom and the loss of some quality players from the squad for next season, not to mention how much we will all miss the Clan Stand. 

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Connacht suffered their 3rd worst defeat against Munster in Thomond Park since the start of the URC and their chances of making the Top 8 now hang by a thread.

Danny and Alan Deegan take you through the match, we hear the post match press conference audio from Jack Carty and Pete Wilkins before hearing the thoughts of William Davies and Rob Murphy from their post match wrap up on Galway Bay FM

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Connacht got the win with the try bonus that they so badly needed in their latest trip to Wales which sees them jump up to 6th place in the URC and keeps their destiny in their own hands, although they will have to be a lot more accurate in both attack and defense if they are to get the required results in those games.

William Davies and Rob Murphy join Alan Deegan to dissect a flawed win in Newport while we hear the post match thoughts of head coach Pete Wilkins.

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Connacht got a much needed bonus point win and improvement in their points difference but more importantly unearthed a new star with a brilliant display from scrum-half Matthew Devine who sparked not only a try-fest but also a more fluid and attack minded Connacht team.

The Craggy Crew luxuriate in the win and we hear the post match press conference thoughts of Pete Wilkins and the aforementioned Matthew Devine.

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Connacht put on one of their best, if still flawed, performances of the season to progress to the quarter finals for the Challenge Cup following a brilliant match against Pau in France.

The Craggy Crew are in good spirits as they review the match and we hear from a much relieved Pete Wilkins and a philosophical Jack Carty in the post match press conference.

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Connacht blew yet another match winning situation as they conceded a score on the last play of the match for the 3rd time this season after a much improved display of grit and fight to go down to Benetton and see their playoff hopes drift further away.

William Davies and Rob Murphy join host Alan Deegan to pick the bones out of yet another defeat this season and we hear the post match thoughts of head coach Pete Wilkins.

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Connacht were abysmal against an excellent Lions team as their playoff hopes dimmed dramatically following a hammering by the South African team.

The Craggy Crew try to make sense of a brutal performance and awful result while we hear from Pete Wilkins and Caolin Blade in the post match press conference.

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Connacht eeked out the try bonus point win they required against a fairly resolute Scarlets that propels the western province back into the Top 8 playoff spots.

Danny Deegan and Alan take you through the match while Dave Finn joins the Deegans for the post match analysis after William Davies spoke to Pete Wilkins and Caolin Blade in the post match press conference.

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Connacht ground out a hard fought win while not playing anywhere near their best in the Welsh capital.

Linley MacKenzie and William Davies join Alan Deegan to get their immediate thoughts on the match while we hear the post-match thoughts of Pete Wilkins and Caolin Blade.

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Connacht produced one of their best performances of the season to grab a spot in the R16 of the Challenge Cup with a bonus point victory over Bristol Bears.

Danny Deegan and Alan Deegan take you through the match, we hear Rob Murphy's commentary on the Connacht tries while the Craggy crew of Linley MacKenzie, William Davies and Dave Finn give their thoughts in the post match review.

We hear from Pat Lam, Pete Wilkins and Connacht wing Andrew Smith in the post match press conference.

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Connacht's travails in the Champions Cup continued with another defeat in this year's comptetition. However a favour from the Bulls has opened the door slightly for a chance to make the R16 of the Challenge Cup if they can get a bonus point win over Bristol.

William Davies and Alan Deegan join host Rob Murphy to pick through the bones of another defeat and we hear the post match thoughts of Joe Joyce and Pete Wilkins.

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Connacht ground out an impressive win over the URC champions in their first meeting with Munster this season in fairly biblically wet conditions, with the late try denying Munster a losing bonus point allowing Connacht to leap-frog them in the table.

Danny Deegan and Alan Deegan take you through the match, while William Davies and Dave Finn join Alan in the aftermath to give their immediate thoughts on a much needed win.

We hear from Pete Wilkins, Cian Prendergast, Graham Rowntree and Shane Daly in the post match press conference.

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Connacht turned up and almost made it 3 wins in a row against Ulster but a malfunctioning lineout in dreadful conditions meant that the men from the west fell to their 5th defeat in a row this season.

William Davies, Rob Murphy and Alan Deegan pick through the bones of the defeat while we hear the thoughts of both head coaches, Pete Wilkins and Dan McFarland.

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Connacht showed a lot more both in attack and in their willingness to keep playing to the end of the match but ultimately poor decisions under pressure and a worryingly leaky defense saw them slip to their 4th defeat on the trot this season.

William Davies, Rob Murphy and Alan Deegan mull over the defeat and where it leaves Connacht as they prepare for the Interpro double header over the Christmas and New Year while we hear the post match thoughts of Pete Wilkins and JJ Hanrahan.

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Connacht were well and truly garrotted by a top quality Bordeaux side who were better than the home side in every facet of the match, and left Connacht bewildered for most of the time.

The Craggy Crew try and pick the bones out of the worst defeat to a French team in the Sportsground after Danny and Alan take you through the match.

An absolutely gutted Dave Heffernan and Pete Wilkins give their thoughts in the post match press conference while we also hear from Bordeaux's attack coach Noel McNamara.

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Connacht snatched a defeat from the jaws of victory as Leinster scored with the last play of the game following yet another lineout malfunction from Connacht to give them the last possession.

Danny and Alan Deegan take you through the game, then we hear the post-match thoughts of Caolin Blade, Pete Wilkins and Leo Cullen before Dave Finn and William Davies join the Deegans to try and make sense of a brutal loss for the home team.

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Connacht were not able to repeat their heroics from last week as they were put to the sword in Pretoria by the Bulls.

William Davies and Rob Murphy join host Alan Deegan to pick the bones out of a disappointing result and display while we hear from Pete Wilkins in the post match press conference.

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Connacht ground out the most unlikely of wins as the snook past the Sharks in Durban to record their 5th win on South African soil and keep them in the upper echelons of the URC table.

William Davies and Rob Murphy join host Alan Deegan to pick through the bones of that excellent win and what it means for Connacht.

We hear the post match thoughts of Pete Wilkins and Sharks coach John Plumtree also.

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A fairly callow Connacht side couldn't quite hold a determined Edinburgh in the Scottish capital to lose for the first time this season, but they did secure a losing bonus point.

William Davies and Alan Deegan take you through the match and give their immediate thoughts at the end of the match while we hear from a frustrated Connacht head coach in Pete Wilkins.

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Connacht managed to pull a victory out of the jaws of defeat after recovering from a 17 point deficit to a much weakened Ulster team in the first interpro of the season.

Linley MacKenzie, Rob Murphy and Dave Finn join host Alan Deegan to get their immediate post match reactions while we hear from Pete Wilkins, Conor Oliver, Dan McFarland and Jake Flannery in the post match press conference.

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A statement win from Connacht over a more or less fully loaded Glasgow that leaves the Western province in second place on the table after week 2 of the URC season.

We hear the post match thoughts of head coach Pete Wilkins, #8 Jarrad Butler and Glasgow head coach Franco Smith.

Alan Deegan takes you through the match while Linley MacKenzie and Dave Finn cogitate on what could be the win that really propels Connacht towards the playoffs for the second season in a row.

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Connacht got a bonus point win in their first match of the URC season after a brilliant first half performance, which was followed by a very underwhelming second half one, but they got the job done and gave debuts to 6 new players, so a satisfying start to the season.

Danny Deegan takes you through the match, Rob gives us his end of match thoughts, we hear from Toby Booth and Keelan Giles for the Ospreys perspective while Pete Wilkins and hat-trick hero Caolin Blade talk to us as well in the post match press conference.

Linley MacKenzie and Dave Finn join host Alan Deegan to analyse some excellent performances in that excellent win.

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The Craggy Crew were the main panelists for the Galway Bay FM Sports preview of the RWC 2023 and in an extended podcast they are joined by Tom English of BBC Scotland, Brendan Nell a South African rugby journalist and an Galway man who has been living in New Zealand for over 30 years Oliver Lee.

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Connacht couldn't quite make it a fairytale finish to the end of an ultimately successful season with a URC QF win and qualification for next season's Champions Cup secured.

Rob Murphy takes you through the match while William Davies and Linley MacKenzie join host Alan Deegan to give their thoughts on where it went wrong.

We hear from Andy Friend, Jack Carty and Stormers coach John Dobson too.

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Well Connacht fairly made us sweat for their first away win in a one off Quarter Final as they held out against Ulster in the Kingspan Stadium.

Linley MacKenzie, William Davies, Rob Murphy and Alan Deegan take you through the match and give their thoughts on such an historic win while we also hear from Andy Friend and Jack Carty along with a quick word from Tiernan's dad Aidan O'Halloran

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Connacht gave their best ever performance in Scotstoun as they came within a hair's breath of beating Glasgow. Munster did Connacht an unbelievable favour is garnering a draw against the Sharks to confirm Connacht finishing at least 7th and a big step closer to Champions Cup rugby next season.

William Davies and Linley MacKenzie join Alan Deegan to review that excellent performance and look forward to the quarter final against Ulster.

We also get the post match thoughts of Andy Friend.

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Connacht produced another excellent performance and bonus point win to guarantee their place in the URC play-offs and give them a real shot at Champions   Cup rugby for next season.

The Craggy Crew take you through the match and analyse the win post-match while we also hear from Andy Friend and Kieran Marmion.

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Connacht's abysmal record in knockout matches away from home continued in Treviso as Benetton overpowered them in the Round of 16 match in the Challenge Cup.

William Davies and Alan Deegan bring you through the match and they are joined by Linley MacKenzie to try and pick out the bones of another disappointing away performance and defeat.

We also have the post-match thoughts of Andy Friend.

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What a performance and result for Connacht with a win that bounces them up to 6th with 2 matches left to play in the regular season in the URC.

This match had it all and so we got Dave Finn, Niall Shiel and Linley MacKenzie to try and make some sense of the goings on that included 3 yellow cards as well as a 5th hat-trick from a Connacht player this season.

We hear the post match thoughts of Andy Friend and Caolin Blade as well as some  of the Connacht faithful when we finished off the podcast recording in Murty Rabbitts.

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Connacht squeezed past a gritty Dragons side in Rodney Parade to garner a 4th win in a row, but without the required try bonus point which might come back to haunt them in their drive towards not only making the URC playoffs but also Champions Cup qualification for next season.

William Davies and Rob Murphy join Alan Deegan to try and make sense of a strange performance from Connacht and we hear the post match thoughts of Andy Friend also.

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Connacht garnered the required Bonus Point win in Parma in an absolute try-fest of a match as they move into a URC play-off spot for the first time this season.

William Davies and Rob Murphy take you through the match while Alan Deegan joins William for some post match analysis and we hear from hat-trick hero Dylan Tierney-Martin and coach Andy Friend in the post-match press conference.

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A try bonus point win for Connacht over the Lions keeps their playoff hopes alive.

Jack Carty broke Eric Elwood's all-time points scoring record for Connacht and Caolin Blade became the first scrumhalf to score a hat-trick for Connacht.

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Connacht failed to secure a home Round of 16 match in the Challenge Cup after yet ANOTHER defeat on English soil as they failed to cope with the power and precision of the early onslaught by Newcastle.

The Craggy Crew try and make sense of the wildly fluctuating performance and question some of the selection decisions that came back to haunt Andy Friend and his coaching brain trust as an away trip to Italy is their reward for winning 3 of the 4 matches in the pool stages of the Challenge Cup.

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Connacht scored their biggest ever win over a French team to qualify for the Round of 16 when defeating Brive 61-5 in the Sportsground.

The Craggy Crew enjoy reviewing the match and we hear the post match thoughts of Andy Friend and Niall Murray.

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Connacht snaffled a bonus point win in atrocious conditions as they remain unbeaten against South African opposition in the Sportsground and the Craggy Crew are no longer grumpy in the post match analysis.

We hear the post match thoughts of Andy Friend and Mack Hansen as well as a very thoughtful Sharks coach Joey Mongalo.

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That was not the start to the New Year that Connacht would have wanted as a rampant Leinster put them to the sword.

William Davies and Rob Murphy discuss a pretty damning defeat and we hear the post match thoughts from Andy Friend and the Murray brothers, who became only the 2nd ever pair of brothers to start in the second row together for Connacht.

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Connacht almost snatched a draw from the wide open jaws of defeat, but the better team on the night won the match in a dramatic finish and a pretty gutted Craggy Crew don't hold back on their feelings about yet another defeat in an Interpro.

We also hear the post match thoughts of Andy Friend, Conor Oliver and Dan McFarland.

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Connacht got the 5 try bonus that they needed in a somewhat bizarre match in the south of France as they defeated Brive 24-31 in a match that saw Abraham Papali'i once again red carded as well as Brive losing a couple of other players to the sin bin.

It wasn't all good news for Connacht as both Paul Boyle and Gavin Thornbury appear to have sustained long term injuries.

William Davies, Niall Sheil and Alan Deegan take you through the match while we hear from the travelling support as well as Andy Friend and David Hawkshaw

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Connacht defeated a big Newcastle side in Round 1 of the Challenge Cup at a frigid Sportsground to get their campaign off to a good start.

We hear the post match thoughts of Andy Friend and Jarrad Butler as well as Newcastle coach Dave Walder.

Rob Murphy hosts the podcast and chats to Linley MacKenzie, Dave Finn and William Davies.

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A much needed bonus point win was garnered against a resolute Benetton side and the Craggy Crew take you through the match and give us their post-match thoughts along with Andy Friend and Paul Boyle.

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What a frustrating display and result for Connacht as another trip to Thomond Park ends disappointingly.

The Craggy Crew travelled with the Connacht Clan for this trip and we get a flavour of what it is like from the fans perspective on an away trip.

Rob Murphy and William Davies give us their immediate after match thoughts from the Galway Bay FM commentary and we hear from a very angry sounding Andy Friend and annoyed Tom Farrell in the post match press conference.

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Connacht recovered from a disastrous start to scrap a 3 point win over the Ospreys to keep their hopes of reaching the URC playoffs firmly alive as we go into the break for the November international series.

William Davies, Rob Murphy and Alan Deegan take you through the match and analyse what is different about this Connacht side over previous Connacht teams who would more than likely have folded after a start like that.

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Connacht delivered a much needed bonus point win on another inclement evening in the Sportsground.

Danny, Rob and Alan take you through the match while William and Linley join in for the post match analysis.

We hear the post match thoughts of a relieved Andy Friend and Byron Ralston.

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The intensity of the wind and rain was matched by the players from both sides in a tough, gritty interpro with the extra bit of class that having a World Rugby player of the year nominee in Josh van der Flier being the difference between the teams.

There is a pretty intense debate in the post-match amongst the Craggy Crew too.

We hear from Andy Friend, Paul Boyle and Leo Cullen in the press match press conference.

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A win was required and a win was secured on the new artificial turf in front of a packed Sportsground.

Almost the full Craggy Crew were in attendance and we hear their views on the hard fought win over a pretty insipid Munster team, as well as the thoughts of the ever entertaining Finlay Bealham and a relieved Andy Friend in the post match press conference.

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William Davies and Alan Deegan review another dispiriting defeat for Connacht as they are hammered by the Bulls in Pretoria.

We hear from an angry Andy Friend and philosophical Jarrad Butler in the post match press conference. 

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William Davies, Danny Deegan and Alan Deegan take you through another tough defeat for Connacht and spend a lot of time talking about the red card decision that destroyed any chance of a Connacht comeback.

We hear the post match thoughts of Andy Friend, Dylan Tierney-Martin and Stormers head coach John Dobson too.

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Well that was a pretty sobering start to the season for Connacht. 

Rob Murphy hosts the first post-match pod of the season with Niall "Packie" Shiel and William Davies not holding back on what was one of the most insipid displays by Connacht of the Andy Friend era.

We hear the post match thoughts of a seething Andy Friend and a very downbeat captain for the night Gavin Thornbury.

The trip to SA to take on the champions and runners-up is next on the cards, a tough start to the season looks a lot tougher now.

If you like what we do and would like to support the podcast please let people know about us, rate on whatever podcast app you are listening to this podcast on or you could even signup to patreon.com/craggyrugby get the full comprehensive package of podcast hat we create on Connacht rugby throughout the season.

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The Craggy Crew were in Dubarry Park to see an impressively gritty display from Connacht as they stood up to a typically physical visiting English side in Sale for the second preseason friendly of the new season to win by 3 tries to 1. Tries from Conor Oliver and Academy players Eoin de Buitlear and Josh O'Connor showed the potency of the Connacht attack is still very much in evidence.

We hear from Andy Friend about his new title of Director of Rugby as well as new signing Josh Murphy and Dylan Tierney-Martin in the post match interviews.

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Connacht just about managed to win their final game of the season and the Craggy Crew were as rusty as the team in recording the various bits of this podcast.

Rob Murphy hosts the podcast, William Davies and Alan Deegan take you through the game and Dave Finn joins the post match analysis that spent more time reminiscing about the Sportsground before the pitch is dug up.

We hear from Andy Friend and new superstar Cian Prendergast as well as Ultan Dillane and very emotional Eoghan Masterson in the post match interviews.

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Rob Murphy hosts the first of a series of podcasts to wrap up the rugby season for Connacht with guests Niall Shiel, Dave Finn and Danny Deegan.

There is the latest news roundup, tributes to the players leaving at the end of the season and a new quiz feature where the guests are marked on their arguments for their player of the season, young player of the season and try of the season.

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William Davies and Rob Murphy review round 4 of the 6 Nations as well as talking about the plethora of new signings being announced by Connacht and we also hear some of the highlights of the interview William did with Ireland U20s forwards coach Jimmy Duffy, the full interview is available on patreon.com/craggyrugby

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Connacht had to dig deep to ensure their unbeaten home record against South African sides stayed intact.

Alan Deegan hosts this weeks podcast with guests Danny Deegan, Fiona Halligan and Dave Finn and we hear from Rob Murphy and William Davies in the match commentary snippets.

William also got the post match musings of Andy Friend, Paul Boyle and Stormers head coach John Dobson.

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Linley Mackenzie and Danny Deegan join host Alan Deegan to preview the visit of the Stormers to what will probably be a pretty stormy Sportsground for the re-fixed Round 10 match of the United Rugby Championship.

We hear some of the highlights of the both the Connacht and Stormers press conferences.

And finally there is a big call out to the award winning friend of the podcast photographer James Crombie who picked up the Press Photographer of the Year last week.

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Enjoy this small sample of some of the content for the Scarlets review podcast which is available at patreon.com/craggyrugby to Craggy club members only, which has exclusive post match audio from Andy Friend as well as the normal Craggy Crew analysis on the match.

So if you are not already a club member, why not join the Craggy Rugby club on patreon.com/craggyrugby for the price of a coffee and a snack to support the work we do in providing the most comprehensive coverage of Connacht Rugby anywhere.

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William Davies and Alan Deegan luxuriate in the fabulous debut by Mack Hansen as well as the excellence of Bundee Aki and not forgetting about a solid display by Finlay Bealham as the Connacht contingent were a major part of Ireland's destructive display in the victory over Wales in Round 1 of the 2022 6N.

We also talk about the other matches in the 6N as well as the impressive win by the U20s where Connacht scrum-half Matthew Devine had an excellent game.

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Well that was a pretty underwhelming way to get back to the bread and butter of the United Rugby Championship.

Linley MacKenzie and Dave Finn are on analysis duty to try and pick out some rays of light in the most disappointing display of the season, while Danny Deegan takes us through the match.

We here the pre-match thoughts of former Connacht back coach Nigel Carolan and we hear a pretty angry Andy Friend and equally annoyed sounding Sammy Arnold in the post match press conference.

We also have a new feature this week where we head down to Murty Rabbitts to get the thoughts of some of the hardcore Connacht fans, something that will happen after every home match, no matter what the result.

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Well Connacht are certainly the great entertainers in not only URC rugby but in Heineken Champions Cup rugby, all they need to do now is to finish games as strongly as they start.

A second week in a row of losing a match from a strong position but with the benefit of both a try bonus point as well as a losing bonus point will hopefully lead to more good lessons as the season develops.

Rob Murphy hosts the post match podcast with guests William Davies and Alan Deegan and we here the post match thoughts of Pete Wilkins and Jack Carty.

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Well that was pretty gut-wrenching but the saying goes that you learn more from your defeats than your victories, well lets hope Connacht learn some huge lessons from this.

We have a bumper podcast, with the voices of Rob Murphy, William Davies, Niall Shiel and Dave Finn all joining host Alan Deegan in trying to make sense of how Connacht managed to throw that one away. We also hear from Connacht legend Michael Swift as well as the post match thoughts of Andy Friend, Niall Murray and Leicester's Steve Borthwick and a cameo appearance from BBC Leicester rugby correspondent Adam Whitty.

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What a gritty win in an enthralling, if somewhat turgid, and fiery interpro battle by Connacht over Munster.

Rob Murphy and William Davies take you through the match and analyse a much needed win and we hear the immediate post match thoughts of Bernard Jackman. 

Johan van Graan spoke to William in the post match press conference, while Rob spoke to Cian Prendergast and Andy Friend.

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Rob Murphy and William Davies chat about the disappointment of not having a trip to Belfast, how all these postponements might affect the rest of the season and wax lyrical about the important re-signing of Finlay Bealham.

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Connacht proved that they are a full-on Champions Cup team this season with the performance and garnering of a LBP at the unbeaten Leicester Tigers in Round 2 of this season's Heineken Champions Cup.

We have a packed podcast to take you through the match, hear the post match views of Andy Friend and Jack Carty as well as getting the view of BBC Leicester rugby commentator Chris Egerton on what was an absorbing encounter.

Rob Murphy hosts the podcast with William Davies, Dave Finn and Alan Deegan all chipping in with their points of view on the match and we talk about Jack Carty becoming the first Connacht player to achieve the scoring grand slam of a try, conversion, penalty and drop goal in a match, could hardly have picked a better place to do it.

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Connacht recorded their joint biggest win in their Champions Cup history and their first every try bonus against French opposition as they put Stade Francais to the sword in the Sportsground in Round 1 of this season's Heineken Champions Cup.

The Craggy Crew take you through the match and give their post match thoughts while we hear from Andy Friend and Jack Carty at the press conference.

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Connacht really did feel the full force of the backlash from Leinster after suffering another comprehensive defeat by the standard bearers in the URC. It looked so promising for the first 30 minutes or so, but Leinster had just too much firepower.

William Davies, Dave Finn and Alan Deegan were on hand to run the rule over another disappointing trip to the RDS and we hear the post match thoughts of a contented Leo Cullen and a pretty annoyed Andy Friend.

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Connacht returned after the early season URC break at the same pace as they entered it, playing some astonishingly good rugby and all the more astonishing considering the woeful weather conditions.

Alan Deegan hosts this slightly shorter, weather affected,  match day podcasts where we hear from William Davies, Dave Finn and Linley MacKenzie as they give their thoughts from before, during and after the match and we also hear from a very satisfied Andy Friend and the man who celebrated his 150th appearance Dave Heffernan.

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Wow, what a win and what an atmosphere at the home of Irish rugby for the cinderella province as they produced a wonderful performance to totally eclipse the previously unbeaten Ulster side.

Almost the whole Craggy Crew were there to run the rule over an admittedly flawed but ultimately satisfying performance and result for Connacht.

We hear from Andy Friend, double try scoring hero Mack Hansen as well as a pretty dejected Dan McFarland in the post match press conference.

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It was an epic URC game in Thomond Park with Munster managing to sneak past Connacht with a late, late try after the visitors had forced themselves in front with a few minutes to go.

Connacht's consistent inconsistency continues with another massive performance in Thomond Park, that's 3 one score games in a row between the sides.

The ball didn't bounce Connacht's way, the 50-50 decisions appeared to go against them, as Andy Friend so eloquently discusses in the post match press conference.

As well as Andy Friend and Tiernan O' Halloran, we hear the thoughts of Irish Time rugby  correspondent Gerry Thornley on how Connacht are still get the raw end of the stick on tight decisions in Interpro matches.

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The only consistent thing about Connacht is their inconsistency. They had enough territory and possession in the first half to have put the game beyond the Dragons, but were given a lesson in game management in the the second half as the visitors deservedly won their first match in the Sportsground since 2004.

We hear the post match thoughts of Andy Friend and Paul Boyle as Rob Murphy hosts the podcast with guests Dave Finn, Linley MacKenzie and Alan Deegan, while we get the in-match thoughts from William Davies.

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Connacht got their season up and running with a brilliant beating of the Bulls in the first URC match of the season in the Sportsground.

Rob Murphy hosts a very upbeat podcast with guests Linley MacKenzie, Dave Finn, Alan Deegan and a late appearance of William Davies while we also hear the post-match thoughts of Andy Friend and Mack Hansen.

We also pay tribute to Leanardo Mussini who was the PRO for Zebre Rugby and very good friend of the podcast who was always generous with his time whenever we were in Parma, a true gentleman of the game and a huge loss to his loved ones, may he rest in peace.

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Not only do we have the Connacht coaching ticket's view, thanks to Mossy Lawlor, on their team selection for their first ever match against the Vodacom Bulls, William Davies also got Jake White's thoughts on his team selection and the challenges they are expecting for their first visit to the West of Ireland.

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This week's podcast sees the return of our South African correspondent, Morgan Piek, to get the view of how the URC is being viewed in that rugby mad country as well as his thoughts on how the Bulls will react to the comprehensive defeat to Leinster.

We hear some of the Connacht press conference highlights with Tom Daly and Pete Wilkins as well as the thoughts of former Munster player, now Bulls flanker, Arno Botha.

Galway Bay FM rugby correspondent William Davies joins host Alan Deegan to reviews some of the stats from the Cardiff match, quickly pass over the defeat of the Irish Women to Scotland in the WRWC qualifier and then preview what looks like is going to be a tough outing for Connacht against the Bulls in the first URC match in the Sportsground this season.

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A hugely disappointing start to the season with a big defeat away to Cardiff is captured by William Davies and Rob Murphy who travelled to a Connacht away match for the first time in 20 months.

We hear from a philosophical Jarrad Butler and a very frustrated and clearly annoyed Andy Friend in the first non-zoom post match interviews in yonks.

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William Davies chatted to Pete Wilkins about the first team selection of the season as Connacht travel to Cardiff for Round 1 of the new United Rugby Championship. 

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The first match of the season is almost upon us, but the big news is not the trip to Cardiff, it's the fact that Connacht are moving their home interpro match against Ulster in October to the Aviva Stadium on the day after the proposed lifting of all COVID restrictions.

We hear the thoughts of club captain Jarrad Butler and head coach Andy Friend in press conference as podcast host Alan Deegan is joined by William Davies and Niall Shiel to talk about that exciting development as well as how difficult a start it will be in Cardiff and how Beibhinn Parson's could be a better rugby player than Brian O'Driscoll

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The new season is almost upon and an almost full Craggy Crew share their hopes, aspirations and fears for the challenge the new United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup hold in store for Connacht Rugby.

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IWilliam Davies and Alan Deegan discuss the somewhat lob-sided looking URC fixture list from a Connacht perspective as the approaching new season for the Men's team gathers momentum in Part 1 of the podcast.

In Part 2 there is full coverage of the Women's first Interpro of the season with Connacht legend Ali Miller giving her insightful thoughts on the narrow defeat at home to Leinster as well as her thoughts on where the Women's game needs to go to become more successful in Ireland.

William spoke to Connacht coach Ross Mannion after the match too.

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Connacht are back training, the Lions have just won the first Test against South Africa, the Champions Cup draw has Connacht taking on the might of Leicester Tigers, who will visit the Sportsground for the first time ever, as well as a first ever match against Stade Francais Paris, what a couple of fantastic trips, COVID notwithstanding, to look forward to for the fans.

The western province have 2 more Irish capped players in Caolin Blade and Paul Boyle and were brilliantly represented at the U20 level for Ireland by Shane Jennings, Cathal Forde, Oisin McCormack, Donncha Byrne and Eoin de Buitlear.

The Connacht Women get 2 home Interpros this season and there is a well structured AIL season for both men and women to look forward to as well.

There is also a discussion on Mental Health Wellness and how it is being supported by Jack Carty with the Tackle Your Feelings campaign and you can hear his interview with William Davies on our Patreon page.

So plenty of green tinged chat for William Davies, Rob Murphy and Alan Deegan to sink their teeth into for the mid-summer podcast, there might even be some info on Connacht's preseason friendlies in there too.

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In a Craggy Rugby exclusive, Andy Friend spoke at length about his hopes and expectations for Connacht Rugby in the new United Rugby Championship.

He spoke to Rob Murphy and Linley MacKenzie on a video conference call as he approached the end of his quarantine period in a Brisbane hotel on a much needed trip home to Australia.

The genial Aussie spoke about the challenge of taking Connacht to the next level, leading a new coaching team and providing Connacht with a more defined playing identity as he breaks new ground in his coaching career with this being the first time he has stayed at a club longer than 3 seasons.

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The PRO14 has morphed once again and now we have the United Rugby Championship, the URC.

William Davies and Niall Shiel join Alan Deegan to discuss this seismic shift in international club rugby and how big a challenge it is going to be for Connacht.

We also talk about the excellent representation at both U20 and Senior Men International level that Connacht players will be making in the upcoming 6N and Summer Internationals respectively.

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Well that was a sometimes weird and sometimes wonderful season.

Was it a good season or not for Connacht, how much did Connacht miss their fans, who was the most impressive player, it's all in the podcast in the company of Danny Deegan and Dave Finn with Alan Deegan hosting.

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A craicing end of season performance brought the desired result that Andy Friend had demanded after the poor performance and result that leaves Connacht bouncing into the off-season on a bit of a high.

The Craggy Crew take you through the match and discuss the big win and we hear from Andy Friend and Alex Wootton in the press conference.

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William Davies chatted to Connacht forwards coach Jimmy Duffy about the team selection for Connacht's final game of the season.

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Connacht invariable finish the season on a loss, winning only 4 of their 19 final regular season games since the start of the PRO14, will it be any different against an Ospreys side with a lot to play for?

We hear from Bundee Aki for the first time since becoming a Lion, as well as an obviously angry Andy Friend who seems determined that Connacht finish with a bang.

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Bundee Aki spoke at a Connacht press conference for the first time since being selected for the British and Irish Lions today, we hear all the questions from the live section of the press conference in this mini pod.

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Benetton kept their hopes reaching the Rainbow Cup final firmly on course when a dogged win over the maddeningly inconsistent Connacht team in Treviso.

The visitors lost the man earning his 200th cap, Denis Buckley, after only 32 seconds which had a massive impact on the game as the majority of the 15 penalties that Benetton won in the match came at scrum time, losing Abraham Papali'i to yet another red card didn't help either, but the home side were deserved winners.

We hear from a very honest, as always, Andy Friend and Tom Daly in the post match interviews as Rob Murphy, William Davies and Alan Deegan discuss yet another disappointing display after a big win from the men from the West.

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William Davies spoke to Nigel Carolan after the Connacht team was announced for the trip to Treviso to take on table topping Benetton in the Rainbow Cup.

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Denis Buckley will become only the 3rd player to play 200 times for Connacht when he takes the field against Benetton in the Rainbow Cup in a game that sees the Italian side looking to keep their unbeaten record as they top the Rainbow Cup table.

William Davies was asking the questions at the press conference where Denis was joined by Connacht defense coach Pete Wilkins.

Linley MacKenzie and Danny Deegan join host Alan Deegan to wax lyrical about the best prop in Ireland not to be capped, so far, talk about the possible loss of Sean G O'Brien to Exeter, how Jarrad Butler is well worth a punt to get capped for Ireland soon as well as previewing the match in Italy.

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Connacht stood up and fought for every minute of this hard fought victory against a fully loaded Munster team to halt a run of 8 defeats in a row against their southern provincial rivals.

Rob Murphy takes you through the match, we hear from his co-commentator William Davies for their immediate post match reactions. There is also the thoughts of Andy Friend and Niall Murray from the press conference.

The rest of the pod has the voices of Linley MacKenzie, Niall Sheil, Danny Deegan and host Alan Deegan as they enjoy the after-glow of a great victory in a craicing match.

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William Davies caught up with Connacht defensive coach Pete Wilkins on an interesting team selection for the second trip to Thomond Park this season.

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William Davies and Niall Sheil join Alan Deegan to preview the second trip of the season to Thomond Park for Connacht as they look to bounce back after the hammering by Leinster last weekend.

We hear the thoughts of Gavin Thornbury and Andy Friend from the press conference, with some probing questions from both William and Linley on the loss of Quinn Roux and the work being done to make Connacht more resilient when the pressure is applied by opposing teams.

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Connacht started the game like a whirlwind but got blown away by a hurricane of a performance by the PRO14 champions in the Sportsground in round 2 of the Rainbow Cup.

The Craggy crew are not too despondent with the home team been hammered by one of the best teams in Europe and are buzzing about Bundee Aki becoming Connacht's 4th British and Irish Lion.

We also hear the post-match thoughts of Andy Friend and Peter Sullivan.

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William Davies chatted to Connacht forwards coach Jimmy Duffy about the team selection for the home match against Leinster in the Sportsground on Saturday evening.

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Connacht have an unusual opportunity to complete a double over Leinster when the PRO14 champions arrive in the Sportsground on Saturday evening.

Linley Mackenzie, Sports Editor for the Galway Advertiser and Connacht Rugby correspondent for the Irish Times joins resident Craggy statsman Danny Deegan and host Alan Deegan to discuss the challenge that the Leinster will represent to a resurgent Connacht as well as hearing about the new signing Mack Hansen, the contract extension for Abraham Papali'i and the new forwards coach Dewald Senekal.

We also hear the thoughts of Dave Heffernan and Andy Friend from the Connacht press conference as well as some snippets of James Tracey and Stuart Lancaster from the Leinster press conference.

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Who knew how important the new law allowing the captain to challenge a refereeing decision would be in changing the result of a match, well now we know. Connacht came from 10 points behind in Belfast to record only their second win in 61 years away to their northern neighbours while also securing their first ever bonus point win in the Kingspan Stadium.

Rob Murphy and William Davies take you through the game and we hear from Dan McFarland, Andy Friend, Caolin Blade and Eoghan Masterson in the post match press conferences.

Rob and William are joined by Alan Deegan to dissect a result that gives Connacht a fighting chance to make a go at winning the Rainbow Cup.

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William Davies caught up with Nigel Carolan to discuss the team selected to take on Ulster in the first interpro of the Rainbow Cup in Belfast. We also get the latest squad update for Connacht as well as the thoughts of Ulster skill coach Dan Soper and Jacob Stockdale on the threat that Connacht pose to the northern province in round 1.

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The Rainbow Cup has finally arrived, all be it a very fragmented tournament and Connacht get the opportunity to play 3 more interpros, with a trip to Belfast first on the list.

William Davies spoke to Andy Friend, Jimmy Duffy and Finlay Bealham in the press conference and he is joined by Linley MacKenzie, Danny Deegan and host Alan Deegan to preview the match as well as talk about the impending departure of Jimmy Duffy and the struggles of the Irish Women's team against France.

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A disappointing finish to the season for Connacht as they once again fail to register a win in England as they were well beaten by Leicester Tigers. We hear the post-match thoughts go Andy Friend and Paul Boyle while Rob Murphy and William Davies take you through the match.

William and Rob are joined by Alan Deegan to try and make sense of another Jekyll and Hyde performance by this talented but flawed squad.

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It's a European knockout match and there has been some more big news from Connacht this week so a bonus podcast is needed.

William Davies interviews Pete Wilkins about the team selection for the Leicester match as a well as getting a little insight into Wilkins new role as Senior coach for next season.

William also interviewed BBC Leicester's main rugby commentator Adam Whitty about the surprising team selections that Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick has made for the match, with effectively a 2nd string team being put out to take on Connacht.

William is joined by Alan Deegan to talk about the shock news of Jimmy Duffy's impending departure as forwards coach and quickly look at the 2 new appointments to the coaching staff for next season, Colm  Tucker and Mossy Lawler.

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It's a big European week for Connacht as they take on the might of the Leicester Tigers for the first time in a competitive match and the Craggy Crew cogitate over how the western province can break their hoodoo of loses in England with only 2 wins ever recorded on English soil.

The crew also pay tribute to Nigel Carolan who announced his departure from Connacht last week and we hear from the man himself, as well as head coach Andy Friend and rising star Paul Boyle as they talk to William at the midweek press conference.

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