CONNACHT COACH KIERAN Keane is confident his side can test Leinster after their rampant win over Scarlets to reach the Champions Cup final as the Sportsground waves goodbye to John Muldoon.
The Galway venue will be packed as Connacht captain Muldoon plays his last game for the side before his retirement, and Keane was full of praise for his captain and Saturday’s opposition.
Should Connacht beat Leo Cullen’s side this weekend it will be the first time in their history that they’ve beaten all three of the other Irish provinces at home in one season, but Keane admits his side face a real challenge after watching them romp through their semi-final opponents at the Aviva Stadium.
“Leinster were awesome, I thought they were wonderful. They certainly hit their straps at the right time, they really put in a powerful performance, and let’s see if they can back it up. We’ll make it a good challenge,” said Keane.
“These are local derbies and when I arrived here I sensed a totally different atmosphere around them. The boys want to play, the boys are disappointed in the changing rooms because they’re not on the team so that is a hell of a good sign for a coach.”
Saturday will be Muldoon’s last game before he retires and joins his former head coach Pat Lam as defence coach with Bristol next season. The Portumna native has played 253 Pro14 games for Connacht and 326 in total to date, and Keane thinks he will get a huge send off from the Sportsground faithful.
“Look, I think it’s a great occasion for Mul but it’s also a huge occasion for the club. It’s a celebration of an incredible life in rugby, at a single club having played 327 games.
“It’s a hell of an achievement by anybody and I think it’s to be celebrated because you don’t often come across that and it was wonderful. It’s wonderful for him, but also for Connacht.
“We would love to be able to achieve (a win) for the man, but also for the occasion. I think it’s a tremendous accolade that the people are coming out to say a fond farewell.
“But personally I think it says a few things about the individual, somebody who sticks around in the same environment for such a long time and leads the club on and off the field. He has been a true talisman for Connacht.”
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