Leinster might benefit from us more than the other provinces, but they also provide a playing pool we also profit from. McSharry, Kearney, Maguire, POD and now Tonetti (if in a roundabout way and we all know we wanted to sign him last year) this year alone.

Leinster tend to poach alot of players though which makes the rivalrier stronger.

It has to be Leinster every year they poach more players from us than everyone else combined. Which does us the most damage both on and off the pitch!

I think Ulster would be ones I like to beat the most. We always play so badly against them, and they are the ones we are chasing.

For me it's munster first as our nearest neighbors and the yardstick of irish rugby for so long. Also a win against munster is sure to register with media and pundits alike. Love to wipe the smuggness out of Sheehan, not sure if there would be anything left without smug. The (piss)artist formerly known as Frankie smug Sheehan.

Ulster next mainly because they should occasionally be beaten by us but almost never underestimate us and kinda stamp on us every time. For some reason we never play well against them.

Leinster, nah not too bothered, their innate superiority ensures that every couple years they forget about the last beating and come down thinking we are there for the taking and scurry back east with their tails between their legs. Long may that continue.

Non Irish teams, dragons because they have as difficult a time as us financially and are a decent measure of where we are. Great job being done their at the moment and we need to ensure we keep strides.

In Europe it has to be Quins. We seem to play them every other year.


The team I want to beat more than any other is Munster. We've faced many a weakened Munster team in the past at home and we still can't beat them!


As for BOD refusing to sign kids jerseys after losing to us a few years back, that's not how I heard it. He signed a few (and you're never going to sign them all) and then, quite wittily I thought, said "Sorry guys, I have to go in now and get given out to"

Away from the interpros I suppose there was a few years when we were getting Narbonne, Montpellier every season. We have had a lot of games against Harlequins over the years with two more to come but those kind of games haven't the same grudge feel as the interpros. European nights bring a special atmosphere though especially visiting English sides who we'd like to bring down a peg or two.

French sides don't like coming to Galway to play that's for sure, even the better sides have struggled to come away with a win. Of course in the past they came with weakened squads usually as they fought to avoid relagation from Top14, but as Bourgoin & Toulon proved the season before last that French teams now come expecting a tough night. I'd be very surprised if Toulouse didn't bring their full armoury whether starting or on the bench...

But there isn't any real sense of rivalry against the French clubs sides, rivalry really only exists through familiarity and proximity......

Leinster seems to be the one the players get up for more than the others, it has always seemed to be the case even before the days the Celtic League got up and running.

I think we have let ourselves down against Ulster a lot of times in recent years at home in particular, should have had another couple of victories over them.

Some hard fought games against Munster but ultimately only one win, 2010 game a few days before the Leinster game was a hard one to stomach, really didn't perform when the race for the HC spot was heating up.

Not enough good memories for me. Too many have slipped away.

Away from the interpros I suppose there was a few years when we were getting Narbonne, Montpellier every season. We have had a lot of games against Harlequins over the years with two more to come but those kind of games haven't the same grudge feel as the interpros. European nights bring a special atmosphere though especially visiting English sides who we'd like to bring down a peg or two.

Swifty's try is still a great one.  I counted 11, maybe 12, different pairs of Connacht hands that the ball went through on its way.  As good a kicker as Duffy is, I'm always more than happy to see him running it out of Connacht's end, he had 2-3 good runs in the 2nd half of Saturday's game.  Nikora with the touch line conversion was the icing on the cake.

As far as a rival goes, I guess by default it has to be one of the other provinces though when they ran into the same English or French opposition in the ECC often enough I felt something developing.  In theory since Ulster are usually nearest them in the table you'd think a fiercer rivalry would have developed between the two but they rarely get the large crowds at least at the SG and Connacht have such a tough time causing them any trouble that it never materialised.  Maybe finishing ahead of them in the table one year could change that.  So I would tend to agree with S_P that it has to be Munster.  Yeah, it's fun to smack Leinster in the face from time to time, but there seems to be a more consistent passion when they're playing Munster. 

Ah yeah lads 'n lasses the question wasn't about the best win, as great as the the Leinster win and Swifty's try was.I't Greates Rival....

Munster are our nearest competitors, support that could and should have been coming to the Sportsground was buying into the Munster rhetoric and spiel and jumping into cars and heading for Limerick on a match day...

They are quite simply our nearest and biggest rivals and competitors on and off the pitch, the others don't encorach on our turf at all really....

Leinster tend to poach alot of players though which makes the rivalrier stronger.
As much as I'd like them to go be on and be successful with Leinster and Ireland, I'd get a good kick out of seeing them with their tails between there legs after we give them a beating

Ah yeah lads 'n lasses the question wasn't about the best win, as great as the the Leinster win and Swifty's try was.I't Greates Rival....

Munster are our nearest competitors, support that could and should have been coming to the Sportsground was buying into the Munster rhetoric and spiel and jumping into cars and heading for Limerick on a match day...

They are quite simply our nearest and biggest rivals and competitors on and off the pitch, the others don't encorach on our turf at all really....

I think beating Leinster is the most enjoyable as well.

Their fans, dear God, their fans  ???

Michael Swift Try Against Leinster

these are the moments that keep people coming back! keep memories coming, any other rivalries developing apart from interpros

Beating Munster at the end of 2008 in the Sportsground, all Keatley kicks. That was pretty special.

It will take alot to beat the win over Leinster in the Sportsground in April 2010 though, a Wednesday evening. We had just lost to Munster the previous Sunday playing poorly. It was a big ask for us to get ourselves up for another bruising derby with the fixture congestion and the Amlin Cup run. We had alot of fringe players playing, Nikora and O'Loughlin at half back, Nathan and Wynne in midfield, Tuohy on the wing, McComish at 7. Leinster had alot of big guns out. Swifty's try that night would have to down as my top moment ever. Epic

connacht vs leinster, the year swifty scored that try. we trashed them off the field that day, bod then going into the dressing room refusing to sign any kids jerseys

any great memories against them?