Muldoon and Connacht keen to get back in action

The Irish side's last PRO12 fixture saw them edged out 16-13 by Edinburgh at the Sportsground, and the club have since enjoyed a mid-season break after two European games.

And the veteran back rower, who has made 13 GUINNESS PRO12 appearances so far this campaign, admits his side are looking forward to next weekend's clash with the Scarlets after their time off.

"Back at base it is a massive few weeks for Connacht," Muldoon told the Irish Independent.

"The work we put in this week could be the difference between getting across the line in the final minute of a game down the road.

"We've worked hard so far this season and hopefully this week will set us up nicely for some tough away trips to come and victories that will be so important towards securing that top six finish.

"The time for relaxing is over now, and the last couple of days have been all about regrouping together as a team and focusing our minds on a trip to face Scarlets next week.

"Training this week hasn't been for the faint-hearted, but even just a week away from it all made it feel good to be back at the Sportsground with the boys."

After a bright start to the season Connacht lost three of their last four league games before the break, and Muldoon believes the gap between matches has had its benefits.

"It was good to recharge and refresh during the week off, but I didn't do an awful lot really, apart from helping out a bit at home on the farm - although the weather wasn't the best for pulling on the wellingtons," he added.

"Other guys might have gone on holiday for a few days, but everybody took it easy because they knew it was going to be pretty intensive this week.

"We got back early for a couple of serious strength and conditioning work-outs, but as the week went on we worked our way back towards the tactical side of our game.

"The mind never wandered far from Scarlets though, and we had a bit of a look at them during the week too."

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