Trailing Conference B leaders Munster by nine points with three rounds remaining, Connacht know that Friday's Guinness Pro14 Thomond clash is a must-win.
In a condensed season, only the conference winners progress to a final and time is running out, says Tiernan O’Halloran.
"When you look at the tables and the fixtures and how many games are left I would say yes [it’s must-win], it’s pretty crucial for us to get a result down there," the 30-year-old full-back told RTÉ Sport.
"If we come out of there with zero points and they get four or five then you are looking at hoping Munster are going to [lose] games in the last few games of the season and it’s probably not realistic.
"Even if we do win, we are hoping for a slip-up from Munster. They are obviously in control of that."
While the Westerners home form has been poor, they have recorded five of their eight wins on the road.
It's something that gives O’Halloran, capped by Ireland six times in 2016 and 2017, cause for optimism.
"You look at everything that has happened around the pandemic, away records, and we’ve won five in a row away from home," he said.
"The atmosphere usually at Thomond Park, there’s a lot of pressure there.
"Any little mistakes, the crowd feed off that so I think that itself relieves a slight bit of pressure and it opens up the game a bit more.
"You can see teams winning away from home [a bit more]. That makes a bit of a difference."
Follow Munster v Connacht (7.35pm, Friday) and Ulster v Leinster (7.35pm, Saturday) via our live blogs on RTE.ie and the RTÉ News app or listen live on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra and RTÉ Radio 1.
