MUNSTER HEAD COACH Anthony Foley admitted that ‘the best team won’ a gripping Guinness Pro12 battle at the Sportsground.
It was only Connacht’s second success over Munster in 42 meetings since 1986, but Foley had no complaints about the result. “They did a lot better than we did, they created a lot more opportunities to score compared to what we did,” was Foley’s verdict.
“You take your hat off to them because they managed the conditions better than we did. The best team won.”
Kieran Marmion’s splendid try on the half hour mark was a significant moment according to Foley as Munster, who had been dominant early on accumulating a 13 point advantage, eventually went in 16-7 ahead at the interval.
“I think the momentum changed a couple of times in the game,” Foley admitted. “When we got the try and went 10-0 up we wanted to keep shifting on the scoreboard, but unfortunately we conceded a try ourselves in the latter end of the first half.
“The difference going into your changing room being nine or 16 points down with the elements the way they were is huge. I think they had a bit of a spring in their step after scoring that try. It wasn’t part of the plan to concede in the first half.
“They kept the ball well in the first half and they had opportunities to shift up the pitch. They played the blindside quite well and their try was ultimately the killer blow in the game-that seven points they got against the breeze.”
Foley acknowledged that the form book is shredded in the interprovincial jousts as Munster failed to build on their St Stephen’s Day success over Leinster.
“We talk about it all year, the derby matches, the inter-pros are tough. We all know each other quite well and we want to get one over on each other. Connacht got a number on us.”
