Munster must avenge a bitter defeat at the daunting Stade Marcel Michelin next weekend
Anthony Foley had no complaints about Clermont’s victory over his humbled Munster men but believes they are more than capable of salvaging their Champions Cup campaign.
Clermont became the first French side to win at Thomond Park and Foley conceded Munster lost the physical battle. He agreed that his side made a very poor start in their 16-9 home defeat. He said, ‘That allowed them belief, obviously five points (Fritz Lee off a rolling maul), and they grew into the game from there.
‘We didn’t get as physically into the game as we would have liked. Some of that is turning over the ball, not making good use of the ball and putting pressure on them. We soaked up a lot of pressure and then ended up giving a lot of points to them.’
Munster improved after the break and an Ian Keatley penalty made it a one-score game but, ultimately, turnovers in the Clermont 22 cost them. ‘The boys weren’t even out of breath at half-time,’ Foley revealed. ‘They hadn’t fired a shot in the first half.’
Munster were guilty of a host of unforced errors, missed 12 of the 75 tackles they attempted and were turned over on 16 occasions. ‘When we played Saracens here,’ Foley reflected, ‘every ball that bounced, we were on it. We lost that today. They had a lot of possession and turned us over in key areas. They took the opportunities that came our way and we didn’t… You can’t give players like that front-foot ball or they’ll make hay.’
It was suggested that the match may have come a week to early for Munster to be in their prime but Foley dismissed it, declaring that the undoubtedly better side won. ‘We need to get over there next week and get one over on them,’ he added.
Foley proclaimed, ‘I don’t think we’re going to throw in any towel. We’ll give it our best shot next week and make sure we stay fighting. We’ve got to stay true to the badge we wear. It’s not a great feeling right now in the Munster camp so we’ve got to rectify that.’
Hat-tip to Limerick Rugby
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