“I wouldn’t say we were flat” – Larkham defends Munster’s PRO14 final performance

Stephen Larkham has spoken of Munster’s disappointment following their 16-6 PRO14 final defeat to Leinster but was also quick to insist Munster are comfortable with the progress they have made this season.

Leinster dominated the final for large periods and could have won by more only for two botched overlaps and two held-up tries. Larkham however, swiftly denied that there was a significant gulf in class between the two sides.

“I wouldn’t say we were flat,” said the Munster backs coach. “I think it was one of those games that just crept away from us. We’ve spoken a fair bit about belief this morning and that’s a key message.

“They were better than us on the day but there’s some stats – they made more mistakes than us when they had their hands on the ball, they kicked more than us throughout the game and there were some key moments in the game that went their way…but it was evenly matched throughout the game.

“We have the gameplan and the skill we were just beaten by better execution on the day.”

It doesn’t get any easier for Munster as next up are Top 14 giants Toulouse in the Champions Cup last sixteen. The French side boast of world-class talent like scrumhalf Antoine Dupont and dazzling Springbok Cheslin Kolbe and Munster will need to be at their very best to stand a chance.

Bouncing back from the Leinster game emotionally will be a challenge but one that Larkham is confident Munster can manage.

“It was a big game last week and we built ourselves up through the week and I really did feel that we peaked energy-wise during the game and it’s tough to come back from that.

“You put a lot of energy into that. We gave the guys a couple of days off to try and reinvigorate them today.

“This morning has been a slow start, we’ve been cruising through the stuff that we want to implement this week. This afternoon will be a good session and we’ll get a really good feel for where the team is at.”