Erasmus: ‘Maybe a step too far for Munster’

Editor

Munster boss Rassie Erasmus conceded that Saturday's PRO12 Final saw his side possibly reach their limit for this season.

It has been a campaign quite unlike any other for Munster, rocked by the loss of former player and coach Anthony Foley, in Erasmus's first year in charge, whilst making the PRO12 Final and Champions Cup semi-finals.

Acknowledging how much his players had gone through, and how far they had come over the last few months, Erasmus conceded that Munster had arguably run out of steam.

“Maybe this is just where we are. This team has gone through a lot this year, on and off the field, maybe this was just a step too far," He told the Irish Times.

“It was not difficult to get the boys up for this. We must accept that 12 months ago we were not even close to getting to a play-off. We were sixth or seventh and trying to get into Europe.

“You can only grow so much in a year. We hoped for this game we had grown enough to win a cup. But we didn’t.

“Take the emotions away – and they won’t for two or three weeks– because this will hurt for a while. A player can only so grow so much on the field and mentally.”

The South African coach was also full of praise for the Scarlets, who devastating brand of attacking rugby Munster just couldn't live with at the Aviva Stadium.

“I think if you go and look at those tries (from Scarlets), they were just unbelievable tries," Erasmus told the Press Association.

“A lot of speed and skill. They out-and-out deserved this game, and even from last week, playing with 14 men (against Leinster), going into this game they just stepped it up.

“You can see they are a team that really believe in one another, that understands one another, and really believed in the way the coaches are coaching.

"If you are a little bit off your game, they punish you like they did, so no excuses.”