Relieved Foley backs Munster to learn from experience

The Munstermen had to beat Scarlets to assure Champions Cup rugby next season, and they ended a nervy first half 14-12 in front.

But they kept their composure and Ronan O'Mahony, Rory Scannell and man-of-the-match CJ Stander dotted down to complete a 31-15 win – and bring a smile to the face of Foley.

"There's a lot of relief in the dressing-room," said Foley.

"You saw a lot of nerves out there, there was a lot of indecision and young guys who were carrying the weight of having to qualify for the Champions Cup.

"Hopefully, the kind of experience they have gained in the last couple of weeks will help them in the future when hopefully they can be challenging for trophies instead of just trying to qualify for the Champions Cup.

"We have been missing a lot of players; Mark Chisholm, Peter O'Mahony, BJ Botha, Denis Hurley, Felix Jones – there are five players straight off who weren't with us and it is understandable that we're lacking players. But the guys who came in did really well for us."

Ireland back row Stander has been man-of-the-match almost too many times to count for Munster over the last two years and was at his bulldozing best again here.

And though the Munstermen suffered from a series of inaccuracies, Scarlets could not find the try-line and only had five Steve Shingler penalties to show for their efforts.

Foley added: "We did really well in this game at half-time to be 14-12 ahead, it gave us some breathing space which was vital because we didn't hold on to the ball that well in the first-half.

"It is always better to be in possession because then your actions dictate the game. 

"They have a high-tempo game but we executed on the back of a couple of turnovers which was a big help."