Foley: I’ve got to make sure I’m right man for team I love
MUNSTER’S acceleration from 20-point losers to 13-points winners within a week against the same French opposition brought no sense of celebration to under-pressure Anthony Foley, just temporary relief.
Last weekend he let his guard slip at Stade Jean Bouin, accepting the continuation of his contracted two-year reign into a third season was about getting results and how if he no longer felt capable of getting them there was no point in remaining on as head coach.
He continued on a similar theme as he did the interview rounds in the aftermath of just a second win in eight outings this depressing winter, telling RTE
that despite the loyalty shown by Munster chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald, there was still some way to go in negotiations before he could feel confident in exercising the option of staying on for another 12 months.
A final decision is expected early next month.
‘I’ve got to make sure I’m doing the right thing for the team I love,’ he said.
‘It’s hard at times. I’m looking at where we’re going and am I the right person to do it. I question myself hard – I did it as a player and I got results because I looked at myself first. I never blamed anyone else before I looked at my contribution.’
Despite yesterday lunchtime’s success, Foley departed Thomond Park knowing the undeniable fact was that the performance he wanted against Stade came a week too late to save Munster from Champions Cup elimination, and he was equally conscious how there could yet be a nasty sting in the tail next Sunday at Treviso – winless in all 17 outings this term – if maddening weekly inconsistencies continue.
‘It all depends on what we do next week,’ Foley said in another interview, evaluating the currency of beating Stade at the second time of asking.
‘We have to turn up next week. Plenty of teams have gone over to Treviso and come unstuck in round six.
‘Ospreys were recently over there and got unstuck. We have to respect Marius (Goosen) and his team and make sure we turn up in the right frame of mind, with the right attitude.
‘The performance wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination,’ he added, reflecting on just the fifth win of his 11-game European reign.
‘Look at their try, that would be frustrating, the overthrow in the line-out, to see that happen again… it’s the nature of the run we are on.’