Ian Keatley backed to turn form around by Anthony Foley

Under-pressure out-half Ian Keatley has been backed to turn his form around after some frank discussions with Munster head coach Anthony Foley.

Keatley missed three place kicks including a penalty in front of the posts when the game was tied at 6-6 during Munster’s 31-19 Champions Cup loss to Leicester Tigers at Thomond Park last Saturday, and had a game to forget with a missed tackle on Niki Goneva as the Fijian scored the go-ahead try just before half-time in a match tightly contested to that point.

His performance was such that a section of Munster supporters greeted his substitution on 74 minutes with a cheer construed as ironic, a reaction that was described by Foley as “disappointing” and which has since been the subject of much criticism from pundits.