Anthony Foley: I couldn’t say no to Andy Farrell input

Munster head coach Anthony Foley believes it would have been unprofessional to veto Andy Farrell’s appointment as a coaching consultant for the rest of the season.

Struggling Munster, dumped out of the Champions Cup last Saturday following a humiliating 27-7 defeat by 14-man Stade Francais in Paris, yesterday moved to arrest a slide that has seen the province lose seven of their last eight matches in the Guinness Pro12 and Europe.

Less than a week after Farrell was unveiled as Ireland’s new defence coach starting this summer, Munster chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald announced the former England assistant would be taking a part-time advisory role for the next four months.