Anthony Foley content as Munster’s magic returns

Munster 26 Stade Francais 13: The smiles have returned to the faces of the Thomond Park faithful after a miserable winter of discontent but Anthony Foley knows there is still a way to go before the sun will shine once more on this Munster side.

A week on from an embarrassing 27-7 defeat to 14-man Stade Francais in Paris, a good old Munster rolling maul and three wonderful pieces of heads-up rugby in a bonus-point victory over the French champions restored a little pride on Saturday, as did the return of the passion, intensity, and fight so desperately missing seven days earlier at Stade Jean Bouin.

It also gave more than 14,000 diehards some hope that not all is doom and gloom with their team, despite an early pool-stage exit from the Champions Cup.