Munster skipper Barron takes positives after 'bittersweet' night against All Blacks XV

The tourists pulled away in the end against a battling Munster side at Thomond Park. 

POINT THE WAY: Munster's Diarmuid Barron says there's lots the province can take from their night's work after a dramatic week. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Diarmuid Barron described Munster’s defeat to an All Blacks XV as bittersweet after his side pushed the tourists hard at a sold-out Thomond Park before succumbing to two late tries and a 38-24 loss on Saturday evening.

There would be no repeat of the province’s famous victories on the same ground against the Test All Blacks in 1978 and the Maori All Blacks in 2016 but under an interim head coach in Ian Costello following the departure of Graham Rowntree just five days earlier, and missing several key players either through injury or international call-ups, this Munster team gave their supporters a performance to be proud of after a difficult start to the new season.

The match was delicately poised at 26-24 to the tourists entering the final five minutes, only for two late tries from the men in black to put daylight between the sides when it mattered most.

Captain Barron said the post-match home dressing room chat was of “just how proud we are of the performance”.

“It is bittersweet because you go 76 minutes into a game, two points down, you don't think you're going to come away with that scoreline at the end. There are loads of positives to build on.

“What an occasion to be part of, the crowd was incredible and we gave them something to get behind. We have to be aware of that too. There was a lot of good, but a bit to work on as well.” 

Ian Costello, Munster’s Head of Rugby Operations, had been handed the interim role following the shock departure of Rowntree as head coach following three URC defeats in a row at Leinster, the Stormers and the Sharks and the Limerick man had emphasised the importance of treating this game as a one-off occasion before a four-week gap to their next competitive fixture, back at Thomond Park against the Lions on November 30. It certainly delivered as a special night in front of 26.267 supporters.

“It was an incredible occasion,” Costello said. “We had prepared for it, we talked about it, you think you know what to expect and then you come to a full Thomond Park and give the crowd something to identify with like that and get involved in. It was incredible.

“I think we talked about playing the occasion, the lads talked about playing with freedom, and we really wanted to enjoy it. It's really strange because we're gutted. At 76 minutes it was right there for us to make history, but it's hard to stay gutted for long when you get a performance like that.” 

Costello said he was not concerned about the 14-point margin between the sides.

“The scoreboard is kind of irrelevant. You won't hear us say that too often. Tonight was about the performance.

“We had a lineout on the halfway line with five minutes to go, we lose the lineout, they score, they're a clinical side. But tonight's not about them, it's about us pulling together as a club this week.

“And not just saying we'd do it, but it was quality in terms of the preparation. The players and coaches did an incredible job, and there's a lot of satisfaction in producing a performance like that, even though ultimately we came up a little bit short.

“There was a lot to build on, and there were six academy lads out there as well, four of them in a pack at the end winning a scrum. That's a nice little taste of the future hopefully.”