“We knew if we gave them soft entries into the 22 they would use it and there were chances that didn’t go our way. But I am proud of the boys for fighting until the end.
“In summary, we had a game plan that we didn’t execute well in the first half and we also gave them soft penalties, and it cost us.”
Stick added if Suleiman Hartzenberg’s try was in and a few other chances went their way, it could have been a different result: “But I’m sure the youngsters will learn from this.”
It was not all doom and gloom for Stick as he praised the spark his bench injected: “Credit to those guys, the bench brought huge energy. We may not have been on the right side of the scoreboard but these young players showed their warrior mindset. We played in front a of passionate sold-out crowd and that is also something the players will learn from.”
SA ‘A’ coach Stick disappointed with loss to Munster but proud of the players’ fight
Image: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images
South Africa “A” coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Thomas du Toit were disappointed after the team’s defeat by Munster at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork on Thursday night in the first of their two midweek matches on the year-end tour.
Munster outscored the South African team 28-14 with four tries to two, though had a few opportunities stuck for the visitors the result could have been different.
Speaking after the match, Stick gave credit to Munster for their performance on a wet and windy night in Ireland.
“They played the conditions well and used it to their advantage.
Munster add SA ‘A’ to list of famous scalps
“We knew if we gave them soft entries into the 22 they would use it and there were chances that didn’t go our way. But I am proud of the boys for fighting until the end.
“In summary, we had a game plan that we didn’t execute well in the first half and we also gave them soft penalties, and it cost us.”
Stick added if Suleiman Hartzenberg’s try was in and a few other chances went their way, it could have been a different result: “But I’m sure the youngsters will learn from this.”
It was not all doom and gloom for Stick as he praised the spark his bench injected: “Credit to those guys, the bench brought huge energy. We may not have been on the right side of the scoreboard but these young players showed their warrior mindset. We played in front a of passionate sold-out crowd and that is also something the players will learn from.”
Boks need to kick habit: Problems explained but not entirely cleared up
Du Toit said a contributing factor to the defeat was that they only had a few days to train and gel against a well-rounded and settled Munster team.
“We are not making excuses — the team had minimal time together to put our structures in place and build cohesion and we played in different weather conditions.
“Munster know each other well and have been playing together for years, whereas we are a completely new team,” he said.
With another fixture lined up next week on Thursday against the Bristol Bears, Stick said they would go back to the drawing board and work on the necessary improvements in an attempt to deliver a winning performance.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos