Leinster head coach Joe Schmidt blamed tiredness for his side's Magners League Grand Final loss to Munster.
Smiling Munster delighted to claim another title
Leinster head coach Joe Schmidt blamed tiredness for his side's 19-9 loss to Munster in the Magners League Grand Final on Saturday.
The newly-crowned Heineken Cup champions failed to secure an unprecedented double as they ran out of steam just seven days after their European exploits.
Munster outscored their rivals by three tries to none to secure their second domestic title in three years.
And Schmidt admitted his players could not find the energy to turn the game around in the final quarter.
Tempo
He said: "I think fatigue was obviously a factor.
"We made a few changes because guys were out on their feet.
"That was something we had planned for, and felt was probably going to happen.
"To be honest, I kind of felt that Munster needed it more than we wanted it.
"They showed a lot of character, and that made it difficult for us to really keep our tempo, and play the game that we wanted to play.
"Even when we did have a little bit of momentum, we didn't quite have the sharpness that has allowed us to become successful so far."
Munster boss Tony McGahan was delighted his team proved themselves as the best in the league after leading from the second round.
Wingers Doug Howlett and Keith Earls scored a try each, with a late penalty try putting the icing on the cake as Munster ended a run of six games without touching down against Leinster.
Afterwards McGahan paid tribute to his players and the Munster fans.
Future
He said: "They can walk around with a smile on their faces knowing that we have done something very important in the context of the Magners League season."
Munster captain Paul O'Connell believes the final was a magnificent advertisement for Irish rugby and is confident of a bright future for the national side.
He said: "Leinster and Munster have always made each other better and we have made the Irish team better by driving on standards.
"Both sides have a lot of leadership and not little skill.
"People talk about this being a good era for Ireland and when you look at some of the young players coming through you would be very confident for the future."
