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Edinburgh head coach Mike Blair believes his side panicked in their match against Munster and failed to put the game to bed as a result.
Blair’s men started well and led Munster 17-7 at a point on Friday in the United Rugby Championship clash on home soil.
However, Edinburgh’s second-half performance left a lot to be desired as the visitors dominated to claim a 38-17 triumph.
Irish teams demand intensity
The coach insists that against the Irish opposition in the competition, games need to be played at a higher intensity as Edinburgh did in the first half but a lack of composure allowed Munster in to steal the game.
“I believe these games against the Irish opposition in particular must be played at Test match intensity,” said Blair.
“That’s why I was so pleased with the first half because we blew them away in the first half.
“But it was in complete contrast to the second half because we looked panicky on the ball and lacked all composure.
“There were a couple of bits where we mentally weren’t in it and it was really frustrating. The way Munster came out in the second half, we gave them everything they wanted. We were ponderous on the ball in attack, they won the contact, the physicality and they thoroughly deserved their win.
“The positive is that we showed in the first half we can do it but the negative is the second half, which was a completely different story.”
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Tough Saracens challenge
Blair looked ahead to his team’s Champions Cup clash next weekend against Premiership leader Saracens, who are yet to lose a game in England this year.
“Saracens are nine from nine, they’ve got lots of quality internationals and top-level club players so we’ve got to be on it,” he said.
“We’ve certainly got to be a lot better than we were against Munster.”
The loss to Munster leaves Edinburgh fifth on the United Rugby Championship table, with half the regular season completed by the Scottish side.