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Munster didn't allow us into the game - Cockerill

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Richard Cockerill says Leicester Tigers paid a high price for failing to control territory against Munster in Limerick on Saturday.

Tigers were beaten 38-0 in the third round of European Champions Cup competition – a first defeat at Thomond Park following victories for the visitors there in 2007 and again last year – and conceded four tries to return home empty-handed in Pool 1.
 
Director of rugby Cockerill said: “Credit to Munster, they played very well, they only allowed us to play a very small part of how we wanted to play. We were beaten in every department. We didn’t have a moment’s breath, they were over us from the start to finish.
 
“The manner of defeat is clearly not acceptable from a Leicester Tigers point of view.
 
“In recent weeks we’ve controlled territory very well, but we didn’t do that today. We put ourselves under pressure, we invited them to run at us and got punished for that. Against good sides, if you’re playing the majority of the time in your own half you will give away penalties and yellow cards and points, and that is what happened.”
 
Tigers and Munster meet again at Welford Road in the return fixture next Saturday and Cockerill is looking for an immediate response to the defeat in Limerick.
 
“The two away games have been pretty disastrous for us in the tournament,” he said, “but we won well at home against Racing and showed that when we get it right we can compete.
 
“This is not the performance we expect from this side. We got knocked on our backside but we will take the count and we have to be a lot better next week.”
 
Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus celebrated a second successive win in the pool and told the media after the final whistle: “After beating us home and away last year, we were a bit nervous about the game. The pressure we put on them made them concede the penalties and the way Tyler Bleyendaal kicked put the scoreboard pressure on too.”
 
The return fixture is a 3.15pm kick-off at Welford Road on Saturday (December 17). Match tickets are on general sale now, book in person at the Tigers ticket office, phone 0116 319 8888 (option 2) or book online.