Graham Rowntree dedicated Munster's URC final victory to former coaching colleague Tom Tierney, who passed away at the end of February.
In the minutes after the game against the Stormers ended in Cape Town, the province's head coach admitted he was struggling to come to terms with the achievement that secured Munster's first silverware since 2011.
"It's surreal, all this," he smiled. "Is this really happening? It is. We did it the hard way as well - six games away from home.
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"We came here, to a venue like this, up against the current champions - we done it tough.
"This is for the whole province, the people in the offices in Cork, in Musgrave, the people in the offices in Thomond, for our fans, for the people at home, the kids watching us. It's for everyone."
Tierney was a former Ireland international who went on to become the head coach of the Ireland women's XV before taking on a role at Munster's UL base as a national talent coach in 2021.
"It's not been an easy year. We lost a great one with Tom Tierney, a great coach. An emotional year. This is for the family of Tom. It's for everyone.
"The club has lost special people in that time, Pete (O'Mahony) spoke brilliantly about it at the end.
"It's a special group, a number of players have waited patiently - Pete being one of those - to win a trophy."
Rowntree, who became head coach last summer following the departure of Johann van Graan to Bath, endured a tough start in the role but Munster's players consistently spoke of the change for the better they were experiencing under the former Leicester Tigers stalwart and England coach.
"We changed a lot, we didn't have a great start to the season but we were getting better, our game is adapting, our game is adapting, we're fit, we're hardened," Rowntree said. "It's all coming out now.
"I was gutted we weren't further up at half-time, we had a good try disallowed, breakdown was a bit sketchy at times but we kept the belief, we kept believing in how we were training, how it was going to work. The coaches have been brilliant, the players have bought into them driving standards.
"But the honours go with the players tonight. What a game."
The head coach had his head in his hands at the final whistle. "It's just emotion," he explained.
"It's just trying to take it all in, if I'm honest. The emotion, it was a fraught end to the game.
"With 15 minutes to go we had a lot of injuries and had to make some big decisions, it was a quite consuming game to say the least. I was just trying to take it all in."
Asked what the reception will be like back home when the Munster party return with the trophy, Rowntree smiled: "I'm sure it will mean a lot.
"They've waited patiently for this, the province of Munster, the players here. We worked hard to get here, it's not been an easy ride, it's been a bit of a roller-coaster, it keeps getting called, but we believed and our game has kept growing.
"It's my best dad ever. It'll sink in at some point, depending on how much Pinotage I drink in the next 12 hours.
"It's my best day ever. Just the manner of which we've done it, away from home, doing it tough, a tight group, not rotating the squad a lot. I'm immensely proud.
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