Graham Rowntree says he never lost faith in his side, after a late Jack Crowley dropgoal sent Munster into the final of the BKT United Rugby Championship.
Despite dominating for large periods, the province trailed 15-13 against Leinster inside the final three minutes, before Crowley's decisive score gave them a first win in their fixture in two years, and extend a rollercoaster season.
Having fallen behind to Joe McCarthy's try on 63 minutes, Munster also found themselves pinned back inside their own half for much of the final 10 minutes, before a John Hodnett break upfield gave them the position to attack.
And a delighted Rowntree said he always believed his side could land one final blow.
"We were still in the game. We tend to stick in the game," he said of his team's desire.
"Our fitness is good. Just before the end of the third quarter, I thought we had missed a golden opportunity on the tryline.
"We've got to be better near the opposition try-line than we were tonight, but no, [I was] never hopeless."
Munster will travel to Cape Town to face the Stormers on Saturday 27 May in the URC final, for what will be their third trip to South Africa in the space of two months.
The final will also be the sixth game in a row they'll have played on the road, with their last home game coming on 25 March.
And Rowntree says his side have become battle-hardened by their arduous schedule.
"This group don't give in and we have come through some fires in the last few weeks.
"We go to Cape Town and it will be our sixth away game on the bounce, and that’s when we are finding out about people. We are tough, battle-hardened, so I was never hopeless. This team don’t go away.
"We're in a final, lads. I said to the group in the week, 25 days ago, we were paranoid about European qualification. Now we are in a semi, now we are in a final."
Having won just two of their first seven league games, the prospect of Munster reaching the final seemed far-fetched back in October.
When asked if he had also considered the title out of reach, the Munster boss says he refused to look too far ahead in the season.
"It was about winning the next game. It's a boring headline, isn't it, from a pragmatic, old, former Leicester Tiger and England forward. Pragmatic about winning the next game, seeing the improvement, winning the next game. We select game by game.
"I could see what we were doing in training, I could see it coming through, but it was about winning the next game.
"I have seen tangible improvements in our game. I saw that when results weren't going our way back in the autumn. I had full belief in what I had seen being done in training and the connection the lads had with the coaches."
While Munster were the better side, they almost lost the game through several wasted opportunities to score in the 22, something Rowntree admits will have to be better in Cape Town.
"Not perfect, not perfect. As I say, we've got to be more clinical. We spoke about it at half-time, we needed to be more clinical near the opposition try-line.
"This is a very good team, regardless of whoever they have out on the field. A very good team. So, we weren’t perfect, but I’m delighted with the fight and the spirit.
"Our game is still growing. We are finding out about people. Pete [O'Mahony] spoke really well in the dressing room about this not being our final tonight. We go down to Cape Town with belief."
