Mike Haley says Munster won't rest on their BKT United Rugby Championship success, as they chase "absolute perfection" in the coming seasons.
After ending their 12-year wait for silverware with their URC Grand Final win against the Stormers last Saturday, attention is now turning towards improving even further.
As a result of winning the URC, the province will be among the top seeds for next season's Champions Cup, a tournament they haven't got beyond the quarter-final of since 2019.
Haley says competing on both fronts has to be the next goal for his team.
"Definitely," he said, when asked if the Champions Cup is the next big target.
However, he says it's important they take next season in bite-sized chunks.
"First things first, I don't think we want to lose five of our first seven games at the start of the season. Obviously, you want to big start to next season.
"We will take it game by game because that is how we had to take this six weeks, there was no looking ahead to anything because if you take your eye off the ball you get hockeyed away from home.
"It gives you a lot of confidence, yeah, there is that belief but that belief came from earlier on in the year, we knew it was there, now we just need to double down on it, reach for them standards.
"The game at the weekend we probably left three or four tries out there that we should have scored and we should have been up way more after that first half, I mean we are looking for absolute perfection now."
Haley has made the 15 shirt his own since arriving from Sale in the summer of 2018, with all 97 of his appearances for the province coming at full-back, and all of those in the starting team.
"I can't play anywhere else!," he laughs.
"I'm probably just fortunate. I go back to a lot of good coaches, I have got a lot of help and the lads help a lot. I didn’t realise it was that many. It’s easy to build yourself for these games as you just want to go out there and perform and you want to put it all on the line for the red."
Like many players in Munster's matchday 23, the URC title was a first trophy for Haley in his professional career, which has spanned more than 200 games across 10 years.
And the 28-year-old admits there have been times when he thought the day would never come.
"In my head it definitely did feel like that.
"You're going at it for a long time. This is my tenth season - or 11th season now - as a professional and it’s tough coming away with no reward. I think all you need to do is look at the older boys, Murray, me, Archie, Earlsie obviously, and you just see their hunger and their hunger every single year you know, as the lads have said, 12 years without a trophy is a long time here in Munster.
"You see them boys every single weekend, every single day actually, putting it in, and you see why. The proof has finally come, you get a day like this to celebrate with the fans at home.
"After the whistle went there as absolute elation and when we went to the changing room all the emotion came and you think of all the sacrifices. Because it's not just me, it’s your partner and your children and your families.
"And it’s all the hard days, all the losses, all the semi-finals, quarters-finals and finals that get you to the moment and you feel like you are worthy of winning it. It definitely felt like that at the weekend."
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