It may have been that the recent RBS Six Nations took more out of the players than was thought and Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivans comment after the final game (v Italy) that there was nothing left in the tank now seems particularly apt.

The score that really killed them arrived in injury time of the first half when they were 10 points down following a Dafydd James try, converted by Stephen Jones, and a long range  Davies penalty that went over via the cross bar. They had played against a stiff breeze in that opening half and the Scarlets really should have been further ahead, so a ten points deficit would have been more than acceptable given the amount of possession the home side enjoyed.

Then Gavin Thomas squeezed over in the left corner and Jones knocked over the conversion to leave Munster a mountain to climb.
They gave themselves a lifeline with an OGara penalty and a try from Ian Dowling but that lifeline disappeared when Davies ended a crisp Llanelli move with a try that Jones converted.

Afterwards there were no excuses, Munster acknowledging the better side won but it will grate that they relinquished their title so tamely.