But Connacht came roaring back and after Kieran Marmion had scored two tries, Jack Carty added a penalty for the visitors.
Home captain CJ Stander then touched down and Ian Keatley added the extras to bring Munster to within two points, but Connacht had other ideas and went in at half-time 21-12 ahead as Carty made it three conversions from as many attempts when he added the extras to Nepia Fox-Matamua's try.
Shortly after the restart Connacht were awarded a penalty try and Craig Ronaldson added the simplest of conversions to secure a 28-12 victory and leave Foley with plenty to ponder ahead of the new GUINNESS PRO12 campaign.
"We came up against a very good Connacht side that took their opportunities and we didn't respond," Foley told the Munster website.
"We knew when we took the fixture it was going to be a tough contest, which is why we wanted it, but I'm disappointed in how we performed.
"We can clutch onto the fact that it was guys' first game, but with the amount of work we've done we'd have expected a much better performance. However, we weren't allowed to perform by a very good Connacht side.
"We lost the physical battle and didn't control the breakdown. That takes your momentum away and from there it's very hard to play.
"This will teach us that we need to control possession and keep momentum and pace on the ball."
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