Ronan O'Gara has admitted he did not even realise Munster had clinched a crucial bonus point in their 26-19 defeat to Clermont.
Munster fly-half oblivious to crucial bonus point
Munster fly-half Ronan O'Gara admitted that he did not even realise his side had clinched a crucial bonus point in their 26-19 defeat to Clermont.
The Irishmen will now entertain Wasps in a winner-takes-all clash at Thomond Park on Saturday after they cut the Londoners' lead at the top of Pool Five to three points.
However such was the drama at the Stade Marcel-Michelin that O'Gara, who landed 14 points with the boot to add to Lifemi Mafi's try, was oblivious to the fact that Munster had picked up a vital point.
"I have to say I didn't realise the bonus point was still in play at the end - it was all a bit crazy," said O'Gara.
"People don't realise how tough Clermont are. They're a fantastic side and that was a really tough game.
Disappointed
"We came here looking for the win, and we're disappointed not to have it, but we got the bonus point and that's enough to take into our next game into Wasps."
Munster had trailed 20-6 at the break, however a storming second-half display, plus the sin-binnings of Clermont's Loic Jacquet, Julien Malzieu and Alexandre Audebert, ensured they all-but ended the French side's hopes.
Clermont will basically need to beat Llanelli in their final Pool Five game and then see Wasps and Munster draw if they are to top the table.
However Clermont's coach Vern Cotter will not look at where they stand after their clash with the Scarlets.
He said: "In terms of permutations, we'll look at it after the Llanelli game next week. We knew the importance of the bonus point, which is why we tried the late drop goal to shut Munster out.
"But we're satisfied with the win. We knew that Munster had the quality to come back into the game, and I was impressed with their resolve.
"I was pleased with our guys' performance. The game could have gone either way and we held out. The yellow cards started sneaking into the match and that didn't help our cause, but I've got no complaints about any of the cards."
