Leicester skipper Geordan Murphy expressed sympathy for Cardiff afer the Tigers won a penalty shoot-out to reach the Heineken Cup final.
Tigers delighted and relieved
Leicester skipper Geordan Murphy expressed sympathy for Cardiff afer the Tigers won a penalty shoot-out to reach the Heineken Cup final.
"It is a nasty, horrible way to lose and I feel really sorry for the Cardiff boys," he said.
"It is not much of a way to win either and we will have to play much better to beat Leinster in the final.
"I told the players I was incredibly proud of them whatever happened with that next kick," he said.
"Taking kicks like that is not something you practice throughout the season, but I was pretty confident we had some guys there who could take them. Jordan Crane and Craig Newby are a couple of show-pony forwards, so I was glad when they stepped-up!"
Leicester head coach Richard Cockerill added: "I thought we played pretty well, and for 72 minutes we were probably the better side, but credit to Cardiff for coming back like they did.
"It is a cruel way to lose, and not a great way to win. Penalties might be a great spectacle but it was a pretty hollow way to end the game.
"To reach the final of what is probably the biggest tournament in world rugby is a great achievement.
"Only a couple of days ago everyone was talking about Munster versus Cardiff in the final, but now it is Leinster versus Leicester."
And as for Crane's last-gasp exploits, Cockerill added: "He is a very confident young man.
"He came to us from Leeds, he has worked really hard and he is now one of our core guys.
"He is keeping some big people out of this team, and he should be looked at by England in the summer."
Unfortunate
While Leicester celebrated, the Blues were predictably inconsolable.
Blues head coach David Young said: "The game finishing like that was a new experience for most rugby watchers. But we knew the rules, and although it is not a great way to go out, it is part and parcel of professional sport.
"I am not going to apportion blame. I admire the guys who stepped-up and took the kicks, but unfortunately, someone was always going to miss, either for us or Leicester.
"You win together and you lose together and there is no finger-pointing, but I really feel for someone like Martyn Williams who has put in so much work to take this region forward.
"For 60 minutes Leicester were the better team - we couldn't produce any quick ball - but at 26-26 the momentum was with us before it went to dreaded kicks at the end."
