In all the post-match discussion around Limerick and beyond on Saturday night, the dominant topic undoubtedly would have been the decision just on the hour to decline a near certain 9-8 lead and instead opt for a scrum close to the Leicester posts. But Munster coach Declan Kidney was not of a mind to conduct the post-mortem in public and defended his players.

"We wouldn't be into the blame game here at all really; we'll stand by all the decisions that we've made because over the years we've made decisions on those penalties. When you make decisions on them it takes a lot of courage, and if you do the ordinary thing all the time you never win anything. In the past we've made them and they've worked in our favour; today was a day that it didn't work out for us and it just goes with the day in hand, doesn't it?"

It appeared that the decision was more at Ronan O'Gara's behest than Paul O'Connell's and the outhalf admitted it was a huge moment in the game.

"It was a relatively easy kick but defensively there was a huge opportunity for a try," he said. "I won't go into the specifics of it. You presume you're going to win your scrum ball but unfortunately we didn't and it backfired. You take those decisions on the chin. It's a hard way of losing at the top level, I suppose."

Asked if defending their extraordinary 26-match winning run at Thomond Park before its redevelopment had played on their minds, O'Gara replied: "No it didn't, but it will now, I think. We made a balls of it and that's something we have to live with, the 22, now.

"It was a great day last May, it's not a great night tonight, but I suppose that's sport at the top. I think the great thing about this team though is that we've done it all together. So let's hope there's a twist in this bad road."

O'Gara admitted Leicester were "hugely dominant up front and at the breakdown they were hugely clinical. Our intention was to put pressure on (Ian) Humphreys but sure we didn't get near him".

Asked where Munster failed, O'Gara said, "Everywhere."

"I think all the players didn't play to the best of their potential. We made a few errors. Our start wasn't great. The second-half performance was good but we probably needed to get stuck into them earlier on. Huge areas to improve on, but it's disappointing for the last game to let down the whole province."

Behind the crestfallen tone, there was a hint of defiance: "There are two ways of reacting: you can sit down or else you stand up and put up a fight, and knowing the character of our dressing-room I don't have to tell you which one it will be. It's disappointing but I'd prefer to be sitting here after defeat tonight than in the quarter-finals, so we'll see what happens then."

As befits two giants of the European game, Munster were magnanimous in defeat while Pat Howard and Martin Corry - whose sense of satisfaction at an excellent all-round performance - didn't betray the slightest tone of triumphalism. Howard described it as the best win in his time at Leicester, though he reminded everyone that Munster were the better team in Welford Road.

"They're a good team. I've got no problem with that. Emotionally, we were up for this. We had plenty to play for, and Munster, let's be fair, didn't have as much to play for as they normally would, so that may have been a factor. We only won by seven points. Let's not get carried away. They had chances to score tries and they had great field position for a great period of the game."

He also implored Eddie O'Sullivan to pick Leo Cullen and Shane Jennings, and opined that the ever-improving Ian Humphreys had matured considerably in the last three months, primarily in his "game management, because he's always had the skills, when to kick, when to pass, when to be a threat himself.

"I think we're a good nursery for you," said Howard of the biggest Irish contingent at any club in England.

"We're not picking your superstars. If you consider it reasonably we're actually trying to do not a bad thing for the development of rugby, English or Irish."

It's a fair point, well made. It just didn't feel like it on Saturday.