Almost two hours after the match had ended a grazed and physically battered Ronan O'Gara stepped out to meet the small posse under the tunnel in the West Stand in Lansdowne Road. The disconsolate Leinster figures of Denis Hickie and Guy Easterby had long since departed, while O'Gara had time to shower, change and think about the import of what had gone on that afternoon.

Measured and honest, the Munster outhalf betrayed his fiercely competitive streak and even a little personal irritation he had been harbouring throughout a "horrible" week of hype and anticipation.

While Munster had made it to their third Heineken European Cup final, the subject of top dog at number 10 was one side issue he had been quietly determined to settle against Leinster.

"Yeah, I think there was a lot of talk about the two outhalves going into this game," he said in typically laconic tone.

"I felt that I had a point to prove. I've played Felipe (Contepomi) plenty of times and I suppose the one time he got on top of me was in the RDS at Christmas and that kind of hurt. So I had a point to prove.

"I'd heard a lot about him in the build-up so I was keen to show what I was made of. I think it's important that you do your talking on the pitch."

Munster's orchestral game - the big bang of Anthony Foley and Paul O'Connell, the drip, drip of O'Gara's kicks to the corners and precision penalty-taking, the string pulling of his halfback partner Peter Stringer, and the combination of all the above that had Leinster playing for most of the match like the little Dutch boy with his finger in the Dyke - had left O'Gara glowing with satisfaction.

Indeed there was enough sweetness in this win to satiate all those in red shirts, whether on or off the pitch.

With the biff of the pack, the precision and the relentless aggression, every inch of territory was measured out and taken.

"It was a really intense build-up to the game and I definitely felt the pressure and didn't enjoy the build-up one bit," said O'Gara.

"This morning was horrible and to get a performance like that we're all delighted. I said at half-time that the less I see of the ball the better. You don't appreciate how strong the wind was out there.

"With slow ball, Strings (Stringer) would be passing 10 yards back and I think the key with us was to hit them on the gain line and get runners charging into them on that short side with Shaun (Payne) and Trevor (Halstead), both difficult men to tackle.

"I thought I should be used as a decoy a little bit more and then it would work better for us."

O'Gara is not without his own war wounds. The gash on a knee that forced him to spend five days in hospital and on antibiotics after it became infected had reopened, while his willingness to sacrifice his feet for better feel by wearing boots that are too small, backfired somewhat on the unforgiving surface.

"My feet are in bits," he said. "I play in boots that are too small for me and I didn't get any sound surface out there, so they're in bits. My knee is sore too. The wound has opened again but I just have to make sure it doesn't get infected or I'm back to square one again."

The European Cup final in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in four weeks' time against Biarritz affords the Cork Constitution player enough time to generate even bigger expectations and heal his hurting body. His haul of 20 points, including a try, should ease the pain.

Oh, and that leap over the hoarding and toward the Munster fans after scoring the touchdown - not the sort of abandon you expect from a calculating playmaker.

"I suppose if I could turn back the clock I wouldn't do it again but your emotions get the better of you sometimes and if you can't enjoy that then I won't be able to enjoy any moment," he said

"When I realised I'd scored it (the try) all I could see was a sea of red in front of me and that gave me an incredible buzz, I must admit."