DONAL LENIHAN: Honour in defeat? You better believe it.

In a wonderful contest made even better by the colour and pageantry of the rival fans, the only silence on the day came when Clermont captain Julien Bonnaire addressed the massive Clermont hordes, ten minutes after this Heineken Cup semi-final.

His message was clear: all roads lead to Dublin. With 23 planes already on standby before Saturday’s semi-final win, Ballsbridge had better ready itself for a Clermont invasion.

The Munster players, who typically gave everything to the cause, were disconsolate on the final whistle. With less than three minutes left on the clock, they had an attacking lineout within ten metres of the Clermont line, trailing by just six points. If they were offered that scenario before this game, they would have taken it with open arms. In the end, it just wasn’t to be. Clermont were the dominant side throughout, but they have become accustomed over the years to the doggedness of Irish sides who simply refuse to lie down in the face of the blue and yellow juggernaut like so many of their French opponents appear to do.