Clermont-Auvergne lock Loic Jacquet felt a sense of pride after seeing his side beat reigning champions Munster at their own game to keep their Heineken Cup qualification hopes alive.
Clermont's pack outmuscled their Munster counterparts in a battle of attrition at the Stade Marcel-Michelin to pick up a surprise victory that breathed new life into the French team's European campaign.
Coach Vern Cotter's bold bid to take on the Irishmen up front paid off handsomely, Clermont fly-half Brock James feeding off his forwards' dominance to grab all his side's points in a 25-19 success.
The France international said: ‘We wanted to have a real go at them in a department they are the best, because we knew if we dominated their strong point, it would destabilise them.
‘It felt really good to take on the best players. We have shown we exist.
‘It was a long drawn-out process to wear them down but we didn't panic.’
Clermont were sensational on the domestic front last season, finishing the Top 14's regular season in first place only to lose the grand final to Toulouse.
But they have made an inauspicious start to the 2008/09 campaign - they sit in mid-table and came into the weekend on the back of a defeat to the Top 14's rock-bottom side Mont-de-Marsan.
Just like last season, when they again beat Munster at home in the group stages of the Heineken Cup, they raised their game against the best in Europe.
Their heavy home defeat to Sale looked like it would cost them any chance of qualifying for the last eight, but Clermont go to Thomond Park next weekend for the return match against Munster with renewed hope.
Jacquet added: ‘We are leaving that (thoughts of qualifying) to one side.
‘I don't want to make any calculations, we are just taking each match as it comes.
‘We beat Munster here. We are going to try to recover as much as possible, recharge our batteries and try to beat them at their place.
‘We are going to go there with optimism.’
After three matches, Clermont lie two points behind group leaders Sale and a point behind Munster, although they have to play both of those teams away in their last three outings.
