Ireland out-half Jonathan Sexton said a draw would have been a fair result for Munster after they lost 16-13 to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.
Leinster moved to the top of the Guinness Pro12 table following a narrow win in a bruising encounter.
Munster were camped on the opposition line in the final moments, but went for the try and the win rather than kicking the three points that would have earned them a draw.
“A draw, in fairness, would have been a fair reflection and they would have taken a three another day but obviously felt they needed to win to improve their situation in the league,” Sexton told RTÉ Sport after the game.
“We won’t get too far ahead of ourselves – but for them needing extra points it would have been a draw.
“It was frantic stuff at times, played at 100 miles an hour as these Munster-Leinster matches always are. It’s heart on your sleeve, go as hard as you can and see who comes out on top.”
Munster are in sixth place on the Pro12 ladder, three points away from the top four teams. A win would have seen them leapfrog into the play-off places.
Sexton revealed that he has hardly trained since Ireland’s last Six Nations game, a win over Scotland, so was pleased to have scored all of his team’s points.
“I was just relieved because I have only done two sessions since the Scotland game because I was carrying a few niggles,” he noted.
“When you’re a bit under-prepared, sometimes things can go horribly wrong so I’m just glad that I didn’t let the boys down.”
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen acknowledged that his side didn’t produce the most polished of rugby at times, but this didn’t take away from his pleasure at winning and moving back to the top of the table.
“It wasn’t perfection rugby out there by any means, but it was certainly full of commitment – two teams going really hard at it,” he said.
“We were in a reasonably good place at half-time, I thought we created some good chances, and I thought Munster looked to be tiring.
“But they came out a different team at the start of the second half, tore into us and took their try really well. They put us under constant pressure so we’re delighted to get the win. It wasn’t perfect, but we’ll take the four points and move on to our next challenge.”
Leinster are top of the league, ahead of second placed Connacht thanks to more games won this season. Scarlets and Glasgow fill out the top four with Ulster and Munster in fifth and sixth.
