An ecstatic Ronan O'Gara praised his team's defence in the final stages of yesterday's Heineken Champions Cup victory as Leinster pounded the La Rochelle line looking for the winning score.
The French visitors took the lead for the first time in the 72nd minute and were reduced to 14 when Jonathan Danty was sin-binned for a high tackle on Caelan Doris minutes later.
That allowed Leinster to work their way into position for a final assault but the defending champions held firm and a reckless clear-out by Michael Ala'alatoa, which resulted in a red card for the prop and saw try-scorer Georges Henri Colombe taken off on a stretcher, provided a route out of the danger zone and into dreamland.
Twelve months ago it was the Top14 outfit who scored in the last play of the game to secure the win against Leinster in the final and when the tables were turned, Leo Cullen's side just couldn't make the play.
"We scored and then Antoine [Hastoy] kicked a pressure conversion, which is a belting kick but I think there were still eight minutes left," said the 46-year-old O'Gara, who has led the side to two successive European titles.
"It's a long time in rugby with a one-score game.
"Leinster bombarded our line and I can’t wait to watch the video of how we kept them out.
"It’s very unfortunate for Michael Ala’alatoa. You’ve got to come in at that pace to shift bodies.
"Unfortunately just got his angle wrong and it’s a head collision and it’s a red card. It’s very disappointing for him because he's a good guy.
"That was a huge moment for us but you saw the huge composure from us.
"It’s spectacular for this group. They showed a lot of character.
"You have to accept that the likelihood is they are going to score and it's an almighty kick in the guts and the chances of winning a restart kick and tipping and banging a snap dropgoal are one in 100 so to keep them out was obviously very important."
The former Munster out-half proved once again to be Leinster's nemesis with the 27-26 win the third success in three years against Leo Cullen's side.
O'Gara said he had nothing but sympathy for his former Ireland team-mate.
"[I'm] ecstatic, that's as good as it gets in the club game. 17 nil down," he added. "We were getting blitzed, couldn't get a leg in the game.
"Then the second half we dominated them but couldn't put them away or maybe get a decision or two or the bounce of the ball.
"It's brutal, only one group goes away happy tonight and that's top-level sport.
"You have to feel for Leo and his group, the margins are tiny and he's a good guy. I must say I feel for him because it's brutal."
Finding themselves 17 points down with 12 minutes played, O'Gara stressed the importance of tries from Jonathan Danty and UJ Seuteni as they clawed their way back into contention.
He said: "I think you can't overestimate the importance of Danty's try, there was nothing on but we found a way to get over the line and that's what special players do because we were under the pump, 17 [point margin] then, they can tag on [penalties] and that's what they did.
"It was serious bonus territory at 23-14 at half-time.
"We were eight down in Marseille [in the 2022 final], we were nine down today so we created a bit of a story at half-time, this is a great challenge, let's go for it."
