Munster coach Tony McGahan said he was "relieved and happy" at seeing his side march into a ninth Heineken Cup semi-final with their 33-19 win over Northampton Saints.
"We needed a big game, and we needed to draw on everything we had, and we did that. We were very composed and very realistic, even when we were down at half-time," admitted McGahan.
"It was a nice way to finish off in the end with that second try and the forwards were tremendous. Losing Paul O'Connell was a massive blow for us but, that said, Mick O'Driscoll really stood up and was tremendous - everyone felt comfortable with him in the side.
"Ronan O'Gara was at his best with his game management and really controlled everything. We needed that type of game from him because Northampton believed they could get a result here.
"Their performances against us pointed to that and I think well see a lot of them in the next few years. They're certainly making their mark on the tournament.
"The heart and the spirit of the players was tremendous and that's what you need in big games to get the result."
