Dean's dream in ruins after Leinster loss

Richards talking after the match at the Stoop, told of his immense pride at the performance of the team and the journey they have been on.

"We've come a long way in this competition and a lot of that is down to the ambitions we have and our willingness to put ourselves on the line," he said.

"You look at the Stade Francais game at home, the Llanelli game away from home and the Stade Francais game at home and the way we play, I wouldn't say it's carefree, but we like to play rugby. "

"In that respect, it's been a lovely journey for us but it's come to an end. You have to accept that and the boys will take a lot of fond memories away from it. You have to draw a line under it. "We're disappointed. I'm proud of the guys. We tried our hardest, but at the same time, we've got something else going on in our rugby lives, which is the next game.

"It's difficult to get as far as we have and to lose by a point but you've got to accept that and we'll learn from it. They'll be no regrets from anybody. They've done so many good things.

"Nobody would have left the stadium today with five minutes to go, and that didn't against Stade Francais or Llanelli. We've given good value for money and we aim to continue to do that.