Toulouse skipper Fabien Pelous paid tribute to his opponents after coming off second best to Munster in Saturday's Heineken Cup final.
Pelous, a veteran of two cup winning campaigns with Toulouse saw a third title slip from beyond his grasp as his team were defeated 16-13.
The burly second row may have been at the heart of the action for most of the match, but was sidelined when his side scored their one and only try.
Pelous saw yellow on fifty minutes for an inexplicable kick at a Munster player after referee Nigel Owens had halted play.
And the Welsh official - under guidance from his compatriot Nigel Whitehouse who was working the line, wasted no time in sending Pelous to the bin for illegal use of the boot.
Pelous said: "I was embarrassed that I reacted for the yellow card, especially at my age.
It was during the time Pelous was sidelined that Cedric Heymans instigated his team's only try but it was not enough to halt the Munstemen who claimed their second European title.
"In the end it came down to one penalty but it was Munster's capacity to keep the ball and stop us playing that enabled them to win."
"We played well and were right in it to the end but we didn't finish our chances and turn our play into points.
