this Makes My Season - Brennan

But Toulouse held out to win 22-17, and a delighted and breathless Trevor Brennan said: "This really makes my season, this is the best occasion for me...probably ever!

"It's fantastic. My goal at the start of the season was to make the team, and my other goal was to win the Heineken Cup...and we've done it!"

Brennan returned to his native Ireland, and was cheered on by a large party from his home village.

"The guys said to me: 'We are in your house, in your garden, I went out first, and it struck me as I was walking on to the pitch just how huge this occasion was, it was great to see Lansdowne Road full."

**ERC AUDIO: Toulouse's Finau Maka "Winning the European cup is just awesome, I couldn't be any happier" (1min 11secs) Click here

Emile Ntamack, who raised the Heineken cup in 1996 said: "It feels great, a real pleasure. To win the Heineken Cup seven years later, it's a real honour.

"It is different, this time, this is a now a really big competition with a lot of media interest.

"Now, to be champions of Europe is probably more important than the French championship,' added Ntamack.

But there must be losers, and on this occasion, it was Perpignan who left the field defeated, but with heads held high.

Their Australian outside-half, whose performances throughout the competition have grabbed him the headlines said: "We are very disappointed. We did not play well in first half, and you can't give a side as good as Toulouse a lead like that.

"But we played better in the second half. We knew we had to maintain possession and not concede as many penalties, as well as trying to play entertaining rugby.

"We had the chances to win, we made a couple of really good breaks, but it didn't happen for us today."

And Perpignan number eight, Phil Murphy said: "We came back well in the second, the first half was a bit rough because they put nineteen points on us, but these things happen and we have to deal with it."