Exeter Chiefs put Sandy Park on the Heineken Cup map in Round 2 of the tournament when the Devon ground became the 101st venue to stage tournament action - and Damian Welch marked the occasion by making his Chiefs debut.
The former Scarlets forward, who made 10 European appearances for the Welsh club before switching to the Chiefs in the summer, was sent on as a second half replacement against ASM Clermont Auvergne and is adamant there is no doom and gloom at the club following the 46-12 defeat.
"The boys did really well in the first half and for a while things were looking like they could have gone our way," said Welch. "In the second half, though, they ramped up the intensity and the momentum which took them away from us.
"That said, the rugby we played up until half time was probably some of the best we've played all season.
"It was up there with the same kind of rugby we played against Harlequins in terms of everyone doing their jobs and things working well for us.
"It was just a shame we couldn't sustain that for longer as at one point it looked like we were going to cause some serious damage and that they were the ones who were going to be on the ropes.
"And it was good to have a crack at last. Obviously we were disappointed with the end result, but for me personally it was good to get the shirt on and finally get out there.
"Clermont have a great team with lots of strength in depth. They've got people like Regan King, who I know well, who can't even get into their side for these kind of games. That goes to show the depth and wealth of talent they have got."
