Irish skipper Jamie Heaslip has backed his Leinster clubmate Jonny Sexton's decision to ignore a kickable penalty in the 15-12 Pool 5 defeat at ASM Clermont Auvergne to try to conjure up a try for Fergus McFadden with a cross-field kick.
McFadden managed to touch the ball as he challenged Napolioni Nalaga a few feet out from the home try line, but failed to gather cleanly and knocked-on. Clermont went on to clear their lines to leave the reigning Heineken Cup champions chasing the game.
But Sexton's decision not only met with the full approval of his club and Test No 8 Heaslip, but also his coach, Joe Schmidt.
"I back Jonny's decision every time. He did it against the Scarlets and we got a try from it and we have done it a couple of other times - we are a team that if we see the opportunity we take it," said Heaslip.
"We like to put pressure on other teams. Jonny makes a decision like that and you back him and go for it."
Schmidt was full of praise for his outside half, who scored all 12 points, and said he was "really happy with a lot of what we did in our kicking game". The defeat at Stade Marcel Michelin left Schmidt's side five points adrift of their French rivals at the half-way stage in Pool 5.
"It was pretty early in the half and we wanted to keep the pressure on. It's a strategy we've used before and it is something we looked at as a potential opportunity and it almost paid off for Isa Nacewa on one side," said Schmidt.
"Then Fergus McFadden got to the ball first on the other side, but unfortunately knocked-on. If he could have taken it you don't know what might have happened.
"We made a very good break at the start of the game, from which we got three points, but we couldn't quite get over the line. I just thought that if you are going to come to Clermont and win you have to get over the line, not just put the ball between the posts."
While victory extended Clermont's amazing unbeaten home record to 51 matches, it meant Leinster lost their 17 match unbeaten run in the Heineken Cup which stretched back to 2009 when they last visited Stade Marcel Michelin.
But Heaslip said he and his team mates weren't particularly bothered about losing the record. All they want now is to recover in time to gain revenge in the return match at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
"It would have been nice to have kept our record, but we're not too pushed about it. We are more focussed on the challenge of the back to back games against the same team," said Heaslip.
"We are half-way through that and we've got a lot of work on next weekend. I don't think people realise how much a game like that takes out of you and, with a six day turn-around, it is now all about recovery.
"We've done a lot of work over the last two weeks preparing for this game and now we have to focus on the task in hand. We had a couple of opportunities to get some points, but we weren't accurate and those inaccuracies allowed them to get into the game with their penalties.
"With the quality of kickers they have they kept eking ahead and it was a really big challenge. I am unbelievably proud of the lads, but maybe it's one we let slip away from us a bit.
"I'm unbelievably proud of the whole squad. It's like an Inter-Pro rivalry going up against Clermont at this stage, a tough gig. With only a six day turn-around we have to recover and focus on those things that went wrong."
