All square.

If you want to be successful in the Champions Cup and make it through the pool stage, generally you have to win all your home games and look to get a least one win on the road.

Munster started their campaign last week with not only a win on the road – but a bonus-point win to leave them in excellent shape ahead of Racing 92’s visit to Thomond Park. But things didn’t exactly go according to plan this weekend against Racing 92.

With less than 10 minutes to go, it looked like Munster were about to suffer a very rare defeat at home in Europe but with seconds left – they could have it. In the end, the spoils were shared and while it might have looked like two points lost, the reality was – it was two points gained. Just ask Peter O’Mahony.

Summing up Munster’s performance last night, O’Mahony felt his team probably didn’t deserve to win the game.

“It’s kinda hard to say,” O’Mahony told us post-match.

“At around 50 minutes we shouldn’t have been next to or near a draw and then with 10 minutes to go, we could have won it.

“I don’t think we played well enough to win the game, to be totally honest with you. We played some very good rugby but some mental lapses defensively cost you against teams like that.

“I thought they played really well and we played some really good rugby as well but overall, it probably flattered us a bit getting the draw with the way they played and the overall way we played. That would be my gut feeling.”

JJ Hanrahan tied the game for Munster with minutes to go with an incredible sideline conversion following Andrew Conway’s try. But in the final moments snatched at a drop goal effort in front of the post that would have won them the game.

O’Mahony said the outhalf will be disappointed with himself but he shouldn’t’ be.

“Back from an injury and an 80-minute performance,” O’Mahony said.

“He kicked an incredible conversion to get us two points. They’re pressure kicks, you know? That fella trains harder than anyone. 

“He’ll be disappointed himself after but he shouldn’t be. I thought he had a class performance and that conversion was certainly out of the top drawer.”

Head coach Johann van Graan was upbeat after the game, pointing out that Munster drew their first game the last two years yet still made the semi-finals.

“You’ve got to take history into consideration. The last two years we drew our first game and won the second one,” van Graan said.

“This time around we won our first one and drew our second one. That bonus point away last week was a big moment and the fact that we leave here with two points (each), top of the group jointly with Racing with four rounds to go and the double-header with Saracens is the next step in terms of Europe.

“What we’ve learned in this competition is you take the points on offer. We got ourselves in the winning position and unfortunately, it didn’t go over and that’s just rugby.

“I said to the players afterwards, as a coach all you can ask is they gave everything they got and the players most certainly did.”