Wasps and England captain Lawrence Dallaglio was bracing himself for another titanic struggle against defending champions Toulouse in next month's European Cup final after his side's dramatic 37-32 semifinal victory against Munster here at Lansdowne Road on Sunday.
"Toulouse, their pedigree speaks for itself," said No.8 Dallaglio of the French giants. "But it's almost disrespectful of me to start talking about Toulouse after such a fantastic game of rugby.
"But if you had to play someone in a European Cup Final, you'd want it to be Toulouse, Leicester and Munster, because they are the hallmark of European rugby."
In a thrilling match, played in front of a capacity 48,000 and overwhelmingly Munster supporting crowd, Wasps came from 32-22 down with 20 minutes to go to win in the closing stages when Samoa hooker Trevor Leota crossed for their fifth.
Both Dallaglio and English champions Wasps's former Wales scrumhalf Rob Howley said the match was every bit as equal an occasion as any international they'd played.
"We've both been in some amazing games and this is up there with them," said Dallaglio, whose team outscored Munster five tries to two to reach their first European Cup final.
"It had courage, passion, skill, the game had everything. It was a bearpit, a gladiatorial environment."
And he insisted there was no panic when Wasps conceded two tries within two minutes on the hour mark to leave Munster 32-22 in front.
Howley, whose charge down of Jason Holland's kick led to one of Wasps's tries, added: "This is the shop-window of European rugby."
Meanwhile Dallaglio said that Wasps's win owed much to the culture of the side. "We are a humble club from a humble background. We are not heavily financed but we have a spirit and core of values which we've carried over from the amateur era.
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