WATCH: Munster Rugby coach Graham Rowntree: 'We've made life harder for ourselves'

MUNSTER Rugby head coach Graham Rowntree admitted the mood in their dressing room felt like a defeat following their dramatic 17-17 draw with competition newcomers Bayonne in the Investec Champions Cup at Thomond Park on Saturday night.

The French Top 14 side, playing their first ever game in the competition, hit back with a late converted try to secure a share of the spoils which quietened Munster supporters in an official attendance of 18,908.

Munster must now quickly switch their focus to next Sunday's Champions Cup trip to Sandy Park to face Exeter Chiefs, 1pm. The Premiership side gained a dramatic away win over Toulon in their first Champions Cup outing.

Giving his reaction to Saturday night's draw at Thomond Park, Munster head coach Graham Rowntree said: “We had an opportunity there to do something better than that tonight, to show a better version of ourselves and we haven’t. We didn’t lose. It feels like we did in the dressing room, but we’ve just made life harder for ourselves.

“We’ll see what we can put on the field next week, we’ve got a few knocks tonight, a few guys coming back, name the team late in the week for a huge game. It was always a big game, you go to Exeter in Europe, Sandy Park, a week before Christmas. It’s just got bigger now.”