As the dedicated group of Racing 92 supporters made their way back from Bordeaux to the French capital 600km away, the inspiring performance of their team must have helped make the journey easier.
Players like Teddy Thomas, Yannick Nyanga and Maxime Machenaud took the plaudits for their individual class, but in Leone Nakarawa Racing have the most dangerous player in the Champions Cup.
Although it wasn’t the Fijian star’s most influential day – by his standards – he still remains an instrumental presence with his strong offloading, solid carrying and smoking footwork all serious threats.
The line-out may be his key strength, but away from that he puts in a serious shift to get on the ball and put teammates in formidable attacking positions.
In defence, he can tackle voraciously, win his own ball and show serious willingness at the breakdown.
The 30-year-old, capped 47 times by his country, is impossible to stop and was pivotal in unlocking the firepower of Thomas and Vakatawa against Munster.
Some locks offer a line-out threat and possess solid enough workrate, but Nakarawa – at 6’6 and 109kg – is like a six-litre Ferrari Lusso the way he carries himself around a rugby pitch.
It’s rare that any professional team can be dominated by an individual in that position.
Generally, it’s a backrower, a half-back or a winger who milks the limelight but the Fijian has stamped his authority on every match he has played this season.
Whatever phase of play presents itself, Nakarawa has a solution.
His stats are remarkable. He tops the offload standings in the Champions Cup with 19, seven more than second-placed Louis Picamoles.
For carries, he is second with 104 – just one behind Munster’s CJ Stander.
He is deceptively quick and is the only forward in the top-five in defenders beaten, sitting joint-fourth on 22 alongside Ireland star Jacob Stockdale.
To underline his influence in the game, Rugby World recently ranked him third in their top-100 players in the world behind Owen Farrell and Beauden Barrett.
If Racing are to go on to win a first European title then Nakarawa will be key to disrupting Leinster’s well-organised side.
