Jack van Poortvliet was buoyant following the opening round defeat away to Bordeaux in the Investec Champions Cup, with the Leicester Tigers captain finding the positives for he and his club mates to take back to Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
Speaking after the game, van Poortvliet said: "There was so much in the performance that we can be proud of and take forward with us."
"The thing for us to work on is the small moments; that ten minutes after half-time saw us lose small moments that resulted in big consequences."
Asked about what highlights he had from the match, which was ultimately turned on its head with a three-try, six-minute effort from the French club, wrestling away the Tigers momentum after leading at half-time.
"We fronted up physically, the set piece was strong and our attack was a positive; the quality of our shape and the way in which boys were creating and taking opportunities out there," he said.
"I enjoyed the fact we kept going at them and pleased with how the side just kept fighting back, kept giving everything out there."
Speaking about his team, the scrum-half said there was some "tired bodies" in the away changing room but it wasn't anything unexpected coming up against one of the favourites for this season's European crown.
"There are definitely some tired bodies but that's what we expected, what we prepared for," van Poortvliet said.
"That's Europe. That's what you have to be willing to do and if we want to compete at the top, compete in Europe, which we do, then this is the kind of challenge we have to come up against."
His coach, Michael Cheika, was equally as pleased with the way in which his side refused to give up on the game.
"The occasion was good, yes, but I still would have rather come away with four points," added Cheika.
"I thought we worked it pretty well, under a bit of heat after the three tries against us, but we fought our way back into it and I was proud of that.
"This is Europe, these are the experiences we need to have as a team to make us better, given the quality of opposition we will come up against this season."
Round 2 of this season's Investec Champions Cup sees some of the game's biggest stars come to Leicester for the clash with Hollywoodbets Sharks at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Saturday, December 14.
