Tigers followed victory in Viadana and a draw with the Ospreys with defeat on Sunday but, with three games remaining, it is all to play for as Clermont travel to Welford Road this weekend.
After seeing Tigers score 21 points in the final 10 minutes of their 40-30 defeat in Clermont, assistant coach Matt O’Connor said: “The pool is still alive.
“We did quite well in the first 25 minutes but they took their chances to get points on the board and you cannot give good sides a lead like that.
“We were chasing the game from there but right at the end we went close to another try and that could have given us two points from the game.
“It was encouraging the way we finished. The boys still had belief, they never doubted themselves. If we take that into next week we should be in a good place.”
Anthony Allen, Toby Flood and replacement Jeremy Staunton scored in the closing minutes of a high-scoring encounter after Tigers had conceded three tries in the opening 40 minutes.
If the rematch lives up to the Round 3 action, Welford Road should be in for a classic encounter on Saturday. Tickets are available now. Phone the hotline on 0844 856 1880, book online or call in at Welford Road. Book as quickly as possible to guarantee the best available seats.
