The United Rugby Championship outfit lie sixth in Pool B, with eight teams due to go through to the last 16 and only Sunday’s trip to Stade Français Paris to come.

"There is an honest belief in the squad and while that Leicester defeat will knock us and dent us into touch, it is not a knock to our confidence - it is just a punch to the guts,” he told RTE.

“It was ours for the taking and we didn’t take it. We have to wear that. Whatever does not kill us makes us stronger, so we will be back and we will be OK.

“We said from the start of the competition that we want to be the first Connacht team to get out of the pool stages and get to the knockout stages. We still have that belief and I know we can get there and do that.”

Friend was hugely disappointed that Connacht dropped a 28-10 lead in the second half and conceded three late tries.

"We can't change what happened there on Saturday - unfortunately we all wish we could do that final quarter again but we can’t,” he added. “That is where we sit at the minute.

"I know there is belief in this squad, belief in everything we try and do. That’ll hurt for a few days and then we’ll come back with the aim of doing what we need to do in Paris and try to get a win there.”

Connacht Rugby head coach Andy Friend is convinced that the Irish province can still make the knockout stages of the Heineken Champions Cup for the first time, despite suffering a heart-breaking 29-28 home loss to Leicester Tigers at last weekend.