England legend Richard Hill has not ruled out playing one last game for beaten Heineken Cup semi-finalists Saracens.

The World Cup winner (pictured), who will be 35 next month and is in his final season before retirement, struggled to hold back tears following Saracens' 18-16 defeat to Munster.

The pulsating encounter could prove to be his final appearance in Saracens colours, but if Hill's ravaged left knee can stand it, he might appear against Guinness Premiership opponents Bristol on May 10.

Hill said: "There are too many emotions at the moment. I am not ready to decide if I will play against Bristol.

"It was tough coming off knowing it was the last time I will ever play at that level of competition.

"But given what I have been through the last few years, there is huge satisfaction to get within a score of reaching a Heineken Cup final."

Saracens are planning a major send-off for 71-times capped former England flanker Hill, although it will now not be in European club rugby's showpiece event.

Munster, Heineken Cup winners on their last Millennium Stadium visit two years ago, will return to Cardiff next month for an appointment with three-time European champions Toulouse.

But it is debatable whether or not Toulouse will run them as close after first-half tries from fly-half Ronan O'Gara and flanker Alan Quinlan built a lead Munster just about clung on to.

Saracens boss Alan Gaffney, Munster's ex-rugby director, said: "It was a fantastic effort by the players.

"No-one gave us too much hope, except ourselves, but we knew we had that performance in us.

"I had tears in my eyes in the changing room afterwards and I was struggling to talk.

"It was an emotion that was for the effort of the players. I couldn't have asked for more from them."

In the cold light of day, Saracens will probably feel it was a game they should have won.

Gaffney added: "We had a lot of opportunities in the first half, and we allowed Munster some easy outs. You just can't do that - we shot ourselves in the foot.

"It is a game of small margins."

Wing Kameli Ratuvou's early length-of-the-field try set the tone for a memorable encounter before Munster finally prevailed - and left their rugby director Declan Kidney a relieved man.

Kidney, who could be appointed the new Ireland head coach this week, said: "We got out of jail, there is no doubt about that.

"We probably played as well as Saracens allowed us to, and somehow we managed to claw and scrimp our way to the final.

"It was one of those games that went with the roll of the dice. Thankfully, it went our way, as sheer guts and work-rate got us through."

Saracens' defeat effectively knocks them out of the qualification picture for next season's tournament, given they are struggling to secure a top-half Guinness Premiership finish with just two league matches left.

And with no English team through to this season's final, it means six English clubs contesting the 2008/09 Heineken Cup and France providing seven representatives.

SportingLife / Eurosport