Cardiff Blues fought back from 26-12 down with seven minutes to play to tie the match at 26-26 after 80 minutes and a scoreless extra time period meant the first ever penalty shootout in professional rugby history.

The English side came out on top after Cardiff had a chance to win the tie but Tom James hooked his kick wide and Martyn Williams’ miscue left Jordan Crane to slot over and send Leicester into another European final.

Speaking exclusively on the Champions Rugby Show, the 2019 Challenge Cup winner said that no one knew what was going to happen after extra time and that he was up next had Jordan Crane not slotted over the eighth Tigers penalty.

“We got to the shootout and no one knew what was going to happen,” Kayser said. “As it started, I found out that if it kept on going, then it would’ve been the other guys on the pitch to take the penalties.

“And I’m looking and thinking who is next and I was next! I wanted this thing to be over before me so it was a good job that Jordan Crane had the courage and backed himself enough to have a go at it and he knocked it over.

“That was a big, happy moment just to win in the exceptional circumstances but straight away you are thinking about the final and that is just an extraordinary feeling.”

Kayser also added that head coach Richard Cockerill made the rest of the team who didn’t take a kick in the semi-final to take aim at the posts, with varying results.

“We go back to training on Monday in Leicester and Richard Cockerill gathers everyone and he names everyone else who should have kicked if the shootout kept on going,” Kayser added.

“We all took one and I think I put it on the corner flag! The only other one who made it was tighthead prop Julian White who stepped up and knocked it straight through.

“So we could have kept on going but it was great that we delivered and it was history in the making.

“We got through but it was almost a lottery ticket or by a coin toss given how close the encounter was so after the game there was genuine respect for the Cardiff Blues.

“I didn’t know Martyn Williams but a lot of our players went over to hug him and it didn’t take anything away from his quality.”

Former Leicester Tigers and ASM Clermont Auvergne hooker Benjamin Kayser admitted that none of the players knew about the ‘lottery’ penalty shootout in the 2009 Heineken Cup semi-final between the Tigers and Cardiff Blues until extra time.