Travelling without the dreaded fear factor
With so many Irish players pre-programmed for failure after years of losing at either the Parc de Princes or at the Stade de France, there was something in the mindset that suggested failure in France was acceptable.
The only requirement was respectability and to return home with dignity intact – winning was an optional extra.
The early sojourns by the Irish provinces in European competition mirrored that view, with Munster’s first meeting with Toulouse etched in the memory of all who were there in 1996 when Mick Galway’s men were humiliated 60-19. That day, in brilliant sunshine, one feared that Irish sides could never compete with the vast budgets, the magnificent training facilities and the majestic stadia that the French teams had at their disposal.
It took three years – December 11, 1999, to be precise – before Munster conquered Everest for the first time, beating Colomiers 15-31 in France almost a year to the day after losing the quarter-final to the same opposition, 23-9.
That result was a milestone, a first win for any of the provinces in France and, psychologically, lifted Munster to a new level. Within five months, the fruits of that newfound confidence was revealed when the ghost of 1996 was exorcised and Toulouse were dispatched in Bordeaux, 25-31. Not only did that result signal the arrival of Munster on the European stage but also saw them reach a Heineken Cup final for the first time.
Leinster’s first win in France took a bit longer to arrive – and when it did, the experience should have catapulted them all the way to a home final in Lansdowne Road. After years of trial and error Leinster finally beat Montferrand (or Clermont Auvergne, as they are now) 9-12 in 2002 and such was the confidence and impact of that result, it propelled them all the way to a semi-final, also in Dublin, against Perpignan. Unfortunately they blew a golden opportunity to reach their first final, a defeat which took longer than they might have thought to recover from.
Facing up to the various idiosyncrasies of playing on French soil was a degree course in itself but being exposed to a variety of French sides every year provided an understanding of what was required to beat them. Small things began to make a difference. Munster would send a van to the venue, days in advance, with all their home comforts on board. Declan Kidney decided that the difference in the way the food is prepared was having an effect on the players, and since 2000, they have always had a personal chef, well-known to all the squad, in tow to prepare meals to exact specifications.
In that 2000 semi-final against Toulouse, Munster famously did their warm-up right in front of the Toulouse supporters in order to acclimatise to the bands, noise and specific chants of the local support. On the field, with Ireland also very competitive against France since losing by a point in Dublin in 1999, the players from both Munster and Leinster became very comfortable with their surroundings and now tackle visits to France with relish.
Leinster explosively announced their arrival as a real European force when beating their opponents tomorrow in Le Stadium in Toulouse 35-41 in the 2006 quarter-final in what ranks as one of the greatest Irish performances in the history of the Heineken Cup.
Not only did they defeat them in their own backyard but did so by playing a brand of rugby that up to that point had been the sole preserve of Toulouse under Guy Noves. While Toulouse did extract a modicum of revenge for that defeat when Leinster returned to the south of France in 2007, beating Leinster 33-6, that was in the pool stages and not nearly as significant as Leinster’s quarter-final triumph.
With the carrot of a final in Paris, Toulouse will see defeat tomorrow as a disaster and with their inconsistent form in the French Championship, will view the Heineken Cup as their most direct route to silverware.
TOULOUSE will not be lulled into a false sense of security by the manner in which Leinster struggled to overcome Clermont-Auvergne in the quarter final in Dublin as Leo Cullen’s side have become quite adept at doing just about enough to get to the next stage. Despite what Michael Cheika said recently, there is a fulsome respect for Leinster from the Toulouse faithful, primarily because of the memory of what happened in 2006, but also due to a genuine appreciation of the qualities and skill levels that Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy, Rob Kearney, Shane Horgan and Isa Nacewa bring.
The Toulouse public have been raised on a diet of running rugby, espoused by some of the very best exponents of the art in this tournament over the years in Emile N’Tamack, Tomas Castaignede, Michel Marfaing, Yannick Jauzion, Vincent Clerc, Cedric Heymans and Clement Poitrenaud. They know and appreciate a quality backline when they see one.
Tomorrow’s game could set the ground rules for the weekend; if the four Heineken Cup semi-finalists retain the ambition and excellence they displayed in their quarter-final wins, then we are in for another cracker. If Leinster will be comfortable in their surroundings, then the same could be said for Munster’s trip to San Sebastian. Memories of their only other appearance at the Estadio Anoeta back in 2005 will not be positive even if the massed ranks of the Red Army had a ball in the sun-drenched Basque resort. Munster have a limited exposure to Biarritz in Europe, having only met on three occasions at the knockout stage of the tournament. Each can boast a home quarter-final win while of course the most famous victory of all was Munster’s first Heineken Cup final success against Serge Blanco’s club in 2006 (Read John Kelly on Page 11).
The key issue in the 2005 quarter-final was the absence of Ronan O’Gara due to a knee injury when Paul Burke deputised. Incredibly five of the Munster pack survive from that defeat of five years ago. That type of experience and the fact that all of the Munster forwards have played in the biggest of sporting arenas all over the world is a massive advantage going into a contest of this nature. They have seen it all and the advantage the home side should enjoy from welcoming a team into an unfamiliar environment is very much diluted with this bunch of players.
In times past, the prospect of one of our provincial teams facing the French away from home didn’t carry much expectation. Those days are long gone. The supporters from Leinster and Munster aren’t the only ones travelling in high spirits this weekend. The squads are firm in their belief that they will win. That wasn’t always the case.
