Magnificent Munster

AN immovable Munster pack yesterday magnificently overcame Leinster at a glorious Lansdowne Road.

The terraces were a heaving, dancing carnival of red by the time Trevor Halstead ran through to put the nail in the Leinster coffin with a spectacular try in the final seconds.

The Fields of Athenry echoed through Dublin 4 as Munster fans were unable to contain their joy.

The omens were good hours before kick-off as the capital city was submerged in a blanket of red. This despite the fact that the Munster invasion was depleted by the battalions who went to see Limerick and Clare in the National Hurling League game in Thurles.

Everyone was in agreement after yesterday’s historic win for Munster that the ‘O’ factor was crucial. O’Connell and O’Gara reigned supreme throughout.

Ronan O’Gara’s menacing right boot tortured the Leinster backs all afternoon, while Paul O’Connell seemed to be in three places at the one time.

As the game ebbed and flowed, the bewildered Leinster Lions always seemed to be bailing water from a vessel fatally holed by a Munster bombardment.

And for a man who kept fans in doubt about whether he would play, Peter Stringer led his opponents a merry dance.

The search for tickets for the final in Cardiff has begun in earnest. But Munster fans were confident last night that with victory over Leinster in the bag, a historic win in the Heineken European Cup beckons.

Among the thousands in the crowd yesterday was Larry Moloney who was on the famous Munster side which defeated the All Blacks in Thomond Park in 1978. “Our win against the All Blacks is regarded as one of the greatest wins in Irish rugby, but I think Munster’s win does not rank far behind it,” he said.