Holy Grail elusive to Munster as Wasps wing it to final

ANOTHER classic. Another titanic encounter. Sadly, the same old story.

As Munster fans filed out of Lansdowne Road yesterday they must be wondering if they'll ever get their hands on the Holy Grail of European rugby.

Sport can be cruel; how much disappointment can one team take.

Beaten by Northampton in their first final in 2000, robbed by the hand of Neil Back and Leicester in 2002 many thought this was Munster's year.

The omens were good. A home draw in the quarters, a trip to Dublin for the semis and all off to London for a weekend at the end of May. It wasn't going to be easy, but everyone was up for it.

Basked in glorious sunshine, the mood was one of quiet confidence before the game.

"Those Wasps could be trouble, you know. Still I managed to get 5 to 1 on Munster getting into the semi finals and if we do the business today I'll make even more, maybe even enough to go to the States in summer," said one fan, who took time out to soak up some of the atmosphere before kick-off.

Her companion, a sickly looking aesthete, agreed like his life depended on it. "You did well, there, all right. I couldn't get a snifter last week. Munster were red-hot favourites. Can you believe that?"

After the first five minutes, those odds were turned on their heads. As O'Gara limped off at half-time, only the bravest would have wagered on the mighty men in red.

But then the glorious fight-back. Wasps were suddenly 10 points adrift midway through the second half. The "Fields" reverberated around the stadium and once more fans dared to dream of European glory. And then the sting in the tail.

Two moments of madness and some sloppy defending and the dreams were discarded along with the match programmes.

Hooker Trevor Leota scored a late try in the corner and minutes later hit Frankie Sheahan so hard that the crowd collectively winced. Time to start thinking of next year.

Munster captain Jim Williams said the team paid the price for letting Wasps back into the game, while coach Alan Gaffney pointed to the loss of Ronan O'Gara. "Ronan's kicking game might have closed the game out for us. Wasps are a good side and they have an ability to score tries, but we missed too many first-up tackles and we allowed them to gain the momentum," he said.

Wasps' director of rugby Warren Gatland admitted afterwards he could not keep the smile off his face.

"I thought that the boys showed great character out there not many teams come back from a 10-point deficit against Munster," he said.