Stand up and fight

THIS is the day when the 16th man will REALLY make his presence felt!

Line up the players available to Patrice Lagisquet and Declan Kidney at the Millennium Stadium this afternoon and the neutral would have to concede the advantage to the Basques. Biarritz are laden with class and experience fore and aft, while there are areas of the Munster side, especially behind the scrum, where shortcomings may well be exposed.

However, there’s a lot more to winning than sheer ability. You must also take into account elements such as desire, commitment, will to win and the hunger of the underdog that has twice before been foiled at the final hurdle.