Munster keep their date with destiny

NOBODY beats Munster twice.

Poor Biarritz probably never stood a chance given the now familiar cautionary tale for all teams who dare to triumph over the men in red.

The promise hinted during various campaigns across Europe over the years was finally fulfilled on Saturday when Munster delivered on its talent and tradition…and the fact that nobody really ever beats them twice.

Stade Francais, Leicester, Castres, Sale and Gloucester could all have forewarned Biarritz, but to little avail.

“These boys learnt something every time they lost a game,” observed a smiling Munster coach, Declan Kidney, when asked about the phenomenon at the post-match press conference.

Alongside him, captain, Anthony Foley and hero of the hour, Peter Stringer, smiled with the contained air of men who knew they had done a hard job well.

Stringer, spoke movingly about what winning the Heineken Cup meant for the team, squad, family, friends and the entire population of Munster.

“It’s a special place to be. You can see how much it means to people’s lives,” said the scrum half.

One supporter who took special delight in Munster’s European Cup victory at the third time of asking was the veteran actor, Peter O’Toole, who was also a great friend of his thespian colleague and fanatical rugby fan, the late Richard Harris.

“He can rest in peace now,” said O’Toole barely able to keep his emotions in check.

Meanwhile, former Munster second row, Mick Galwey, was happy to accept congratulations from many fans willing to acknowledge the role played by retired players in leading to Saturday’s success.

“They were phenomenal. It was a fantastic moment. Their experience showed and there’s no better team than Munster in a tight situation,” said Gallaimh “The game was everything we expected.”

And for fans, the reality of the day was to prove beyond even their wildest dreams.

Since early morning, thousands of Munster fans had descended on Cardiff, turning the streets to a mass of red jerseys, hats, banners and scarves as the Red Army conquered local hearts with their good-natured banter and determination to enjoy the occasion.

Inside the ground, the 74,000 plus crowd were entertained with American-style razzmatazz by a number of performers, with Irish flavour provided by singer, Paddy Casey, who concluded a rousing version of his hit Saints and Sinners with a roar: “Come on, Munster.”

But, what followed over the next 80 minutes was even better as every individual Munster supporter screamed their heart out to edge their team ever nearer rugby’s Holy Grail.

The roof of the Millennium Stadium was practically lifted off its hinges when the large video screen beamed a live TV feed of thousands of other Munster fans watching the game on O’Connell Street in Limerick.

A few minutes later, the merciful sound of the final whistle was sounded as Biarritz tried one final onslaught on the Munster try line.

It was a day — when hundreds of memories for a lifetime were created.