A Munster memory to treasure

WERE I a gambling man (and I’m not, thankfully, because with my luck and judgement I wouldn’t have a backside to my trousers), I would have wagered heavily that in this sporting year, 2008, nothing would top the Heineken Cup final experience in Cardiff on May 24th.

Immediately afterwards, doing my damnedest to reflect the dramatics, I began my overview piece with a description of the presentation ceremony, as follows: “The lights dimmed in the closed Millennium Stadium, darkness closed in; in the background, a low throbbing drumbeat, growing gradually in volume, increasing in tempo, replicating perfectly the pounding Munster hearts in the packed stands of this amazing stadium during the final tension-packed 15 minutes of what had been an absorbing contest.”

It was one of those spine-tingling moments, and this had been one of those spine-tingling occasions, the kind of sporting occasion which, if you’re fortunate enough to be present for just one a year, you’re grateful. It was a second Heineken Cup for Munster which confirmed their status as one of Europe’s elite and thus one of the world’s elite.