This is only the beginning for Reds’ next generation

Heineken Cup semi-final

Not that it has ever worried them in the past, but the odds are stacked against the province in Montpellier as Rob Penney’s team take on a powerhouse of Top 14 rugby on French soil, backed by 20,000 passionate supporters in a 31,000-plus crowd and packed with internationals not just from one to 15, but 16 to 23 also.

No-one needs any reminding that Munster have made a habit of upsetting the odds in the last 13 years or so, but to these eyes, today’s game should be treated in a similar vein to a decade ago when a young Ronan O’Gara, Paul O’Connell and co. were finding their way in the world, suffering setbacks and gaining strength from all of them to the point where they finally found the holy grail of Heineken Cup glory in 2006.