Munster supporters sailed their yacht from Foynes to France

Never mind the outcome, today’s Champions Cup clash between Saracens and Munster could be a red letter day for the province’s supporters regardless of whether their heroes win or lose, writes Simon Lewis.

With the Red Army converging on north London this lunchtime and possibly providing more than a third of the 10,000 capacity despite an official allocation of just 930 tickets, there promises to be another chapter written into Munster rugby folklore as Irish supporters prove once again they hold a unique place in the fabric of the European competition.

They have been turning out in droves for years, during the years of hope before that first Heineken Cup victory in Cardiff in 2006, through the glories of a second success two years later and continuing on relentlessly despite the rise of arch rivals Leinster and latterly Toulon.