Munster’s penultimate pain: Five semi-finals lost since 2009

You can be sure Munster lock Billy Holland is not the only person trying to crack the secret of what it takes for his team to reach a Champions Cup final but he has been involved in enough last-four showdowns to know there is little margin for error once you get to this point in a European campaign.

No club’s followers have both revelled in and been heartbroken by the semi-final experience more than Munster’s Red Army, with Sunday’s visit to Bordeaux to play Racing 92 representing a record 13th visit to the penultimate stage of this prestigious competition.

Such a resumé indicates considerable consistency at the top end of European club rugby, dating back to a win over mighty Toulouse in Munster’s first semi-final appearance, also in Bordeaux, back in 2000. Yet while Munster’s European record is undoubtedly a proud one, with titles in 2006 and 2008 to add gloss to the semi-finals and a competition-best 18 seasons in the knockout stages in 24 attempts, such longevity is accompanied by less enviable statistics.