Winning second Heineken Cup 'a dream', says Kidney

Declan Kidney hailed Munster's "special" victory today after they brought down the curtain on his reign with a 16-13 Millennium Stadium victory over Toulouse.

A second European title in three seasons was secured by number eight Denis Leamy's first-half try and 11 points from the boot of prolific fly-half Ronan O'Gara.

Kidney will take over as Ireland coach later this summer, replacing Eddie O'Sullivan.

"It was an emotional dressing room - it was a special place to be," said Kidney.

"To win this trophy once is special, but twice is a dream, it is something else. We have to enjoy it.

"You have good days and some tough days, but not many teams finish on top against Toulouse."

O'Gara added: "We felt in control. We shut them down, and it was about keeping as much control as possible. The forwards were immense.

"It is a great day for me and Munster - it is overwhelming."

Munster skipper Paul O'Connell said: "Patience and possession were our mantra during the week. We were very patient when we had the ball.

"It was a war up front, but we took the game by the scruff of the neck. We worked our socks off, and the mental desire came through."

Toulouse captain Fabien Pelous' second-half sin binning was a critical factor behind his team not being able to challenge for a fourth Heineken Cup crown.

He said: "I did lose my head a little bit. It is a shame I reacted like that.

"We made some good play, but our finishing wasn't great. We were in it until the end, but it was Munster's ability for ball retention that proved crucial."

Toulouse coach Guy Noves said: "We put them under a lot of pressure for the first 25 minutes or so. We were there in terms of physicality.

"We know Munster are a team of great quality, but I felt a turning point was the yellow card for Fabien Pelous."

Munster, conquerors of Biarritz at the same venue two years ago, once again dug deep to the accompaniment of a 40,000-strong red army.

Toulouse, Heineken Cup winners in 1996, 2003 and 2005, conjured a try for wing Yves Donguy, with Jean Baptiste-Elissalde adding a drop-goal, penalty and conversion.

Munster though, were too streetwise when pressure really came on, closing down the game in impressive fashion.

O'Connell and flanker Alan Quinlan were at the heart of Munster's effort, ensuring they will arrive in next season's tournament as top seeds and once again the team to beat.

It also proved a rich reward for emerging from the so-called pool of death, after Munster finished above Wasps, Clermont Auvergne and Llanelli Scarlets.