Munster meet wall of heat

RUGBY: You could fry an egg on the pavements of Montpellier yesterday, if you had an egg. It's baking hot in the south west of France this week, and never mind the temperatures being in the low 20s they could be in the high 20s come the 3.00 kick-off in nearby Beziers tomorrow.

Akin to a Mediterranean holiday, a wall of heat greeted the Munster squad on walking through the glass doors of Montpellier airport to the awaiting coach yesterday. These are the kind of inhospitably hot conditions which the prophets of doom in Munster rugby circles had feared for the past while.

In an attempt to replicate the mid-afternoon match conditions tomorrow, the 25-man Munster squad checked into their chateau on the outskirts of Montpellier on arrival by charter from Cork before making a swift transfer to the Montpellier ground for their final session.

"It adds to the home advantage," concedes Declan Kidney. When asked how it would directly affect their Heineken Cup semi-final against Castres, the Munster coach promptly ventured: "Well, it will probably make it a 22-man game." For a coach who has traditionally favoured keeping his starting XV intact over the 80-odd minutes (as was the case on the winning venture to Castres one Saturday night last season) this is quite an admission.

Still, it's worth recalling that the final defeat in Twickenham two seasons ago and semi-final loss in Lille last season were both played on unseasonably wet days, whereas Munster can repeat their preparations of the semi-final win over Toulouse in Bordeaux two seasons ago.

"Obviously hydration is a hugely important part of the preparation," says Kidney. Then there's a change of jerseys at half-time, and to make sure cold towels are ready as well. That's why it was important to get out for a bit of a run and why we'll have a walkaround at kick-off time tomorrow (today)."

"You're also hoping that the referee will allow common sense to prevail, that you won't have injuries just because people were dehydrated," adds Kidney.

In this the rules are quite strict, only allowing drinks to be taken during treatment for injuries and goalkicks, and from only one side of the pitch. Do players, current or former, have any input into such bureaucratic and sadistic rulings? As Kidney points out: "More water than usual in conditions like this is for people's health really."

Jerry Holland having made a short-list following one reconnaissance mission hereabouts, Kidney accompanied him on a second trip before choosing a chateau as opposed to one of the recommended coastal hotels. "It's a house really, a B and B.

"We chose it because it has air conditioning and because we were trying to get the right food and nutritional requirements, carbohydrates mostly. Every country has its own style of food and this chateau was willing to accommodate us.

"Other hotels are more geared towards holidays, and we didn't want a holiday mode."

With one team room, a dining room, and 30 bedrooms, "Eurosport," is how Kidney describes the extent of the diversionary entertainment.

The somewhat provincial and coastal Montpellier airport (for those of a nervous disposition when it comes to flying, it's best not to look out the windows as the aircraft descends over blue sea with scarcely a sod of terra firma in sight) seems ill equipped to cope with the four plane loads of day trippers due to arrive on match day.

All told, a red army invasion of 7,000-plus is anticipated for the latest leg in Munster's Euro odyssey, via airports in Montpellier, Beziers and Barcelona among others, be it by planes, trains or automobiles.

The team's kit manager, Noel 'Buddha' Healy set off last Tuesday, his red van emblazoned with the words "Munster Rugby" providing the streets of Montpellier yesterday with one of its more incongruous sights.

At the behest of the wily Kidney, who is seeking to maximise the Red Army's presence at the Stade de la Mediterranée tomorrow, the team's sponsors Bank of Ireland issued all supporters from Cork and Shannon airports with red berets, leprechaun hats and baseball caps as well as flags prior to departure.

The inhabitants of sleepy Beziers won't know what hit them, and it is to be hoped neither will the players of Castres. We shall see.

Faxed messages of goodwill to the Munster team can be sent to 0033467457152.