Aggressive containment the key

It wouldn't be Munster and the ERC if there wasn't a little pre-match squabble over something or other. Vexed and unresolved negotiations over the times and extent of access to the the Stadium de Toulouse yesterday ensured the eve-of-match press conference became more of a tetchy tête-à-tête.

Just what this clash of Euro giants needed then - a little extra bite.

Already aggrieved over the concept of playing at a "neutral" venue, which Toulouse have used occasionally in the past even for pool games, Munster wanted a midday goal-kicking slot at the stadium for Ronan O'Gara and asked that their allotted 4.0 to 5.0 afternoon slot for their captain's run-out be moved forward. Despite lengthy negotiations late on Thursday evening, both requests were denied them.

Munster, who traditionally maximise any perceived slights, appeared to be adopting their us-agin-the-world siege mentality - all designed to stoke up the lads, of course. They were late for their press conference, which their hosts pointedly started without them, and were sans capitaine, Jerry Holland apologising profusely for their tardiness as well as the absence of Jim Williams for "personal reasons", and assuring their hosts that it was not meant as an insult.

Nevertheless, Guy Noves, the rugged and somewhat imperious Toulouse coach, is not shy about availing of any perceived slights either. "We are pleased and proud that we could be here and that our captain Fabien Pelous, despite training at 2.30, could be present as well."

Joint eve-of-match press conferences via a translator are pretty futile at the best of times, and what thinly disguised bonhomie remained focused largely on Toulouse's adopted Irishman Trevor Brennan - much to the chagrin of Monsieur Noves.

Nevertheless, he spoke glowingly of the Barnhall Bruiser, whose move here seems like a marriage made in rugby heaven.

"Apart from his qualities as a player, as a man he has been completely adopted at Stade Toulousain. He has a fabulous mentality and he has adapted to the club with a lot of personal effort. He brings qualities - courage, determination and will - which we appreciate from our Irish friends."

Brennan's tête-à-tête with his equally feisty old foe, Alan Quinlan, should demand the attentions of one camera all to itself. Noves named him yesterday in a team showing only one change from their quarter-final win over Northampton, Yannick Jauzion replacing Cedric Desbrosse at outside centre, even though Brennan hasn't trained since tearing a thigh muscle in that quarter-final.

A smiling Brennan, his left thigh strapped, played coy with the cameras when running out for training, and warmed up along with his team-mates for the first 10 minutes before the media were removed on the dot when the allocated 10-minute watching brief elapsed. So, unless it was an elaborate subterfuge, he should start.

Fully aware that Christian Labit and Brennan are the primary ball-carriers close in, it is that physical confrontation along the gain line which will go a long way towards drawing defining lines in the sand. This will be high-octane stuff, akin to a Six Nations match, and amid a cauldron of black and red in the Toulouse amphitheatre, most likely bigger and better too.

With the unyielding and unstinting Anthony Foley and Jim Williams standing guard, Munster are better equipped than most to cope. Nevertheless, there is an acceptance that if Toulouse penetrate the red line, they have the ability to do more damage than any other team in Europe. Hence, this will require Munster at their most cussed, in containing and then frustrating Toulouse to the point of distraction.

But, as Munster coach Alan Gaffney admitted earlier in the week, it will have to be aggressive, disruptive containment. "We have just got to be on the front foot the whole game offensively and defensively, whether it be us taking the game to them with ball in hand or being aggressive in defence. If we allow them to bring the game to us, which unfortunately is what happened here to Leinster last season, then mate, we're in for a tough afternoon."

"We are playing the best side in France, but that's the beauty of it. After Gloucester and Leicester, we can't get a tougher run than this. And if that is what it takes, the players understand that."

A few penalties Munster can live with, but an early try or two would prompt loud alarm bells. All the while Munster have to allow the main man, Ronan O'Gara, to keep them in touch, then stealthily strike for their tries. Very like three years ago really.

Given Toulouse have more potency and pace out wide, even that, as Gaffney concedes, will be hard work. "We're unlikely to score tries from a long, long way out. We've just got to work and graft for the tries, and that's what we've done this year."

No less than Munster, Toulouse are overdue a European Cup eight years after their inaugural win. Just how good they are remains difficult to gauge. They haven't beaten much to get here, though they've looked awesome in what might admittedly be misleading snatches via highlights, and appear to be peaking. And what impressed as much as anything in their win over Northampton was their defence.

Their home advantage may be largely negated by the presence of the 15,000-strong Red Army. Conditions, despite forecasts of a mild dip in temperatures and some light rain, should be to Toulouse's liking, and the memory of that stunning demolition of an admittedly ill-prepared and understrength Leinster last season will not go away. I've never seen a performance in Europe like it.

Over-confident three years ago, Christian Labit has said that Toulouse have been carrying that semi-final defeat in Bordeaux like a ball and chain around their ankles, while Noves has said no defeat has haunted him more. Munster are playing with more freedom than at any stage since that day, but Toulouse have the whiff of vengeance in their nostrils, and Munster will need to be at their very best.

So although you'd never feel comfortable backing against Munster - least of all in a tight finish given their remarkable collective mental strength - at the same time this semi-final will probably demand an even better all-round performance than Welford Road.

Either way, the city is abuzz. The Place du Capitol in front of our hotel is awash with red. There's a potent whiff of a real epic coming our way in the balmy French air.