It's one of sports' truisms that no one comes back hungrier than the previous year's beaten finalists. Munster are men on a mission in Lille today. As this Heineken European Cup semi-final drew closer, it was time to crank up the mental ante again. Not that it needed much cranking up mind, but just in case last Wednesday Declan Kidney precipitated some navel contemplation by replaying the last 30 seconds of last season's 9-8 Twickenham final defeat for the Munster squad. Ouch.

"It would take you a lifetime to get over a defeat like that," revealed one Munster player after Ireland's defeat in Buenos Aires a week later. Yet one always felt that while it may have been a bit of a monkey on their backs at the outset of the competition, the further Munster progressed the more it became a powerful spur.

"As this game gets closer the wounds from last year have started to open again," admits Anthony Foley. "The hurt is starting to come back out. You look at the score, 9-8, and think jeez', one kick. But then you realise you've a chance again this year. If you get a second chance to rectify something that didn't go the way you felt it should have done, you take it."

Indeed Munster are only the fourth team to reach successive semi-finals, and only Brive have made back-to-back finals. The semi-final draw has demanded Munster do it the hard way, on French soil against the tournament favourites for the second year running, and circumstances have conspired against them even more this time.

Admittedly only John Kelly of the foursome deemed doubtful this week has missed out. John O'Neill comes in, with Donnacha O'Callaghan taking over from the injured Alan Quinlan at blindside flanker. That David Wallace was passed fit yesterday morning is a huge boon to Munster's morale.

However, there is undoubtedly an under-prepared, patchwork look to their line-up, especially in their main area of back row and middle five. Wallace hasn't played in the nine weeks since Ireland beat France, and O'Callaghan is making his European debut. Anthony Foley has played only one and a half games in that time, Peter Stringer two and a half games and Ronan O'Gara just three.

Against that there's the one-off adrenalin aspect of the occasion, while in addition to Wallace, it's a potentially massive chance to elbow aboard the Lions' plane to Australia for O'Gara and John Hayes, and possibly for Peter Clohessy and Foley.

Stade Francais are also at full strength, with Thomas Lombard as expected being preferred to Arthur Gomes on the wing in the only change from the side which beat Pau in the quarter-finals. English flanker Richard Pool-Jones has been declared fit. Munster retain a dozen of last season's winning quarter-final line-up, Stade retain 10. If any club is entitled to bear a grudge against Irish sides it is Stade Francais, also bearing in mind their semi-final defeat in Ravenhill two seasons ago. Compared to those games, captain Christophe Juillet said yesterday Stade have never been better prepared for a European knock-out match.

The pitch in the Stade Lille Metropole is a sodden pudding, which cut up when the kickers practised yesterday. The weather is grim and grey. The flip side is it'll be as much a case of home advantage for Munster, whose support is likely to outnumber the French team's in an 18,000 crowd (2,000 tickets go on sale at the ground today).

The reigning French champions are coming off a gnawing defeat to Castres after letting slip a late 10-point lead, whereas Munster had a narrow win over the Rest of Ireland. Having lost on their first five European sorties to France, Munster have won their last three. No Irish team has travelled abroad in a tougher frame of mind.

In the unlikely event of the sides finishing level after 80 minutes, there will be 30 minutes of extra-time. If still level then the team with the most tries will progress and if it is still level on that count, Stade Francais will be declared the winner by virtue of having scored more tries in the tournament (39 to Munster's 18). Indeed, they've scored more tries than anyone else, though 25 of them came in two meetings with L'Aquilla.

Stade are more likely to try to play a territorial game through Diego Dominguez, and initially utilise their target runners up front and big backs to punch holes closer in. Winning some modicum of possession in the opening quarter is vital for Munster and the key, much like last year's semi-final, will be to make their first-up tackles and keep their defensive shape. Stade are particularly adept at stealing opposition throws so once again the lineout is a vital area of conflict, as will be the quality of O'Gara's performance.

Much of the backdrop to this game, along with conventional wisdom and the bookies' odds, point to a Stade win. And yet Munster have almost made a habit of defying such logic. Yes they're ring rusty, but they've proven when the going gets tough no one gets tougher, especially in the end game. They're also still hurting.