EDMUND VAN ESBECK/On Rugby: Following the win over Castres at Stade de la Mediterranee in Beziers last Saturday, the Munster supporters' joy was unconfined. Yet again they had seen their team score a wonderful win over French opposition in the Heineken European Cup and reach the final for the second time in three seasons. It is a splendid achievement.
There is something really special about this Munster team and they have a very special affinity with their supporters. It has been stated time after time by team captain Mick Galwey, by team manager Jerry Holland and by coach Declan Kidney.
The supporters' attitude was summed up for me by a Limerick woman after the match: "They sent us down here, it was a long and expensive journey, but this team is worth every penny we pay and every mile we travel with them." That assessment said it all.
Just as the Munster teams of the second half of the last century fashioned the traditions of great and memorable matches and achievements against major touring teams, this side has its own special dynamism and reached out to conquer on new frontiers in a very different era and in very different circumstances.
Power, will, and unquenchable spirit have been notable characteristics of this team and they were all in evidence last Saturday in a match that was far from being a rugby classic. It was a tough physical encounter, yet one that kept the spectator captive until John Kelly scored a try in the dying minutes and Ronan O'Gara converted it to put the put the issue beyond doubt, end the tension and start the Munster celebrations.
It takes leadership on and off the field to achieve what this team has attained in the face of adversity. Fate has dealt some rough deals to Munster. Drawn away two years ago in the semi-final to Toulouse; drawn away yet again last season at the same stage to Stade Francais; having to go to Paris this season to play Stade Francais in the quarter-final and then drawn away to Castres and being forced to play that match in Beziers.
Yet it has been assignments such as those that have helped to cement the special qualities we have seen from this team.
Lesser teams may have been disillusioned, but this side has a very special instinct to deal with trial and test and then steer its course to triumph. They have a great and inspirational leader in Mick Galwey. Every member of that Munster squad, and I emphasise squad, has a shared conviction that is transmitted from such as Galwey and Peter Clohessy on the field and the manager and coaching team off of it.
It was demonstrated last Saturday by the men who were called into the side - Alan Quinlan, who was selected when Jim Williams was ruled out through injury, Donnacha O'Callaghan, who came on as a replacement for Anthony Foley early in the game, and Paul O'Connell, a newcomer to the team this season. All three were magnificent.
Now the team stands at the gate of what would be the ultimate triumph, victory on May 25th over Leicester will see them crowned champions of Europe. It would be a very fitting reward for Galwey and an equally fitting end to the career of Clohessy and the coaching involvement of Kidney and his assistant Niall O'Donovan. They have all shared in great days, now let us hope that April 25th will be the greatest of all.
Tomorrow there will be another Munster invasion, this time to Lansdowne Road, for the final of the AIB League between Cork Constitution and Shannon. There is also a Munster involvement in the Division Two final when UL Bohemians take on Belfast Harlequins.
The Munster contingent will bring their own colour, enthusiasm and excitement to the occasion. Shannon and Cork Con will also bring with them a great tradition of many memorable Munster Cup matches between these two great clubs. The scene will be different to the locations where they fought for supremacy in Munster, Thomond Park and Musgrave Park. So will the prize, for this time it has a national dimension.
Both have won the title at Lansdowne Road. Shannon won the first play-off final in the league in 1998 when they beat Garryowen 15-9 to win the league for a record fourth time in a row.
Cork Con, winners of the inaugural All-Ireland League title in 1991, were beaten finalists last season but won the championship in 1999, when they also beat Garryowen, 14-11, after extra-time in the final.
The last time these clubs met in a final was in the Munster Senior Cup at Musgrave Park in 1996. And if we get a final tomorrow of similar quality and excitement then spectators are in for a treat and the respective supporters for elevated heartbeats.
Shannon had won the All-Ireland League for the second time and the club was going for the big double of All-Ireland League and Munster Senior Cup in 1996. No club had won the double. It was a tremendous match, won 15-13 by Shannon under Pat Murray's captaincy.
He scored a famous and crucial try and also dropped a goal. Alan McGrath scored a try and Andrew Thompson a conversion as Shannon came from behind to win after Niall Murray scored a try for Cork Con and Paul Burke kicked two penalties and a conversion. Then, in a hectic finish, Burke had a drop-goal attempt blocked down by Anthony Foley.
Some of those who played in that match are still very much on the scene. Thompson, Galwey, Alan Quinlan, Foley, and Colm McMahon, who came on as a replacement for Shannon. Brian Walsh, Anthony Horgan, Ian Murray, Ultan O'Callaghan, and Jerry Murray were all on the Cork Con team and Brian O'Meara came on as replacement. Shannon also won the Munster Junior Cup that season.
Meanwhile, Belfast Harlequins and UL Bohemians are both assured of first division status for the first time next season. The league title is not at stake in this match, it is in effect a top-four play-off. But it is a big day for both clubs. Last Sunday was a very big day for Connemara who won the Division Three play-off by beating Dublin University. The AIB League has given much to, and still has much to give Irish rugby.
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