David Kelly charts the rise of Munster's Heineken Cup successes against the backdrop of their visits to France, in The Irish Independent.
"It started with a hiss. Since Castres punctured their European bubble in the first season of the competition to deny them a semi-final slot, Munster have won more than they have lost on French soil. Twice they have denied heavily-fancied, super-rich French aristocrats at the final hurdle of the greatest club competition in the world. And yet without the remarkably poignant journey that had hitherto brought them so far and no further, one wonders if the joy upon reaching the final destination would ever have tasted as sweet.
"When Munster started their European adventure in 1995, in the frantic aftermath of post-amateurism -- where else but in Thomond Park with a win -- they were paid just 600 'punts' for each of their fledgling adventures in Europe. In the dreary Stade Antoine Beguere, Mazamet, one November afternoon, Munster kick-started their foreign odyssey amidst a sound and fury not even the most caustic of Munster Senior Cup rivalries could have prepared them for."
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