European Cup Digest

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

Numbers game

THE CAPACITY of the old National Stadium in Cardiff was 53,000, which included 11,000 people standing in the East Terrace. The standing area would no longer satisfy the safety standards demanded by some sporting federations.

As Munster fans know, the ground is now an all-seat arena with a capacity of 74,500.

Rallying to the sight of Limerick

GLENN FLANAGAN is the Public Relations Officer of the Munster Rugby Supporters Club.

"I've been at all Munster's Heineken Cup finals and their semi-finals and their quarter . . . but it has to be the year we won it that I remember best.

"There were 19 minutes to go in the match and Biarritz were starting to come back into it. I was thinking 'Oh my God here we go again'.

"It was then on the big screen in the ground that they flashed up the supporters watching in Limerick.

"It was at that point it just got so emotional. When the pictures of the fans in Limerick came up I knew that even though Biarritz were coming back it was finally going to be Munster's day and I must say a tear came to the eye."

SCOTTISH RUGBY have won the right to host the 14th European Cup final on the weekend of May 23rd-and 24th, 2009 - the second time European club rugbys showpiece match will be staged in the Scottish capital.

Murrayfield Stadium, which previously staged the 2005 final when Toulouse clinched their third tournament triumph, has a capacity of 67,778.

"IN 1997 with Brive, I was on the bench. We win; in 2003 against Perpignan, we win and again I am on the bench; in '05 we beat Paris and I am a replacement. But against Wasps ('04) I was a starter and we lost. This cannot go on,"

- Toulouse's Cedric Heymans explaining his incredible run of ill luck in the Heineken Cup.

Picture it

IS SPORT going insane with "PC-ism?" Today Welsh fans have the chance to get close to the Heineken Cup as it kicks off a tour of Cardiff before touring the supermarkets of south west Wales. The idea is to allow fans from across the region to have their photographs taken along side the biggest rugby prize in Europe. Yes it's travelling to Asda, Sainsburys, Tesco etc. But to be allowed to have a photo taken you have to be over 18-years-old. Is there anyone out there other than a child who actually wants their picture taken with a cup?

Toulouse hints

WHILE TOULOUSE won again at the weekend, their run into Saturday's final looked a little ragged. Much like Munster's last game in the Magners League, Toulouse also looked a bit disjointed in the domestic championship. Missing from the back line was the influential Byron Kelleher, who watched from the dugout. Interestingly, Vincent Courrent played at scrumhalf and Jean Baptiste Elissalde at outhalf, a move which suggests the New Zealand-France alliance of Kelleher (scrumhalf)-Elissalde (outhalf) is set for Cardiff.

Well accustomed to final hurdle

OF ALL the sides in the Heineken Cup only Toulouse have been to more cup finals than Munster. This will be Munster's fourth visit to the last match of the competition, while the French club will be making their fifth visit. Munster were finalists in 2000, 2002, 2006 and this year, while Toulouse made the long run in 1996, 2003, 2004, 2005 and this season. Toulouse have won three times, Munster once.

Munster players are not the only ones involved in a big end-of-season finale. Leicester defeated Gloucester by a point at the weekend to secure a meeting with Wasps in the English Premiership final, which takes place the weekend after the European Cup final.

Geordan Murphy was in his usual fullback position for Leicester and will certainly play in the final. Opposite him will be Irish scrumhalf Eoin Reddan, who was central to Wasps beating Bath in the other meeting of the weekend to ensure they too would travel to Twickenham. Jeremy Staunton, was also part of Wasps bench.