Munster battle to yet another epic victory

Another special day to store in the Munster memory bank. Another spine-tingling, nerve-jangling occasion and a stompingly entertaining match which flowed and ebbed, with a few palpitations along the way and plenty of Monday morning sicknotes in the vicinity of Limerick this morning. Another one to tell the grandchildren about, especially for Anthony Foley.

His hat-trick and 23 points from the trusty boot of the utterly unfazed Ronan O'Gara helped steer Munster to an epic 38-29 victory and earned them a place in the draw for the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup alongside Leicester, Stade Francais and Gloucester.

The draw will be made on February 7th, Wednesday week, in Dublin, and the semi-finals will be played in 12 weeks time, on the weekend of April 22nd and 23rd. That will sustain a few dreams over the rest of winter, and who knows, perhaps destiny calls this time around.

So ended a sixth Euro campaign unbeaten at Thomond Park. Delight tinged with palpable relief and perhaps irritation that they again hadn't played for 80 minutes - even letting Biarritz back into the game near the end - were probably the abiding Munster emotions.

"That was probably the toughest game we've ever played in the Heineken Cup in Thomond Park and that's a credit to Biarritz," ventured Mick Galwey, a tad surprisingly when you think of the Saracens game last season. "For them to score four tries and to come out on top, you have to be happy with it."

Preferences for their semi-final opponents were, predictably, played with a straight bat. "We're just delighted to be there," maintained Galwey. "It has been a job well done for us. We don't have any preference. It's two months away and it will be like a new season." Then again, they're due a Lansdowne Road semi-final and Gloucester would probably be the pick.

Although Declan Kidney made a point of thanking the Irish management for making their scrum sessions earlier in the week a double work-out, he revealed: "When you have people like Mick Galwey saying during the week that this was the toughest week of the year for him, then you know from his experience that it was.

"The expectation levels for the Munster team are now way over the top," he also admitted. "There was a lot of mental pressure on the lads today and they overcame that and all credit to them. In many ways coming here for Biarritz was like us going to Bordeaux for the Toulouse match last year. There isn't any reason why we can't be beaten here and all we can do is to make it as difficult as possible for all visiting teams.

"For them to score four tries was outstanding from their point of view. There were two very good teams out on the pitch today and we're just delighted to be through to the semi-finals again."

The travelling French were no soft touches. And they were motivated all the more by some ill-advised words from the Leinster camp. That much was made clear afterwards when Frano Botica revealed he didn't regard his first Thomond experience as particularly hostile. "No, not at all. I think the crowd was fantastic. We had no problem with that. We were motivated by all the things that were said about us by the players from Leinster."

When asked for his own reaction to comments from the Leinster camp, Kidney just smiled and said nothing for a few seconds, which said everything. The 37-year-old former All Black outhalf also paid tribute to his counterpart Ronan O'Gara, who kicked 23 points in taking his Heineken haul to 112 for this season. "I think he's an excellent player, an excellent kicker. He can kick the ball, he can run, he's very gifted and he played very well today. He certainly kicked better than me today, that's for sure."

As an aside, this was the last day out for players hoping for a starting place in next week's championship opener in Rome, and the Irish management will have been relieved as anyone that their sizeable Munster contingent will have linked up with the rest of the squad last night on a high rather than a low.

Their primary focus was most probably on the back row, and perhaps on Mick Galwey and Mike Mullins. None can have done themselves any harm, particularly Alan Quinlan. Whatever about the merits of his man of the match award, he was at his rampaging best and was disciplined with it too.

Given the disruptions to their preparations, it makes even more sense to avail of the Munster back row's innate understanding and have Galwey on from the start alongside the likes of Quinlan, Wallace and Foley. The big man makes less of an impact coming off the bench. Mullins was a dynamic presence when used, although the Biarritz midfield held up better than previous visitors to Limerick.

So the team, when it is announced today, may read: G Dempsey; S Horgan, M Mullins, R Henderson, T Howe; R O'Gara, P Stringer; P Clohessy, K Wood (capt), J Hayes, M Galwey, M O'Kelly A Quinlan, A Foley, D Wallace. Nine Munster players? Possibly, and whatever the final count their old mantra that the Munster collective yields national honours individually is being borne out again.