MUNSTER'S adventure in the Heineken European Cup came to end in the heartland of French rugby against the reigning champions Toulouse last Saturday. Like so many sides in recent years, in European and domestic competition, Munster wilted before the challenge of Toulouse on their home soil.

So the European dream, nurtured on a great win over Wasps a fortnight earlier and given added substance by the devastation Toulouse had to endure a week later by Wasps, perished in a cacophony of sound. The home team answered the vociferous prompting of the 15,000 crowd from first whistle to last and Munster just did not have the resources to meet the challenge.

In the end Munster lost by 60 points to 9 to a full-strength home side all of whose casualties had made the recovery by the appointed hour. Toulouse gave full expression to their talents a potent amalgam of power, forward pace, penetration and perception behind the scrum. One left the ground with profound admiration for the quality Toulouse had produced and yet utterly perplexed as to how any side, club or national, could have scored 77 points against them as Wasps had done.

It was a question that Munster manager Colm Tucker, coach Jerry Holland and captain Mick Galwey posed in the immediate aftermath of a game from which a draw would have sufficed to give Munster a place in the quarter-final and end Toulouse's involvement in the competition. Munster never looked remotely like getting a draw and a poor start was just about the last thing they wanted. That, however, was imposed upon them and only 13 minutes had gone when Munster were 17-3 down.

But it was to Munster's great credit that by the interval, they were still in the game with some chance of pushing Toulouse to the edge. Some stout-hearted defence and depth of will and courage saw Munster cut their deficit to 17-9 by half-time. Toulouse had failed to score between the 13th minute and the interval. Indeed Munster had missed a good try-scoring chance just before the break and outside half Killian Keane had kicked three penalties.

The 20 minutes before the interval was easily Munster's best phase, a point acknowledged by Toulouse coach Guy Noves. Munster won some good possession with Gabriel Fulcher the agent in the line-out. They also managed a few effective mauls but did not have the ability to break the Toulouse defence and at times turned over possession and made unforced errors.

But for all their will and effort, Munster were chasing the game, and that induced its own level of over-anxiety. That was demonstrated just after the break when a fine attacking chance was lost and instead Toulouse lifted the siege and a lovely break by Christophe Deylaud opened the way for a second try from Marcel Marfaing. Deylaud converted and Munster trailed 24-9. It was the point of no return.

Keane, who played extremely well and did some tremendous tackling, kicked a fourth penalty to give a flicker of hope, that was extinguished within two minutes when wing David Berty scored his side's fourth try and to leave Toulouse 29-12 in front. Now cushioned by that considerable advantage, Toulouse cut loose.

Toulouse coach Guy Noves said: "We played as we can in the first 20 minutes of the first half and in the closing 30 minutes of the second. This was the real Toulouse. Each match is different and circumstances are different. Last week we were punished. This does not make up for last week, only winning the cup will make up for that. Once we got our confidence we played very well."

All the fall-hearted tackling and work rate of David Corkery and Anthony Foley were not enough to stem the tide. This was French rugby at its ruthless best. Munster scrum half Stephen McIvor is nothing if not resilient but he had a torrid afternoon and at times in his anxiety to make things happen made mistakes.

Munster were hit by three tries in a five-minute spell between the 68th and 72nd minutes, one by N'Tamack, a superb score by full back Ougier and Marfaing got his third. Then it was N'Tamack's turn again as Toulouse scored nine tries. Shades of nightmare days in Parc des Princes and the French in full cry, their supporters in full voice.

But Munster did have the consolation, little though it was, of scoring the game's last try when after Richard Wallace made a run, Munster did not this time turn over possession and the splendid Corkery got a try in the 80th minute and Keane converted.

Tucker, Holland and Galwey were fulsome in their praise for Toulouse. "They are a fabulous side," said Galwey. "When they got on top and had their confidence high they really turned on the style. They ran us ragged in the last half an hour. Up to that point we battled well even if we were chasing the game from an early stage. The atmosphere out there was even more intimidating than at Parc des Princes."

Tucker was in no way despondent: "They would have beaten any side and we have had a good season. Of course we are very disappointed but we came back after Cardiff and will do so again."

Munster meet Western Samoa in Cork next Saturday, but will be a depleted force as the players in the Ireland team to meet Western Samoa and in the A team to meet the Junior Springboks will not be released to play for the province.