20 years are about to pass marking Munster’s 1st Champions Cup win in May 2006, It is hard to think it’s 20 years but it is. Plenty of water has gone under the bridge since that day in Cardiff in 2006.
Unfortunately 4 men crucial to the success of that afternoon have passed away Conrad O Sullivan, Anthony Foley, Garrett Fitzgerald and Jerry Holland. All 4 men played there part in getting Munster to that big day in 06.
On Thursday week, this success after the many near misses will be celebrated in Cork. Let’s hope the current team will be preparing for a Challenge Cup Quarter Final that weekend. This celebration dinner will bring together the famed team and squad of 2006.
For this author who was at the Final in Cardiff as a fresh faced 16 year old, looking at the match programme, highlights of the game on YouTube and having a signed shirt of that squad in my home mark a truly special occasion for yours truly.
Having been in Twickenham in 2000 and watching Munster come so close then again in 2002 before the defeats of 03, 04 and 05 before the promised land was reached on that never forgotten day in 2006.
The never say die attitude of that side was a sight to behold in action. They were constantly up against it, having to beat Sale Sharks in the final round to make sure of a passage to the quarter finals. They did that with an emphatic win in Thomond Park on one of those “you had to be there days”.
They faced Perpignan in the quarter final beating them in a tough week for the side as Conrad O Sullivan was buried in the weeks leading up to the game.
They then faced Leinster in Lansdowne Road in the 1st European clash of the sides winning a tight semi-final contest with Trevor Halstead intercepting a pass in the 79th minute to put the icing on the cake of that famous win over Leinster.
The final saw them take on Biarritz Olympique winning 23-19 with a crucial try coming from Peter Stringer alongside the opening score from Trevor Halstead with the rest of the points coming from the boot of current La Rochelle boss Ronan O Gara.
Here is the side that faced Biarritz that day in Cardiff :
15 Shaun Payne
14 Anthony Horgan
13 John Kelly
12 Trevor Halstead
11 Ian Dowling
10 Ronan O Gara
9 Peter Stringer
8 Anthony Foley
7 David Wallace
6 Denis Leamy
5 Paul O Connell
4 Donnacha O Callaghan
3 John Hayes
2 Jerry Flannery
1 Marcus Horan
–
16 Denis Forgarty
17 Federico Pucciariello
18 Mick O Driscoll
19 Alan Quinlan
20 Tomas O Leary
21 Jeremy Manning
22 Rob Henderson