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'Munster' (also known as 'Munster Rugby') are an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the Magners League and Heineken Cup. They won the Heineken Cup final in 2006 to become the champions of Europe. The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch, and encompasses 15 domestic clubs. Their main home grounds are Thomond Park, Limerick, and Musgrave Park, Cork.
The Munster Rugby branch was formed in 1879. Their most famous victory occurred in 1978 when they defeated the All Blacks. They remain the only Irish side to have ever done so. With professionalism in rugby union in the mid 1990s the Munster team competed in the new European Heineken Cup. After three seasons of not making it past their group stage, Munster made the quarter finals in the 1998-99 season, and in the subsequent season made their first final appearance, though they lost to English club Northampton. They were again runners-up in 2001-02, losing to English club Leicester, though the following season they won their first Celtic League title, with the championship being introduced the previous season. In the third Heineken Cup final in 2005-06, Munster famously defeated French club Biarritz to win their first European championship.
Munster are known for their fan support and game day atmosphere (the noise during play and complete silence during an attempt to kick a goal). Games involving Munster hold several Heineken Cup records for highest attendances in every stage of the finals, as well as the highest ever attendance for a rugby game in Spain. Munster play in a red jersey, blue shorts and red socks. The Munster Rugby logo consists of three crowns and a stag. The team motto is "To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible."
History
Against the All Blacks
Munster are the only Irish side to have beaten New Zealand. The 12-0 victory occurred on Tuesday 31 October 1978 at Thomond Park. Christy Cantillon scored a try with Tony Ward converting. Then Ward added a drop goal in each half. A stage play was based on the game called ''Alone it Stands'' by John Breen, as was a book: ''Stand Up and Fight: When Munster Beat the All Blacks'' by Alan English. Both have been commercially successful. Munster also drew with the All Blacks in 1973. Though these results are the stuff of Munster legend, a few players, most notably Tony Ward, were born outside the province.
Late 1990s and early 2000s
They reached the Heineken Cup quarter-finals in 1998/1999, after three years of not being able to get out of the group stages. This led them to their first appearance in the competition's final in 1999/2000, where they lost by one point to Northampton at Twickenham. Nevertheless, that season was most memorable with a fantastic win over Toulouse 25-31 in Bordeaux. Their good form and bad luck continued in the following year (2000/2001) with a semi-final defeat to Stade Français, again by one point. In 2001/2002 Munster lost the last match of their pool in Castres, but qualified as best runners-up. Munster beat Stade Français 16-14 in Paris. The only try of the game coming from Anthony Horgan. It was then on to Béziers to meet Castres for the semi-final. Munster were triumphant and went to the final at Millennium Stadium to meet the reigning champions, Leicester. Munster lost a tight game remembered as 'the hand of Back' final as a Leicester flanker used his hand illegally in a scrum when Munster had a last-chance attack.
In 2002/2003, they reached the quarter-finals after a win against Gloucester, later issued on DVD under the title "The Miracle Match". In this game, Munster needed to win by a margin of at least 27 points and score a minimum of four tries to earn a quarter-final berth. They won 33-6 with four tries in a game that has become part of Munster rugby folklore. They again faced Leicester, this time at the Tigers' home of Welford Road, and defeated the reigning champions to progress to the semi-finals. They faced Toulouse in the semi-finals and lost out on a place in the final after losing by a single point in France.
In 2003/2004 it was more of the same. After an assured performance in the Pool stage they defeated Stade Français at Thomond Park to set up a semi-final date with English champions Wasps, but they were outplayed by a superior Wasps outfit after losing Ronan O'Gara to injury early on, resulting in a Wasps v Toulouse final. In 2004/2005, after a shaky performance in the Pool stage, they qualified as 5th seeds and played Biarritz away. The match was played at Real Sociedad's ground, the Anoeta Stadium, in San Sebastián in Spain — the first Heineken Cup game ever played in Spain. Biarritz won 19-10 to avenge a 38-29 defeat at the same stage in 2001.
2005-06 to present
Inside the Millennium Stadium for the 2005-06 final where over 65,000 Munster fans were present.
In 2005/2006, in order to qualify from the pool stage, they needed to beat Sale Sharks at Thomond Park. Unlikely though it seemed, to win the pool they needed to score four tries and avoid giving Sale a bonus point. This they did in some style, scoring a try in injury time to win the match 31-9 and reach the quarter-finals. To add to the drama, the team qualified for a home quarter-final thanks to Leinster beating Bath the following day. This was achieved not just by Leinster winning the away fixture, but by their denying the home side a bonus point as well. Their quarter-final was played at Lansdowne Road in Dublin against Perpignan.
Munster eventually won the game 19-10 to set up a semi-final against rivals Leinster, which they won convincingly, 30-6. They would return to the Millennium Stadium for the final against Biarritz which they won 23-19 to become European champions for the first time. Alan English, author of ''Stand Up and Fight: When Munster Beat the All Blacks'' was commissioned to write an official account of the 2005/2006 European campaign, entitled ''Our Road To Glory'', with photographs by Billy Stickland. The book, a compilation of the players thoughts and feelings before and after the final, was launched to coincide with the 2006/2007 campaign.
In the 2006/2007 Heineken Cup they started their campaign with a victory over Leicester at Welford Road from a Ronan O'Gara penalty from his own half. Munster continued the group stage undefeated until they met Leicester Tigers again, this time at Thomond Park. Munster, previously undefeated at "Fortress Thomond Park" in Heineken Cup play, ended up losing the game 6-13, but still clinched a quarterfinal berth as one of the two top second-place teams.
In August 2007, Munster sent a team, minus its international players, to the USA to play the US Eagles in a World cup warm up game, Munster winning the tie 10-6 with Anthony Horgan scoring the only try of the match. Munster clinched arguably the most audacious signing in the province's history on 30 August 2007, when New Zealand and Auckland Blues winger Doug Howlett agreed to join on a four-year contract.
Colours and logo
The 'three crowns' emblem used by Munster alludes to the three constituent historic kingdoms of Munster; Thomond in the north, Desmond in the south, and Ormond in the east. A revamped logo was introduced for the 2003-04 season which included the addition of a stag with the three crowns.[1] The crest was designed to maintain the three crowns, and the new red stag symbolizes strength and competitiveness. The decesion for change was a product of two years of planning of research and design. Elements of blue were also introduced into mainly red Munster jersey. The current kit consists of a red shirt with blue trimming (such as the collar), blue shorts and red socks. The kit is made by Adidas, replacing Canterbury of NZ, in a deal covering kit supply for the next three seasons. Shirt sponsers are Toyota.
Home grounds
Munster have two main stadiums where they play their home matches - Thomond Park in Limerick and Musgrave Park in Cork. Thomond Park is the bigger of the two, with a capacity of around 12,000, while Musgrave can hold around 8,000. As well as Munster, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian R.F.C. play the grounds of Thomond Park. Thomond Park is famous for its atmosphere and unique history[2] - its noise during play and complete silence when a player (home and away) is kicking at goal. It is also famous for Munster's intimidating record that it held for over a decade - having never been beaten at home during the Heineken Cup.[3] However the record was broken during the 2006-07 season when they were defeated by the Leicester Tigers.
Thomond Park went through a major rennovation in 1999, and in 2006, Munster announced plans to upgrade it to a new 26,000 stadium (15,000 stand seats and 11,000 terrace capacity).[4] The design for the redevelopment was unveiled in May of that year, and work on the stadium began in early 2007. Munster hope to open the ground around Autumn in 2008. Two sweeping arches will be one of the defining features of the stadium as well as the concourse outside of the new East Stand.
Supporters
Thousands of fans watch the 2006 Heinken Cup final in Limerick.
This support was demonstrated during Munster's recent (2006) Heineken Cup win. There were many news reports of the lengths some fans were willing to go to secure tickets to the game and to travel to the game. Some Munster fans traveled to Biarritz to buy up the French allocation of tickets.[5] On the day of the game the Millennium Stadium (which is in Wales) was filled with a capacity 74,500 crowd. Of those numbers it is estimated that in excess of 55-65,000 were Munster fans[6] with the remainder being neutrals and Biarritz supporters. The Millennium Stadium was intended to be a neutral venue but commentators on the day remarked that it could hardly be counted as such. In North America there is an official supporters club called Munster Rugby USA.[7]
Munster have played in the most-attended quarter-final and semi-final matches of the Heineken Cup:
★ Semi-final. 2004, v London Wasps, Lansdowne Road, Dublin - 49,500[8]
★ Quarter-final. 2006, v Perpignan, Lansdowne Road, Dublin - 49,500[9]
Munster's appearance in the 2002 final against Leicester at Millennium Stadium, which drew 74,600, was the record attendance for a Heineken Cup final[10] until the 2007 final between Leicester and Wasps at the newly expanded Twickenham. Munster's 2005 quarter-final against Biarritz Olympique in Estadio Anoeta, played as it was across the border in San Sebastián, with an attendance of 32,000 also set the record for the biggest rugby match ever played in Spain.[11] Their October 2006 Celtic League game against Leinster at Lansdowne Road beat the record for that competition with an attendance of 27,252[12] - this record lasted just two months however with the Leinster and Ulster match on 31 December, 2006 filling Lansdowne Road (over 48,000 in attendance) for the last match at the stadium before redevelopment.[13]
Honours
★ 'Celtic League:'
★
★ Champions: 2002/3
★ 'Celtic Cup:'
★
★ Champions: 2004/5
★ 'Irish Inter-Provincial championship:'
★
★ Champions: 22 times
★ 'Heineken Cup'
★
★ Champions: 2005-06
★
★ Runners-up: 1999-00, 2001-02
Season records
Celtic League
| 'Celtic League results' | |||||||||||
| Year | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | PF | PA | Diff | BP | Points | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-02 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 228 | 120 | 118 | 0 | 15 | 1st (Pool B) | |
| 2002-03 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 227 | 129 | 98 | 4 | 28 | 1st (Pool A) | |
| 2003-04 | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 422 | 456 | -34 | 11 | 51 | 7th | |
| 2004-05 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 470 | 331 | 139 | 7 | 69 | 2nd | |
| 2005-06 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 439 | 372 | 67 | 10 | 58 | 3rd | |
| 2006-07 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 379 | 294 | 85 | 6 | 54 | 6th | |
Heineken Cup
| 'Heineken Cup results' | |||||||||||
| Year | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | PF | PA | Diff | Points | Pool place | Play-offs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 27 | +8 | 2 | 2nd | ||
| 1996-97 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 109 | 135 | -26 | 4 | 4th | ||
| 1997-98 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 141 | 180 | -39 | 4 | 3rd | ||
| 1998-99 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 144 | 108 | +36 | 9 | 2nd | Lost QF to US Colomiers | |
| 1999-00 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 188 | 132 | +56 | 10 | 1st | Lost F to Northampton | |
| 2000-01 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 154 | 109 | +45 | 10 | 1st | Lost SF to Stade Francais | |
| 2001-02 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 172 | 87 | +85 | 10 | 2nd | Lost F to Leicester | |
| 2002-03 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 206 | 107 | +99 | 8 | 2nd | Lost SF to Toulouse | |
| 2003-04 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 172 | 76 | +96 | 24 | 2nd | Lost SF to London Wasps | |
| 2004-05 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 121 | 74 | +47 | 22 | 1st | Lost QF to Biarritz | |
| 2005-06 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 186 | 87 | +99 | 23 | 1st | Champions, defeating Biarritz | |
| 2006-07 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 152 | 112 | +40 | 23 | 2nd | Lost QF to Llanelli Scarlets | |
Current squad
''(Captain)''
Players in
★ Rua Tipoki ''from'' Auckland Blues
★ Niall Ronan ''from'' Leinster
★ Paul Warwick ''from'' Connacht
★ Kieran Lewis ''from'' Leinster
★ Doug Howlett ''from'' Auckland Blues
Players out
★ Shane O'Connor ''released''
★ Eoghan Hickey to London Irish
★ Chris Delooze ''released''
★ Frank Roche ''released''
★ Trevor Halstead ''retired''
★ Shaun Payne ''retired, now Team Manager''
★ Christian Cullen ''retired''
★ Chris Wyatt ''to'' Bourgoin
Notable Former Players
★ Peter Clohessy
★ Mick Galwey
★ John Langford
★ Donal Lenihan
★ Tommy Moroney
★ Tony Ward
★ Keith Wood
★ Jim Williams
★ Christian Cullen
★ Trevor Halstead
★ Shaun Payne
Senior clubs
★ Bruff
★ Clonakilty
★ Cork Constitution
★ Dolphin
★ Garryowen
★ Highfield
★ Midleton
★ Nenagh Ormond
★ Old Crescent
★ Shannon
★ Sundays Well
★ Thomond
★ U.C.C.
★ UL Bohemians
★ Waterpark
★ Young Munster
Major club competitions
★ Munster Senior Cup
★ Munster Senior League
★ Munster Junior Cup
Schools cups
★ Munster Schools Senior Cup
★ Munster Schools Junior Cup
References
1. New Munster kit and logo to save revenue, not exploit fans Simon Lewis
2. Details for Thomond Park, Limerick
3. Tigers storm Thomond Park
4. Munster aim to start work in March
5. Hunt for Cup Final tickets heats up
6. MUNSTER FANS Kevin McDonnell
7. Munster Rugby USA
8. Wasps Break Munster Hearts
9. Battling Munster see off Perpignan
10. The seventh Heineken Cup final
11. Biarritz Move Into Final Four
12. Leinster 27-20 Munster
13. The final curtain
Further reading
★ English, A, (2005) ''Stand Up and Fight : When Munster Beats the All Blacks'', Random House, London
★ English, A, (2006) ''Munster: Our Road to Glory'', Penguin Ireland, Dublin
★ Murphy, E, (2006) ''Munster Rugby: The Secret of Their Success'', Maverick House Publishers, Dublin
★ Cronin, C, (2006) ''Beyond Our Wildest Dreams: Munster's Heineken Cup Odyssey'', Tuatha Mumhan Books
External links
★ Official site
★ Munster Supporters Site
★ European Rugby Cup
★ Celtic League Site
★ Irish Rugby Site
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