WHEN season 1996/97 dawned, it marked the beginning of Munster’s affiliation with professional rugby.
The following year, the IRFU agreed to contract the country’s elite players on a full-time basis with a sum of £3,000 per annum for every international they played in and £1,000 for every victory.
That opened up the acceptance of the professional game on this island and the beginning of the then Heineken Cup, now the Investec Champions Cup.
How that competition has caught the attention of the province, particularly in rugby-mad Limerick, has been well documented and this Saturday the crowds will flock to Thomond Park (kick-off 5.30pm) for the opening game of the 2024/25 campaign.
We look back to the heartbreak of 2000, the joys of ‘06 and ‘08 and the many semi-final defeats in this competition as Munster take the field to lock horns against one of the oldest and most storied clubs in French rugby, Stade Francais.
The last time these teams met in this competition was in 2016 when Munster won 26-13.
Stade will be keen to improve on their recent form and they have dropped to third from bottom in the Top 14 after losing away to Bayonne 21-13 on Sunday.
They have won only four matches from 11 outings and coach Laurent Labit will be hoping that he can turn things around on this visit to Mayorstone.
Louis Carbonell at 10 has been having an impressive season while others to watch out for are Ryan Chapais in the back-row and Moses Alo-Earile.
On the basis of what we saw in the second half of last Saturday’s home URC win against the Lions, another home victory is on the cards.
Without many star players, Munster dazzled the opposition with a thrilling display of running rugby, their defence was superb and while there were a few missed chances, particularly from the place kicker, these young players have certainly left their calling cards.
It looks like interim coach Ian Costelloe will have all his international players back for the weekend.
Jack Crowley and Craig Casey are on fire at the moment and Tadhg Beirne and Peter O’Mahony also look sure to start.
Exciting times ahead.
Lastly, last week’s attendance of a mere 11,836 asks questions of the Red Army, even allowing for the time of year and the late kick-off.
