Saracens v Munster - Did you know?

It will be the first time since 2000 that the Saracens players and fans have tasted the Munster rugby experience. In the Pool stages of the 1999/2000 season Munster came out on top twice on their way to their first final.

At Thomond Park the boot of Ronan O'Gara steered Munster to a 31-30 victory. In the return match at Vicarage Road there was only a single point between the two teams yet again - 35-34 - as Munster did the double.

The playing survivors from those two games are Kevin Sorrell, Richard Hill, Kris Chesney and Matt Cairns for Saracens and O'Gara, Peter Stringer, John Hayes, Alan Quinlan, Marcus Horan and David Wallace for Munster.

Saracens coach Alan Gaffney spent three years at Munster, taking them to two semi-finals and a quarter-final. It was suggested that his knowledge of Munster players would give his current club, Saracens, a real advantage this weekend, but the Aussie coach is having none of it.

"I heard Paul O'Connell say in the week that Munster might have to change their line-out calls because of my involvement with the club a few years ago. I don't know why he wanted to do that because I didn't know them when I was coaching there," admitted Gaffney.

Gaffney's first semi-final experience came in 2003, when Munster fell 13-12 to Toulouse in Toulouse.

"That season I got my first taste of the Munster fans. I remember the story about the Kerry farmer who sold one of his three cows to fund his trip to Toulouse for the semi-final," said Gaffney.

"They are very resourceful and highly creative in their ways and means of getting into Munster matches. They really are a part of the team and the players are very close to them."

Just how close, and important, the Munster fans are to their team was clearly illustrated by Paul O'Connell after the quarter-final win at Gloucester. The day at Kingsholm started with a steward finding 14 ticketless Munster fans hiding in a women's toilet inside the ground.

No wonder the Munster skipper, O'Connell, had this to say about his side's fans:

"They are an incredible group of supporters. There is one difference between them and other supporters in that they pay their money to perform a role for the team. They pay their money to support the team. Other fans pay their money to be entertained."

At the start of the season the Saracens players and management devised a 'Mission Statement' that had at its core a desire to develop into a team that was respected across Europe. Having reached their first semi-final in the Heineken Cup they have certainly achieved that.

No wonder, therefore, that Sarries skipper Neil de Kock, describes the Sunday showdown with Munster as "probably the biggest game in the lives of most of the players in our side."

Welsh referee Nigel Owens will have no problems identifying the players on both sides on Sunday in his first Heineken Cup semi-final. Owens had been in charge of a game in every round of the tournament to date this season and has twice controlled Munster.

He was in the middle for the 36-13 home win over Clermont Auvergne and back at Thomond Park for the vital 19-3 triumph over London Wasps. Owens also controlled Saracens' 45-16 home Pool win over Biarritz Olympique.

In fact, the only time he has seen either team lose this season was at the Millennium Stadium when Saracens were beaten 30-3 in the EDF Energy Cup semi-final by the Ospreys.

Sarries outside half Glen Jackson is the tournament's leading scorer with 112 this season, but he still has some way to go to reach the Heineken Cup record in a single campaign.

That stands at 188 points from Stade Francais Paris outside half Diego Dominguez from 2001/02.

Jackson will come up against a former team mate in his native New Zealand, Munster centre Rua Tipoki. The two players joined forces at the bay of Plenty years ago.

Jackson will also go into Sunday's game with an invaluable insight into Irish, and more particularly Munster, rugby having played for a season with the Highfields club in Cork.