| MUNSTER made it third time lucky – and put the heartbreak of losing finalists in 2000 and 2002 firmly behind them – as they were roared on by their passionate army of traveling fans to a 23-19 Heineken Cup final triumph over Biarritz Olympique at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, 20 May, 2006.
The tens of thousands of flag-waving and singing Munster supporters made the Cardiff crowd of 74,452 a sea of red and created a magnificent atmosphere that tested the hinges of the stadium’s retractable roof to the limit as Trevor Halstead and Heineken Man-of-the-Match Peter Stringer crossed for tries and Ronan O’Gara, the tournament’s leading scorer, added 13 points with his trusty boot.
Munster now have their name etched onto the coveted trophy along with TOULOUSE – who had become became the first club to win the trophy three times when they beat Stade Français Paris 18-12 in an all-French final at Murrayfield a year earlier – double champions Leicester Tigers, Brive, Bath Rugby, Ulster, Northampton Saints and London Wasps.
And Anthony Foley’s team belatedly did it by reeling off eight straight wins after making a losing start and going down 27-13 at Sale Sharks on the opening weekend of the 11th season of European club rugby’s premier tournament.
They recovered to reel off five Pool wins and then beat Perpignan in the quarter-finals and destroyed Leinster 30-6 in a remarkable all-Ireland semi-final, both at Lansdowne Road. Biarritz Olympique, appearing in their first final, killed off any lingering English hopes by beating Sale Sharks and then Bath Rugby in the knock-out stages but found a charged-up Munster too hot to handle in the Welsh capital.
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