THIS was the triumph of a real rugby team, Munster, against a Biarritz bunch of superstars brought together mainly by money. Whereas Munster’s men in red played for each other heart and soul, with unflagging passion, and digging deep right to the end to make sure that they at last got their hands on the Heineken Cup, Biarritz were the victims of a disjointed tactical plan, and the lack of similar teamwork to cement their drive for European club rugby’s top prize.

Last week I said that Peter Stringer sometimes reminded me of a schoolboy in his eagerness and naivety. Well, it is time to eat humble pie. Yesterday at Cardiff’s Millennium stadium he graduated to school governor. Stringer typified Munster’s deep-seated belief, and their never-say-die attitude.

There is nobody in that Munster back-line who stands out as a superstar, but it was their collective excellence that was the key to this triumph.

Little Stringer is the mirror image of the little battler who may not have the natural gifts of someone like his opposite number, Dimitri Yachvili, but he has made himself into the best player he can be — and in Cardiff he was the more influential. Mind you, they ought to check his passport because he must be the only Munsterman this weekend who will not have a drink.

Stringer’s try was as soft as they come because Biarritz fell for a classic sucker punch, even if it was superbly executed. The con began when Anthony Horgan came off the blind-side wing to go open when Munster secured a scrum put-in 10 metres from the Biarritz line. Sereli Bobo fell for it hook, line and sinker and followed him, leaving the blind-side tramline unguarded. You could see Stringer weighing up the opportunity out of the corner of his eye as Munster won the heel.

As a player you can almost feel the space opening up and because Stringer is hardly the most dangerous scrum-half on the break, the subterfuge worked perfectly. Instead of firing out passes as he has all season, this time he chose the one option Biarritz were not expecting, and even a flanker of Serge Betsen’s experience was rooted to the spot as the Munster scrum-half darted past him for the decisive try.

Trevor Halstead is another of Munster’s unsung heroes. The big South African arrived in Europe with the reputation for being cumbersome and not the fastest thing on two legs. However, he has adapted brilliantly to Munster’s demands and has become their key midfield figure. Munster use him in the same way that England used Mike Tindall en route to the 2003 World Cup, using his power to get them over the gain line and as the launchpad for further attacks. A player like Halstead is crucial to a momentum side like Munster, and, although they have been criticised for being conservative, there was no negativity in their play.

Another Munster back who impresses me is the stocky Ian Dowling. He is what you could call a very good man in a tight spot because, with his low centre of gravity and speed off the mark, he makes yardage in the most claustrophobic situations. Dowling also shows great confidence, and what a first season he has had in the top flight with an Ireland Triple Crown and a Munster Heineken Cup to his name.

Those old campaigners, John Kelly and Horgan, also hardly put a foot wrong, adding to the cumulative excellence that put the knife into Biarritz.

By contrast, the Biarritz back-line looked like a group of talented individuals thrown together with no obvious direction. Yachvili was flashy and stroppy, Julien Peyrelongue was so dull and predictable that it’s hard to believe that France have capped him, while Nicolas Brusque was a totally wasted talent.

Biarritz deserved to lose, and I hope they have learned a valuable lesson. The England of 2003 may have suffocated teams, but at least they still scored good tries. Biarritz’s pattern is to hold what you have and try to squeeze out a win. Yesterday it backfired, and Munster deservedly found their holy grail.