It was gripping rather than brilliant, absorbing more than thrilling, but you couldn’t love sport and not have been moved by the sheer intensity of the contest.

Munster won, not because they were the more skilful team, they might not have been the better team, but they had a will that simply would not accept defeat. And that’s more important than skill or speed or any of the other athletic qualities.

At the end the Munster men stood and danced in huddles, their euphoria borne from the fact that they had won in the game’s grand style. They had out-fought Toulouse. And that was no mean achievement because the French came not to praise Munster but to bury them. There were times when Munster seemed to have one foot in the grave, but just as quickly they pulled it out and carried on.

It was an epic occasion as both teams’ followers descended upon Cardiff, vast swathes of humanity united in their love for rugby. The Irish camper vans were lined up along the North Road, each one seemingly more affluent than the last, and when the residents came out to greet the day, it wasn’t just any old day. On the lawns in front of Cardiff’s magnificent castle, the Munster men were drinking water to dilute the previous night’s alcohol, the French drinking red wine from plastic cups.

Someone said the Munster fans were expected to outnumber the French ten to one and that’s how it seemed on the streets around the Millennium Stadium. And one had a sense that the Munster congregation saw hope in their very numbers, as if the presence of so many brought with it the promise of glory.

But when the man in the tunnel tells the teams they can run onto the field, the numbers are suddenly even: fifteen against fifteen and there isn’t that much that 60,000 compatriots can do for you. Through a fiercely contested opening, Toulouse’s control was absolute. They were quicker, stronger, far more confident and all that Munster could do was defend as if their lives depended upon it.

In a sporting sense, their lives did depend upon nailing every Toulouse ball-carrier and that’s pretty much what they did. Munster have always been a hard-hitting side, the current team’s ethos is “hit hard and hit often” but to that fervour they have added an organisation that is the most impressive part of all.

You probably don’t know the name but Tony McGahan is the guy who has done most to make Munster such formidable defenders. He came from Australia and you sense he has warmed to the innate willingness of Munster to put their bodies on the line. This goes back to the great Jerry Walsh, more recently to the heroic Seamus Dennison and how fine it was to see Dennison sipping a pint on St. Mary’s Street before the game.

Yesterday’s team needed his spirit to resist Toulouse through a torrid first 20 minutes because it seemed all that Munster had against a superior team. The difference between the teams through that opening was reflected in two garryowens, one lofted by Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and majestically taken by the air-borne Yannick Jauzion.

Munster’s full-back Denis Hur-ley came for that ball but Jauzion jumped so much higher, it was hardly a contest. And then when O’Gara floated his up-and-under towards the left wing, Yves Donguy, one expected the rushing Munster men to overwhelm the wing. Instead, he caught the ball unchallenged and had the time to counter attack.

So the French side ran, and Munster tackled and one waited for something to give. Remarka-bly it was Toulouse’s belief in their ability to score tries against Munster’s defence. So when the fly-half Elissalde decided to go for the drop goal, it was three points for his team but a small victory for Munster. Then, 21 minutes into the game, they got their first serious opportunity.

It was that kind of game, every inch was contested and small gains seemed like big victories and when Munster did get inside Toulouse territory, there was a deadly seriousness about their intent. Denis Leamy’s try in the 28th minute happened simply because Munster, having got themselves up to the Toulouse line, weren’t prepared to leave without a score.

That put Munster in a strong position, a 7-3 lead that soon became 10-3 and in a game where the gains were counted in inches, that was a significant advantage. Even with 50 minutes to go, there was a feeling that it could be enough. That it wasn’t came down to the game’s one moment of pure genius.

After 52 minutes Munster were 13-6 in front and although inside their half, they were in control. They worked the ball to the scrum-half Tomas O’Leary, making sure he had both time and space to make a lengthy clearance. O’Leary’s kick flew into touch well inside the Toulouse half.

Cederic Heymans, threw it to himself, looked up, all he could see were navy jerseys, all filled by big Munster men, each one bigger than the next. There was no space, so he decided to make some. Chipping over the first wave of attackers, he regathered and then kicked again, and in about four seconds he had by-passed six defenders.

From his second kick, the ball hopped loosely inside the Munster 22, the full-back Denis Hur-ley threw his body at the ball, but Jauzion got his right foot there first and nudged the ball towards the Munster line. For Donguy, it was the simplest try he will ever score.

That left the game tied at 13-13, hanging in the balance, there to be won by the team that most wanted it. And, to their immense credit, it was Munster who answered that final question.

Somehow they found the energy, and it came directly from their hearts.

Previous winners
1996 Toulouse 21 Cardiff 18
1997 Brive 28 Leicester 9
1998 Bath 19 Brive 18
1999 Ulster 21 Colomiers 6
2000 Northampton 9 Munster 8
2001 Leicester 34 Stade Fr 30
2002 Leicester 15 Munster 9
2003 Toulouse 22 Perpignan 17
2004 Wasps 27 Toulouse 20
2005 Toulouse 18 Stade Fr 12
2006 Munster 23 Biarritz 19
2007 Wasps 25 Leicester 9