Compiled by JOHNNY WATTERSON.
Pelous points to fondest defeat
FABIEN PELOUS has won two Heineken Cup finals as captain and is going for a hat-trick today. But when asked what his fondest memory has been the secondrow picked the match when Toulouse lost.
"Bizarrely, I would say that my best memory is the final we lost against London Wasps in Twickenham in 2004," said Pelous.
"Because it was an extraordinary game. Despite the bitterness of the defeat, it remains a very good moment because we gave literally everything that day.
"We demonstrated what we could do best, and in rugby and in sport in general, it is extremely rewarding for players to say that they have produced their full potential when it really matters."
Heathrow swamped by red surge
AS PLANES arrived to Heathrow airport yesterday there was mild but good-natured confusion as fans mixed together.
It was the red shirts of Munster coming from Ireland to get to Cardiff via London mixing with the red shirts of Manchester United fans making their way back from Moscow after a thrilling night of European soccer. Funny that Manchester folk seem to understand perfectly what "How are they hanging, you langer?" means.
Breakfast prices take the biscuit Indoor rugby proves popular
A POSSE of Munster fans, appropriately dressed in the away strip, looked bothered, befuddled, and bewildered at Dublin airport yesterday morning.
They had just looked at the price of a traditional Irish breakfast on offer in the upstairs self-service restaurant.
Their expressions could not have been more disgusted looking than if Cedric Heymans had just run in a try directly from the kick-off.
And all because of the rip-off €11.45 asked for the privilege of killing time in the airport eating.
Dedicated to the cause
EMER LOVETT is greatly enthused by the popular reaction she received for her forthcoming book on Munster supporters and their often outrageous stories.
She informs this column that the most determined story yet is of a guy that works for the relief agency GOAL in Mongolia, who has just driven across Asia in order to get a flight to Cardiff today.
No doubt he'll get full billing when the book comes out.
Indoor rugby proves popular
THIS WILL be the third Heineken Cup final to be played "indoors".
The Millennium Stadium's retractable roof, which, we are reliably informed, weighs 8,000 tonnes, will be closed for the 2008 final, just as it was in 2002 and 2006.
Overall, it's the fifth Heineken Cup final to be played in Cardiff .
The 1996 and 1997 finals were played at the old Cardiff Arms Park.
Some final fringe issues
TOULOUSE WON the toss for jersey choice and will wear an all red strip. Munster will wear their blue second strip with white shorts.
Not to be outdone entirely, Munster won the toss for dressingroom choice and will use the same "North" dressingroom as in their victorious 2006 Millennium Stadium final.
However, Wales switched from their "home" dressingroom in February and won their Six Nations Championship Grand Slam out of the dressingroom in which Toulouse will change.
