Munster hordes get ready for invasion

Rugby: Munster are again expecting huge support for their Heineken European Cup semi-final against Toulouse in France on Saturday…

Rugby: Munster are again expecting huge support for their Heineken European Cup semi-final against Toulouse in France on Saturday.

Officials expect ticket sales to Irish-based supporters for the Stade Toulousain match to exceed 10,000. Additional fans are likely to arrive at the south of France venue from non-Irish destinations.

The ticket offices will be open today from 10.00-3.00 at Thomond Park and Musgrave Park and by close of business on Friday, Munster expect sales to have broken the 10,000 mark.

As a result of the enormous Irish interest in the games, the two semi-finals are hoping to attract a tournament record of over 80,000 fans, a 60 per cent increase on last season's semi-finals. Leinster's clash with Perpignan in Dublin has a capacity of 49,000 while Toulouse can cater for 36,500 fans and even if Lansdowne Road and Stade Toulousain are not entirely full, the record is likely to be shattered.

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Munster report a clean bill of health following on from their quarter-final victory over Leicester at Welford Road. Alan Gaffney will announce his squad tomorrow at Thomond Park before they travel from Cork to Toulouse on Thursday. The starting 22 will be announced on Friday at a joint-press conference with their opponents at Stade Toulousain.

David Wallace continued his climb back to full fitness with a 20-minute spell for Garryowen in their All-Ireland League match against Blackrock College at the weekend. However, the Irish backrow is unlikely to be in the equation for bench space this time out.

Toulouse head coach Guy Noves is looking at their home match as a platform from which to avenge their 31-25 semi-final defeat by a Mick Galwey-led Munster team at Stade Lescure in Bordeaux three years ago.

"For us it is the semi-final we dreamed of," said Noves. "We haven't reached this stage of the competition since our catastrophic performance in the spring of 2000 against Munster in Bordeaux. The Irish team hadn't yet reached the level they are at now but even then they showed their potential. While Toulouse went to sleep following that defeat, Munster went on the rampage and destroyed all the French teams who stood in their path, even on French soil.

"Two thirds of the Munster team are Irish internationals so they will be a huge obstacle in our way. We have a huge challenge ahead of us; we must get revenge for Bordeaux and become one of the first French teams to beat Munster."

It is only when Leinster coach Matt Williams and his squad get down to serious scrummaging later this week that they will know if captain and prop Reggie Corrigan (broken arm) will be fit to line out in their semi-final against Perpignan on Sunday.

Corrigan and the recovering centre/wing, Shane Horgan, both came through Leinster's session yesterday morning with no ill effects. Horgan, who has been troubled with a thorn thigh muscle, worked primarily with the fitness trainers and is up to 80 per cent speed while Corrigan took a full contact part in the session with tackle bags but did not scrummage.

At this stage Corrigan is believed to be closer to match fitness than Horgan, although the Leinster management are still reluctant to commit either player to the game until closer to the weekend. Team announcement takes place on Friday.

"They are both training very well," said manager Ken Ging. "The physical fitness of the players is not an issue, it is their injuries that need to be right. With regard to the match we are still looking at both players positively rather than negatively."

In the event of a tie at full time in the two semi-finals, extra time of 20 minutes (10 minutes each way) will be played. If the result is still unresolved the winner will be determined by the following: (a) the club which has scored the most tries in that match, including extra time; or (b) a place-kicking competition.