Campervans, mini-buses and coaches continued to pour into Cardiff today, as Munster's "sixteenth man" prepares to roar on its team in the Millennium Stadium this evening.
With ferries and airports booked solid for weeks, many have been forced to make the most circuitous of travel plans, flying to outlying airport such as Glasgow, Newcastle and Birmingham, in order to get here.
Fresh off the boat from Fishguard, Reg Connolly (30) from Cork City, was one of thousands arriving into the Cardiff today.
"Everyone's getting here by hook or by crook," he said' "The stories are unbelievable. A friend of mine is flying in from San Francisco today, others are arriving into any airport in Britain they can find. No one wants to miss this - it could be a very special day."
Anywhere between 40,000 and 60,000 Munster fans are expected to descend on the stadium this evening, with Cardiff airport reporting its busiest ever day for passengers. Local businesses expect to make record profits of up to £20 million over the course of the weekend, more than they have ever made for a single sporting event.
Despite being Munster's second Heineken Cup final in two years, there is little sign that numbers have dwindled compared to the 2006 final.
At Llandiff rugby club, on the edge of Cardiff City, hundreds of tents and campervans were crammed in the club's carpark and training pitches this morning, turning it into an unofficial head quarters for much of Munster's red army.
"We have a soft spot for the Irish fans - especially Munster fans," said Joan Powell, assistant manager at the club, who kept the club bar open for fans until the early hours. "We've starting opening up the club grounds to accommodate rugby fans in recent years - but never quite done anything on this scale before."
The expense of travelling to the series of Munster matches in the competition for some is taking its toll. Many, though, are prepared to make sacrifices.
"Holidays are a choice - this is a necessity," joked Padraig Whelan from Toomevara, Co Tipperary, who travelled to Cardiff in a campervan with three others from Tipperary.
"We'll go anywhere to see these fellas. It's like family at this stage. In four or five years time, we don't know where the team will be, so we've got to enjoy it now."
More than ever before it's clear that the appeal of Munster spreads far beyond its geographical hinterland.
"It's just about being a genuine rugby fan," said Graham Mathews, preparing lunch in his campervan along with three other Portlaoise men. "All the fans know their rugby, It's also much more democratic - you have all sorts of fans from all sorts of background here."
With between 5,000 and 7,000 Toulouse fans estimated to be travelling to the match, Munster will take over most of the Millennium Stadium, while thousands more will be involved in a frantic last-minute hunt for tickets.
One of the few brave French fans on display this morning was Arnaud Peyronnet (33), sporting a beret and a pink Toulouse jersey.
"I was the only French supporter on the boat over from Ireland, so I had to put up with a lot of jokes," says Peyronnet, who happens to married to a Cork woman. "With so many Munster fans, it will be like playing away from home. If we do it, we will have to do it the hard way."
