Written by Karmichael Hunt
Monday 10th May, 2010
Its fair to say we went into our semi final berth, underdogs to the European giants Munster.
The Spanish stadium of Anoeta provided the ambience of a true French final, with it packing out at around 32,000 people. As i've come to learn since playing in France, there is nothing more important then a home final. The team, especially the local boys truly get a huge moral boost from the home field advantage.
We went into camp for the big match, 5 days prior with the club president Serge Blanco putting us up in one of his hotels, in the beautiful Basque seaside town called Hendaye. After every training session, the boy's and I took part in recovery at Serge's Thalasso Spa (a local French creation) located in his other hotel just around the corner. With our preparation in order, we were more than ready for game day.
The Irish team were tough opponents, that are very well drilled and disciplined. Their side is filled with Irish Internationals who are very well respected among their international counterparts. We knew we had to turn up and give nothing short of our best. I had the privilege of teaming up in the middle with French International, Dimitri Yachvili. Working alongside such and experienced and respected number 9, made my job easier. With Munster crossing early courtesy to a handy counter attack, we had to knuckle down in defence and play field position.
The forwards really stepped up in the set piece play, allowing us to gain more possession of the ball and in turn providing better field position. Yachvili was on song with his boot and despite not scoring a single try, we managed to come walk away with a convincing victory. All in all, it was a very encouraging and moral boosting win at the right time of the season.
Our next two weeks are going to be purely focused on our grand final clash against fellow French team, Toulouse in Paris on the 22nd of May. The Heineken Cup is said to be the second best rugby competition behind the World Cup. I can't express how fortunate and excited I am to be taking part.
