Heineken Cup record-breaker Emile Ntamack is determined to end Munster's great European adventure tomorrow. The French international lines up for tournament favourites Toulouse in Bordeaux, seeking a semi-final victory against Ireland's heroic provincial champions. Toulouse have left no stone unturned preparing for the Stade Lescure showdown.
A three-day training camp in the Pyrenees has put the French champions in a strong mental state. “The semi-final is all or nothing, and we are determined not to fall apart at this vital stage,” said Ntamack, scorer of a record 19 tries in the tournament. “We have analysed videos of Munster during our training camp because we know that we face a huge challenge against them. It is a question of keeping our momentum going.”
Munster have arrived at the semi-final stage courtesy of some outstanding performances in the qualifying round. Victories at Saracens and Colomiers underpinned their domination of Pool 4, and they are hell bent on emulating Ulster last season by reaching a first European final. Toulouse captain Franck Belot is well aware of their threat, and stated “Munster are a great team who have performed superbly in Europe this year, and we know that we are in for a tough contest. Munster are a top level team. They are very dynamic and play a physical game. From what I have seen of them, their defence is very strong and they certainly gave Stade Francais a mauling in the quarter-finals.”
The winners of tomorrow's contest go into a final that will pit them against either Northampton or Llanelli, who clash at Reading's Madejski Stadium on Sunday.
