Toulouse coach Guy Noves believes Munster rugby has come a long way in the three years since the Irish outfit inflicted one of the most painful defeats of his career.
Noves admits he is still haunted by the 31-25 defeat in Bordeaux by Munster three years ago and is confident the time is ripe for revenge when the teams clash in another Heineken Cup semi-final on Saturday.
Three years ago the men from Munster were considered upstarts against a Toulouse team that would end up rueing their overconfidence. " We felt untouchable before that match," he told L'Equipe. "We were full of illusions, internally as well as externally. We were sure we were going to the final and that disturbed our mental preparation."
"You have to accept things like that as a sportsman. It`s one of the defeats that has most haunted me like the one last year against Agen in the semi-final of the French championship."
That defeat at Bordeaux was at a time when Munster were very much an emerging force but Noves believes the Irish outfit this time wears the mantle of favourites when they face Toulouse, who won the inaugural Heineken Cup back in 1996.
"At that time, Munster was a team in full construction but since then they have done amazing things," said Noves. "Last year they beat Stade Francais in Paris and then beat Castres at Beziers. They have just knocked out the double European champions Leicester on their home soil. They have to be favourites."
His view was echoed by stand-off Yann Delaigue who said: "When a team wins so often against the French it can't be purely down to luck."
Delaigue missed the match three years ago with a broken knee but is confident of playing against Munster after a scan on a thigh he injured in the 55-33 victory over Pau yielded no significant damage. Emile Ntamack is nursing a sore shoulder while Jan-Baptiste Elissalde and Trevor Brennan are back in training. Only winger Finau Maka is not training normally.
The club's backs coach Philippe Rouge Thomas believes Toulouse's own Irishman, Brennan, could hold the key. "Munster have 13 Trevor Brennans in their team," he said. "They train the same way they play, they stick to the ball, they are like flies. They let nothing go."
Noves believes that Munster are an improved side from the raw outfit they met three years ago. "In three years, they have accumulated confidence," said Noves. "They are good at turning the ball over, have an excellent half-back pairing (Peter Stringer and Ronan O`Gara) and can play far from the line. The Irish have always had the mental capacity but now they play top quality rugby."
