Cardiff Bonanza on the cards

While the Munster players and fans breathed a huge sigh of relief following the men in red's nerve-wracking 18-16 win over Saracens, Rob Cole of Westgate had a smile from ear to ear.

Westgate are the ERC Press and Publicity Company from the start of the competition. They have their head office in Cardiff and Cole knew that once Munster had booked their place in the final, a full Millennium Stadium was assured.

Pictured at the club's annual President's Dinner last weekend in the Limerick Hilton Hotel are Tadgh Crowe, Martin Clancy, Tom O'Connor, Micheal Ryan, Gerry Ryan, Tommy Rowan, President of Shannon RFC, Jean Rowan, Cllr Gerry McLoughlin (Deputy Mayor), Liam Costello, Pat Dowling and Ger McCloskey, proudly showing off the Munster Senior Cup and the AIB Cup which their teams have won during the last season. All attention in the club now turns to whether they can add the All Ireland League to their 2008 cabinet. Of course, they must face Garryowen in the semi-final play-off this Saturday. Picture: Brendan Gleeson.

The Cardiff publicans were also cheering loudly for Munster, as they know they are in for a bonanza on May 24.

Post-match, the talking points, and points of view, were, as usual, widely diversified. "We were terrible," said one disgruntled Munster fan. "Toulouse will murder us," he muttered as he got on his mobile to try and get a ticket for the final.

The more level-headed fans admitted that 'Saracens put it up to us and they played like they had played against the Ospreys.

Declan Kidney admitted his heart was in his mouth in the last few minutes.

"We got out of jail today but we knew any side coached by Alan Gaffney would give a good account of themselves. We are all pretty relieved to be in the final."

The other talking points were about the way Declan Kidney ignored his replacement bench, apart from the introduction of Donncha Ryan for Donncha O'Callaghan.

A number of fans thought that Peter Stringer should have taken over from Thomas O'Leary in the second half.

The Munster coach said after the match that he didn't want to change the team as it may have disrupted the defensive patterns and the players on the field were lasting the pace.

Thomas O'Leary did have an excellent game against Gloucester but his 'box kicks' were too predictable against Saracens, and Stringer's swift passing from the base would have given Munster a new dimension.

I took my hat off to the coach when he gambled by playing O'Leary and Denis Hurley in the quarter-final against Gloucester, instead of the vastly more experienced Stringer and Shaun Payne.

Payne may be 36 years old, but he had a superb game against the Ospreys two weeks ago and he knows all about playing in a final at the Millennium Stadium.

Finals are all about experience and I hope Declan Kidney has a re-think about the composition of his squad before we take on Toulouse.

Eddie O'Sullivan had a habit of talking about building for the future when putting in new players. Munster's future is on May 24, and the old boys like Anthony Foley and Shaun Payne who travel to training in Cork, and will retire together at the end of the season, should not be discarded.

Hopefully, Peter Stringer will get a chance to recapture his form and confidence in the three Magners League games before the Heineken Cup Final.

Stringer is a very experienced player while Thomas O'Leary has yet to prove himself on the International stage.

His time may come, but I would love to see Payne, Stringer and Foley start against Toulouse. Let the young guns stay on the bench…