More Munster Heartbreak

Sandwiched in between Munsters last minute missed penalty in the 2000 European Cup Final and Neil Backs shenanigans in the 2002 edition was the gut wrenching semi final defeat against French glamour club Stade Francais in Lille.You could call it a trilogy of near misses as Munster carried not only the hopes of a province but I'm sure the rest of the country as they went in search of The Heineken Cup back in 2001. 

Try time for Munster.....surely

Stade Francais had edged into a 16-9 lead early in the second half before John O'Neill thought he had given Munster a chance to take control as he touched the ball down for a try in the corner.  The referee and touch judge thought otherwise and ruled, incorrectly as you can see above, that the Shannon man had touched the corner flag first.

Ronan O'Gara then found his range and kicked two penalties to bring the Munster Men to within a point of the Parisians. The French withstood the onslaught however to hold on for the one point win as Munster fell agonisingly close to European glory for the second straight year.