Kidney: a 'special' victory
Sun, 25 May 2008 10:00
Declan Kidney hailed a "special" victory for Munster after they brought down the curtain on his reign with a 16-13 Heineken Cup final victory over Toulouse.
A second European title in three seasons was secured by number eight Denis Leamy's first-half try and 11 points from the boot of prolific flyhalf Ronan O'Gara.
Kidney will take over as Ireland coach, replacing Eddie O'Sullivan.
"It was an emotional dressing room - it was a special place to be.
"To win this trophy once is special, but twice is a dream, it is something else. We have to enjoy it.
"You have good days and some tough days, but not many teams finish on top against Toulouse".
O'Gara added: "We felt in control. We shut them down, and it was about keeping as much control as possible. The forwards were immense.
"It is a great day for me and Munster - it is overwhelming".
Munster skipper Paul O'Connell said: "Patience and possession were our mantra during the week. We were very patient when we had the ball.
"It was a war up front, but we took the game by the scruff of the neck. We worked our socks off, and the mental desire came through".
Toulouse captain Fabien Pelous' second-half sin binning was a critical factor behind his team not being able to challenge for a fourth Heineken Cup crown.
He said: "I did lose my head a little bit. It is a shame I reacted like that.
"We made some good play, but our finishing wasn't great. We were in it until the end, but it was Munster's ability for ball retention that proved crucial".
Toulouse coach Guy Noves added: "We put them under a lot of pressure for the first 25 minutes or so. We were there in terms of physicality.
"We know Munster are a team of great quality, but I felt a turning point was the yellow card card for Fabien Pelous".
