Alan Quinlan: 'Right, who's nabbed my bottle with the champers in it....'After Wednesday night's footballing equivalent that peetered out into spineless penalty shoot-out with both teams driven by fear of heartbreaking defeat rather than endeavor of euphoric gain, the sold-out Millennium Stadium houses European rugby's finest with no shortage of passion, enterprise and soul associated with the buyers market concerning the round ball.
It would be easy to jump on the bandwagon by building up the hype by overplaying the superlatives in a Shakespearian manner, citing every annal of history and comparing the unprescedented successes of both teams, but juxtapositions don't do these magical institution's justice.
Way back in 1996, Toulouse won their first ever European Cup Final, notably in Cardiff, before adding another two pieces of the shiniest silverware to the family china - an obsession aptly matched by Munster's quest for that elusive first trophy, which coincidentally arrived in 2006 at Saturday's exact venue.
For the creme of the Celtic League, the Heineken Cup makes up for most of the inadequacies of the Magners League. In Munster's case, you couldn't be closer to the truth.
When Toulouse step out, it captures the imagination. Like all things French, whether their temperament is aligned with the season and bloom like an sunflower or wilt like a lilly.
Munster are unchanged from the semi-final success over Saracens. All-Black trio, Lifeimi Mafi, Rua Tipoki and Doug Howlett have introduced another dimension to the powerful Irish pack. Tipoki's frightening defence and razor-sharp attack will get its biggest test against the gliding skills of Yannick Jauzion.
Toulouse found it difficult to move their red machine swiftly through the gears against London Irish and Florian Fritz's return to fitness isn't timely enough for a starting berth. The majestic talents of Cedric Heymans providing the mystifying threat from full-back can't go missing like they did at Twickenham and Thierry Dusautoir needs to give Ronan O'Gara a migrane at flanker.
Munster: D Hurley; D Howlett, L Mafi, R Tipoki, I Dowling; R O'Gara, T O'Leary; M Horan, J Flannery, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell (capt), A Quinlan, D Wallace, D Leamy.
Replacements: F Sheahan, T Buckey, M O'Driscoll, D Ryan, P Stringer, P Warwick, K Earls.
Toulouse: C Heymans; M Medard, M Kunavore, Y Jauion, Y Donguy; J-B Elissalde, B Kelleher; D Human, W Servat, S Perugini, F Pelous (capt), P Albacete, J Bouilhou, T Dusautoir, S Sowerby.
Replacements: A Vernet Basualdo, J-B Poux, R Millo-Chlusky, Y Nyanga, F Fritz, M Ahotaeiloa, V Courrent.
Prediction: Toulouse to win by four points