Munster v Toulouse: A great European rivalry revisited

Sunday sees the latest instalment in one of the great rivalries in European club rugby as Munster and Toulouse do battle in the first round of the Heineken Champions Cup (Live on RTÉ2/Player).

Despite the freezing temperatures, Thomond Park will be packed to the rafters for the ninth meeting between these two heavyweights – and third in as many seasons.

We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

Will Connors, Ian Madigan and Malakai Fekitoa spoke to RTÉ Sport ahead of the opening round of this season's Heineken Champions Cup

This is normally a rivalry for the knockout stages, with the only previous pool-stage match coming back in 1996 when the tournament was in its infancy.

Here's how that rivalry has ebbed and flowed over the decades…

Toulouse 60-19 Munster (pool stage, 2 November 1996)

"Let’s keep it under 50 lads."

Mick Galwey tried to rally his Munster team-mates as another conversion sailed between the posts but it failed to have the desired effect as they suffered what remains their heaviest defeat.

The Irish provinces were still getting to grips with professionalism when Munster travelled to face the defending champions in the second season of the Heineken Cup. They had won two of their first three pool fixtures, including a 27-point win over Wasps in round three, and knew a result in France would clinch a first quarter-final appearance.

Munster only trailed by eight points at half-time but then the floodgates opened. Toulouse scored seven second-half tries, Michel Marfaing bagging a hat-trick with Emile Ntamack