Stringer’s cheek gets Munster home at last

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby's most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

What's happening here?

It's May 20, 2006 at the Millennium Stadium, some 31 minutes into the first half, and Munster scrum-half Peter Stinger has just stolen in for an almost comically simple try from five yards out for Munster against Biarritz in the Heineken Cup final. Could Munster be about to finally lift the Heineken trophy?

What's the story behind the picture?

If at first you don't succeed try, try again! The Heineken Cup, when it came along, was perfect for a sleeping giant like Munster who were enduring a bad slump when the tournament began in the 1995-96 season.

After a slow start during which they made little impact, the men in red reached their first quarter-final in 1999 when they lost away to Colomiers, a game notable for the fact that the delayed flight carrying some Munster fans, and my good self, touched down 25 minutes before kick-off and we still arrived with five minutes to spare. Colomiers is basically situated at Blagnac airport!

The following year saw Munster's famous semi-final win over Toulouse in Bordeaux followed by a narrow defeat against Saints at Twickenham in the final. Onwards. In 2001 Munster lost their semi-final to Stade Francais 16-15 after referee Chris White denied them a perfectly legal try by wing John O'Neill and there was heartache again 12 months later when Leicester, aided by the hand of God (or Neil Back), beat them in the final at the Millennium Stadium.

In 2003 they lost their semi-final to “This try from Stringer was also Serge Betsen's worst nightmare” Toulouse 13-12 having reached the quarter-finals after the ‘miracle' 33-6 pool win over Gloucester at Thomond Park. Surely it would be their year soon? The following season they lost another epic semi-final to Wasps in Dublin 37-32, a game which is still hailed as the greatest Heineken Cup match ever.

The following year Biarritz scrumhalf Dimitiri Yachvilli kicked 14 points as Munster lost the quarter-final to Biarritz 19-10 in San Sebastian which teed up their irresistible 2005-6 campaign. This game at the Millennium was Munster's 76th Heineken Cup tie and the prize had never been closer.

What happened next?

They only went and won the bloody thing 23-19, with this try from Stringer the most memorable moment. It was also Serge Betsen's worst nightmare.

As every flanker at any level surely knows when scrum-halves do that slow-motion manoeuvre of putting their backs to their own scrum, ostensibly to make it easier for a long spin pass to the fly-half, 99 times out of 100 it means he is actually going to make a break down the blindside. It just does. This is exactly what happened here but the veteran France flanker had not read the play and was left floundering.

Why is the picture iconic?

The Munster story in Europe is iconic, chasing that Holy Grail so remorselessly, and this is the picture that pulls all that together for me. Two ‘Munster finals' had been and gone, close matches, but defeats and finishing second as we all know is nowhere in Cup Finals.

The ‘Hand of Back' still rankled although frankly even Munster diehards will late at night tell you sotto voice that Tigers were the better team and deserved the win.

But this was the day it all came good for Munster in front of a noisy capacity 76,500 crowd at the Millennium, most of whom seemed to be wearing the famous red jersey of Munster.

The consequences of losing again that day were almost unthinkable, and the gods again seem to have deserted them in the opening exchanges when Biarritz wing Sereli Bobo was awarded a dodgy try despite twice making contact with the touchline during his run down the left flank.

Stringer was invariably at the heart of the best Munster and Ireland efforts with his brilliant quick service and fiesty die-hard presence but he was never a noted try scorer – just six tries in 98 Tests. Indeed the reason he managed to bemuse Betsen was probably because the Biarritz flanker had mentally written off the possibility of Stringer making a break. Big mistake.

Stringer could have walked the try in, kissed the ball fondly and still had time to wave to family and friends before touching down but ever the pro he is clutching the ball tightly to his chest as he runs round and flops to the ground. There is also an element of him scarcely believing his good luck in slipping away untouched.

There was much water still to flow under the bridge, it was only the 31st minute, but it was the moment that Munster fans started believing. It felt like a deliverance and so it proved.

Footnote. Having finally tasted Heineken Cup victory, Munster were back in Cardiff two years later to lock horns with another French giant in the final. This time they beat Toulouse 16-13 in an equally dramatic and nervewrecking encounter. It remains their last European title.