Heineken Cup - What the winners said

Eurosport - Mon, 26 May 09:14:00 2008

Reaction from the Munster camp after they were crowned European champions with a ferocious Heineken Cup final victory over Toulouse.

RUGBY 2008 H Cup Toulouse Munster Heymans - 0

Ronan O'Gara: "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."

Paul O'Connell: "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."

Alan Quinlan: "I feel really proud to have won this and we owe a huge amount to the support we have had. It's amazing to win it again. The supporters here gave us a massive lift. There are a lot of sore bodies but it was worth it. Toulouse had us on the rack in the first 15 minutes. We have a massive squad who have all contributed and those lucky enough to be involved and the backroom staff have put in a lot of work in. It's a great achievement to represent Ireland and do it in front of these supporters is unbelievable and I'm lucky to be part of this achievement."

Donncha O'Callaghan: "It's incredible. We knew it was going to come down to small margins. The thing is that you learn from experience from the tight games you play like this before. It comes from playing in the All Ireland League, schoolboy rugby and how to win it out. It might be boring but who cares? It is effective for us. There was just such a great sense of belief even when we were behind the posts after their try. We looked around and there was that belief that we were not going to lose. It's great that we are sending the coaches off on the biggest high possible."

Doug Howlett: "This was a fantastic event. This is why I came up here, for these experiences. It is hard to put your finger on what Munster is. But going out there and seeing thousands of supporters and having 65,000 stay behind after the game to celebrate - it is something special in world rugby."

Sporting Life / Eurosport