The Toulousains could not count on Ed Sheeran this time.
A concert by the English popstar prevented the Southern Irish province from playing its quarter-final in Limerick last spring.
Its fervent supporters had traveled in numbers to the capital, 200 km away, but the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which usually hosts the great rivals of Leinster, had not filled up (about 40,500 people for 51,700 seats) and the Munstermen lost after the suspense and a very rare penalty shootout (24-24 after extra time).
The year before, in 2021, it was the Covid which had emptied Thomond Park of its boiling public, nicknamed the "Red Army", and undoubtedly contributed a little to Toulouse's victory (40-33) over the road to its fifth continental star.
Sunday (4:15 p.m. French time), this "magnificent stadium, which is a real stronghold of European rugby", according to Toulouse coach Ugo Mola, will be packed and its players are preparing for an unleashing of sound and fury.
The joy of Toulouse after their victory on penalties against Munster in the quarter-finals of the European Cup on May 7, 2022 in Dublin © Lorraine O'Sullivan / AFP
"This is the first time with this group that we are going to Limerick in this fairly legendary stadium with the supporters. It changes a lot of things", warns Julien Marchand.
"We know the impact that an audience can have on a meeting," he insists.
"We know very well that we are going to arrive in a hostile place with a lot of fervor and passion".
"A lot of noise"
The international hooker is well placed to find out since he is, at the height of his 27 years, one of the last survivors, with Cyril Baille, François Cros and Dorian Aldegheri, of the last match of the Toulouse Stadium in a filled Thomond Park, in 2017, for a quarter-final lost in the big widths (41-16).
"It was the last of Titi (Dusautoir) in the European Cup", rewinds Marchand.
"Even if we had picked up, I remember this fervor when the teams came in to warm up on the pitch. It was something great as a young player".
Young Julien Marchand (ball in hand) during Toulouse's defeat in Limerick on April 1, 2017 © Paul FAITH / AFP
"There will be a lot of noise," he anticipates.
"We will have to be ready, especially on the announcements in touch, the communication between us. We will have to remain solid and united throughout the match to hope to achieve something".
Antoine Dupont was still playing in Castres in 2017, but the scrum half knows the reputation of the Red Army of Munster: "We know the value that the 16th man can have there and given the past we have with this team over the last European Cup seasons, they will be ready to receive us".
Antoine Dupont during Toulouse's victorious penalty shootout against Munster (24-24 after extra time) on May 7, 2022 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin © Lorraine O'Sullivan / AFP
Obviously revengeful after the incredible scenario of the last confrontation between the two teams, the Irish will probably not need, to motivate themselves before kick-off, to go from Ed Sheeran in the locker room.
© 2022 AFP