KEY POINTS:
Since that famous victory against the All Blacks 30 years ago, Munster has evolved into one of the strongest rugby clubs in Europe.
It doesn't quite seem right - that this tiny little pocket in a remote part of Ireland has managed to become a rugby phenomenon. But
they are a phenomenon, having won the Heineken Cup twice in the last three years.
There is no better way of putting this than to say Munster are the Crusaders of Europe, who pride themselves on having no stars and a culture where no one is bigger than the team.
Just like the Crusaders, they have relied on developing local talent and keeping things in-house. In the professional era, Munster have had one chief executive and just three coaches.
The bulk of their players are local boys, men from the area who have grown up dreaming of playing for Munster. It is only in recent seasons that they have been active in the transfer market, showing an appetite for New Zealanders.
Christian Cullen went there in 2003 and was followed by Rua Tipoki, Lifeimi Mafi and Doug Howlett.
The arrival of the last three has given Munster an international flavour - a bit of celebrity even - but Pat Geraghty, the media manager, says the recruitment process is quite particular.
"We ask a lot of questions about the players before they come as we have to make sure they are going to fit in. No one is a star here and it is never about the individual it is always about Munster. When Dougie first got here after the World Cup, the boys took the piss straight away about what had happened after. That's the way it is here, it is the way the group operate.
"It was the same with Rua. He had this reputation as being a bit of a hard man so the boys got stuck into him about that."
The bond between the players is tight. Very tight. The culture is collective rather than individual which helps explain why, with a budget of just 7m euros, Munster are able to compete with the likes of Stade Francais, Toulouse and Biarritz who can spend around 20m euros on their respective squads.
Munster's two Heineken Cup wins don't quite tell the full story of their success. They are the side no one wants to play. Since 1999, they have never failed to progress from their group - a massive achievement.
They have lost in two other finals - one where they were robbed of a late attacking opportunity by Neil Back, when the England flanker slapped the ball out of Peter Stringer's hands before the halfback could feed the five-metre scrum.
They have also regularly defeated French sides in France which is something no other team has managed and, in 2002, they produced one of the most famous results of the competition when they had to defeat Gloucester by a margin of 27 points and score four tries to qualify for the playoffs. The 33-6 victory is ingrained in Munster folklore.
In 13 years of Heineken Cup action, they have lost just one home game _ to Leicester in 2006.
Their record has been built on the strength of their forward pack, the quality of Ronan O'Gara's kicking game, an indefatigable spirit and a fan base that has roared them on all over Europe. It is the link with their supporters that marks Munster as a little different to other clubs. Thomond Park has been upgraded and expanded to 26,000 seats and the stadium in Limerick will be full, fit to burst, every Heineken Cup round. The fans simply love their club.
`We don't have to promote that link with the community," says Geraghty. "It is a small region and most of the players come through the county system so they are well known in the community.
"Take John Hayes for example. He is better known as John the farmer than John the rugby player. It's the way it has been, the players are seen as being one of us. Even Ronan O'Gara who lives in an exclusive part of Cork - all the taxi drivers will know where his house is.
"When we were in America last year, the people there couldn't believe how our players were sitting in the lobby of the hotel having coffee with the fans and talking to them."
The big question is whether Munster can preserve their ethos and culture the deeper we progress into the professional age. The club is growing its commercial revenue through the expanded stadium and merchandise sales while broadcast and sponsorship revenues are ready to jump.
This is a local club playing on a global stage. For how long can that mix exist? "I think we can continue the way we are," says Geraghty. "We have got young local players coming through and we have a mentoring system."
The Munster legend looks set to keep growing and a win this week, even by a team without its test stars, would only enhance the myth.
