“I remember going into that first game against Swansea back in 1995 feeling pretty apprehensive,” said the Irish international. “There was a lot of excitement because this was a new, European competition and we didn’t really know what to expect.

“It was a Wednesday afternoon in Limerick and there were only a couple of thousand people there.

It was one of my first games playing against a Welsh team at that level and we managed to get a win in a tightly fought game.

“Since then we have managed to beat every other team who have come to Thomond Park – a record we are fiercely proud of and will be looking to uphold against Gloucester.

“The rise and fall of Munster in the Heineken Cup is a bit of a tragic story in parts, but we are still in the running to get out of our group this season.

“I have been very fortunate with injuries over the years and that is probably why I have managed to miss only one of our 50 Heineken Cup games. I am very proud to become the first player to reach 50 matches in the tournament and I hope there are more to come.

“The tournament has given players in Ireland the chance to compete on a bigger stage. It has been harder for us to establish our credentials than some of the bigger club names around Europe who were so steeped in history.

“But the Heineken Cup has taken club rugby in Europe to another level. We always used to look in envy at the French and English clubs and wondered how we would get on against them.

“It has given us the chance to pitch ourselves against them and show exactly what we can do. If you had told us five years ago that winning the Heineken Cup was a realistic goal for Munster then I don’t think many of us would have believed you.

“But we have lost out by just one score in two finals in three seasons and it is now the ambition of every rugby player in Munster to one day win the cup.

“Both those finals, at Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium, are bittersweet memories for me. They were incredible occasions for Munster rugby and I hope one day to make it third time lucky for both myself and our fantastic fans.

“Other highlights since that game against Swansea were our semi-final victory over Toulouse in Bordeaux, beating Stade Francais in last season’s quarter-final and seeing Ronan O’Gara kick a last-minute touchline conversion to beat Saracens at Thomond Park.

“The success of Munster in recent years in the Heineken Cup has inspired a lot of young players in the Province to take up rugby instead of soccer or GAA sports. They want to be Peter Stringers and Ronan O’Garas.

“The other thing the Heineken Cup has done for players like myself, Mick Galwey and Peter Clohessey is thrust us back into the international limelight.”