The contrast between Munster's latest European Cup odyssey abroad and their last one, admittedly the final at Twickenham in May, could hardly be greater. Whereas then the Munster bandwagon welcomed aboard the province and the country, with upwards of 40,000 making the journey to London, yesterday's trip to Toulouse was an altogether more intimate affair.

The travelling party of scarcely 100 included the entire squad and the newest additions to the cause of Munster rugby, Conor Langford (son of John) and Kalib Mullins (recent arrival for Mike and Francine Mullins, whose father, John Marsigh, was also aboard) as well as many others in the extended Munster family.

After a fairly turbulent charter flight on a BC111 from Shannon airport, and a fairly bumpy landing to boot, the squad hit the ground running, Declan Kidney admitting that the lengthier than usual training session was in part the product of the "bumpy ride" to Toulouse.

Based in an airport hotel in the city, from where they will commute in and out of Castres tomorrow night for their Pool Three encounter, Munster trained at a nearby Stade Municipal.

Home to a lower division club called Blagnac, the neatly kept main stand and rugby pitch is complimented by outdoor and indoor swimming pools and a couple of floodlit football pitches, i.e. one of those sports complexes that are seemingly a dime a dozen in this country and invariably prompt the and-we-wonder-why-we-struggle-at-sport conversations from Irish visitors.

The hard work having been done on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, it was a relatively light-hearted work-out, with only John Hayes' strained wrist causing any undue concern.

"We're giving John every chance to recover by not having him lift in the line-outs and stuff," said Declan Kidney. "There's bumps and bruises, we're six weeks into a 12-week stint, but touch wood we're doing okay.

"It's different this year, in that we know what we're going into, it's not an unknown, and we know it's going to be particularly hard. The aim of this job is to always try and be right at a certain part of the week so we bring in a little motto where we train to play well rather than training well to play."

The few Munster survivors (Messrs Foley, Galwey and Clohessy, plus Jerry Holand and Niall O'Donovan) from their last trip to Castres, when an injury time try cost Munster a draw and a semi-final in the Heineken Cup's inaugural year, recall it as one of the most intimidating atmospheres they've ever experienced.

And though Castres have changed home venue since, the compact Stade Pierre-Antoine will be just as intimidating with it's 9,423 capacity and favourable kick-off time - 7.30 local, 6.30 Irish.

Munster will have a light run out there today but of all their opponents Castres, as Kidney admits, are the ones they know least about, "the reverse being they would probably have whatever they want on us.

Rugby is a bit like that, the small things are making a very big difference."

Castres will not pick their side until this afternoon, although word from ERC is that the Jeremy Davidson-led team may be missing new recruit Norm Berryman due to complications over his registration, while the Munster brains trust believe they will also be without ex-French captain Raphael Ibanez.

Berryman's possibly absence, given the memory of his four-try salvo against Ireland's A/Development XV on their New Zealand tour opener against Northland three years ago, is no bad thing.

The IRFU, in conjunction with the Irish management, have as expected called off the proposed development tour to New Zealand next summer after advice from the Union's fitness specialist Dr Liam Hennessy. In particular Dr Hennessy expressed the desire that there be a limit on the number of matches for Ireland's internationally contracted players.

A Union statement said: "Instead it has been agreed that there will be a concentration in this season, taking into account the involvement of Irish players on the Lions tour, on the tactical and physical development of the players. To that end it is proposed that prior to the start of the 2001-2002 season to incorporate that programme with a national training camp, up to and including Rugby World Cup 2003."

Ireland will go ahead with a Test match away to Romania next summer, a two-Test tour to New Zealand in 2002 and a tour of Australia, Samoa and Tonga in 2003.