Munster Rugby to host special event to mark 20th anniversary of 2006 Heineken Cup win

MUNSTER RUGBY have announced that a 20th anniversary gala celebration dinner will take place later this month commemorating the victorious 2006 Heineken Cup team. 

The dinner will be held on Thursday April 9, 2026 at the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork.

Members of the winning 2006 team will be in attendance on the night to mark the team's European achievement two decades on. 

On the night, a seat at the Gold table, which sits ten people, will cost €501.87 per person with a seat at the Platinum table, which also sits ten, costing €653.09.

For further queries, contact aoifefinn@munsterrugby.ie

Munster were drawn in Pool 1 of the competition alongside Castres, Newport Gwent Dragons and Sale Sharks. The Irish side got off to a losing start at the hands of Sale in Edgeley Park, losing out on a scoreline of 27-13. 

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The eventual winners of the competition would bounce back a week later at home to Castres at Thomond Park, running out resounding 42-16 winners against the French side.

Munster made it back-to-back wins when they defeated Dragons at Rodney Parade on a scoreline of 24-8. In the return fixture at Thomond Park, Munster were yet again victorious on a 30-18 scoreline. 

Next up for Declan Kidney's side was the challenge of Castres at the Stade Pierre-Antoine and it was challenge they passed with flying colours, running out 46-9 winners.

Munster went into their final match at home to Sale five points behind the visitors in the pool, needing to record a bonus-point victory and also deny Sale a losing bonus point to top the pool and guarantee qualification for the quarter-finals.

Victory was practically assured by half-time, as Munster took a 24-9 lead through tries from Anthony Foley, Ian Dowling and Barry Murphy, but the second half looked to be scoreless until two minutes past the regulation 80, when David Wallace scored the fourth try they needed to overtake Sale and win both the game and the pool.

As the fourth-seeded team from the pool stage, Munster were given a home draw in their quarter-final against Perpignan which was played at Lansdowne Road in Dublin due to the competition's neutral venue regulations.

Munster took the lead midway through the first half after O'Gara converted O'Connell's try, but Perpignan wing Matthieu Bourret converted his own try and added a penalty for the away side to give them a 10–7 half-time lead; however, four penalties from O'Gara in the space of 27-second-half minutes gave Munster a 19–10 win and put them into the semi-finals for the sixth time in seven seasons.

Munster's semi-final opponents were Leinster, who had home advantage after knocking out the top-seeded team, Toulouse, in the quarters, meaning Munster returned to Lansdowne Road. They had a 16–3 lead at half-time, thanks to a try from Denis Leamy and three penalties from O'Gara, while Leinster's only points came from the boot of Felipe Contepomi.

The Argentine was again on target in the 71st minute, but late tries from O'Gara and Trevor Halstead gave Munster a 30–6 victory and a place in their third Heineken Cup final.

Munster's reward for their semi-final victory over their rivals was a date with Biarritz in the final in Cardiff's Millenium Stadium. 

Kidney's charges ran out 23-19 winners on the day, marking the club's first ever Heineken Cup success.