Support » After Croatias Olympic-clinching victory, Saric

From Munsters storied win in 2006 to Leinsters European reversal in Croke Park in 2009, Alan Quinlan shares his memories of both contests and a seminal encounter in 1998... Leinster versus Munster was always a big game in the calendar and youd have a spring in your step the week of the match.Our goal in 1998 would have been to be the best Irish province, year-on-year, and we took a big step towards that in the final game of the inter-pro series. 1998: Leinster 10-25 Munster Alan Quinlan breaks through the Leinster line This is the one that stands out because we had to beat Leinster and win on points difference to lift the inter-pro. There must have been around 5,000 people at the game in Donnybrook, which was nowhere near 80,000 people who would come later. But it was the start of a journey, building towards a team that could compete in Europe and eventually win Europe.Professionalism was still very new but there was a great rivalry in the inter-pros. Id gone to games as a kid and had played for Munster Youths so I understood the history associated with the fixture. But these games always felt like a final trial too because if you played well you could progress up the line to play for Ireland. Id been working as a car mechanic for five-and-a-half years so it was a dream come true to be getting paid for playing rugby.Myself, David Wallace and Anthony Foley were all starting out then, John Hayes was coming through along with more established players like Killian Keane, John Lacey and Peter Clohessy.We had played in Dooradoyle earlier in the season and there was about 300 at the game. Leinster beat us and this was the return fixture.It was always the same when we played Leinster - if we got the better of them up front we had a chance. They had a quality backline and pace but we finished with the trophy.2006: Leinster 6-30 Munster Ronan OGara cuts through a tired Leinster defence to score Losing to Leinster in the Celtic League final in 2001 was a big disappointment for us and the rivalry really started to escalate because now it was tied up with winning big trophies, so that Celtic League loss was a painful defeat.It was all building to 2006 which was a unique occasion but I didnt get to play.I suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the start of the season but I was with group and in the hotel the night before the game.I remember the bus from the Radisson in Stillorgan and being blown away by the crowd. It must have been the first time there was 50,000-plus at a Munster v Leinster game.I watched from behind dug-out in old Lansdowne Road. It was phenomenal. Ronan OGara salutes Munsters support after victory over Leinster in Lansdowne Road We felt confident after beating Perpignan in the quarter-finals. No one expected Leinster to beat Toulouse away 41-35 and we were delighted because we expected to be going to France. To return to Lansdowne felt like a great opportunity for us. It wasnt over-confidence but we sensed an opportunity to get to the final and wed a better chance of beating Leinster in Dublin.We were under no illusions as to how strong the Leinster backline was. They were all top quality, were in the national side and obviously theyd the potential to hurt any team.I knew the biggest threat was their backline and we felt if we could limit opportunities here wed win the game.I think that match ignited the Leinster machine - the result, the amount of Munster people that got tickets, the atmosphere, that we then went on to win it. It was probably a bit of shock and envy.2009: Leinster 25-10 Munster Gordon DArcy squeezes over in the corner to set the tone for the 2009 European Cup semi-final It wasnt all good memories and we didnt go into the 2009 game thinking we should win it. But we had beaten Leinster twice already that year, 18-0 in the RDS and 22-5 in Thomond Park.It was an incredible occasion in Croke Park but we were just stuck in the ground, caught cold and they produced a brilliant performance. Brian ODriscoll scores a breakaway try that put an end to Munsters hope in 2009 It was extra disappointing for me as I ended up missing out on the Lions Tour [after being cited over an incident involving Leo Cullen].It wasnt just the disappointment of losing the game, there was a bigger situation at play for me and the result lost its significance. It was harder to take that I was now a doubt for South Africa.For Leinster, they avenged what happened in 2006 and it was a kick-start for them to go on.Watch Leinster v Munster live on Sky Sports 3 HD on Saturday from 5pm. Catch the match for £6.99 on NOW TV. No contract. Also See: PRO12 try of the month PRO12 highlights PRO12 table Rugby Union on Sky SWell Bottle Clearance . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. Swell Drink Bottle Sale . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. http://www.swellbottlesclearance.com/ . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Swell Spectrum Collection . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Swell Water Bottle Sale . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Serbia and Croatia are Brazil-bound. France or Canada will get the only Olympic basketball spot left.On Saturday, Serbia emphatically claimed its first Olympic appearance as an independent country, crushing Puerto Rico 108-77 in the championship game of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament that Serbia hosted in Belgrade. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 26 points and eight assists, while tournament MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets added 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists.Part of an international basketball power in the former Yugoslavia, Serbia made the Olympics for the first time since it became an independent nation in 2006. It appeared two years earlier as Serbia and Montenegro.Serbia beat Puerto Rico by just six points earlier this week in group play but left no doubt this time. The Serbians raced to a 24-3 lead and were ahead 37-11 after one quarter. They extended their lead to 60-27 at halftime and shot 58.7 percent for the game.Croatia had a much tougher time, outlasting Italy 84-78 in overtime in Turin, Italy. Bojan Bogdanovic of the Brooklyn Nets scored 26 points, former Philadelphia 76ers lottery pick Dario Saric added 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Croatians qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 20008.ddddddddddddAfter Croatias Olympic-clinching victory, Saric said he intends to join the Sixers this season.Im going back home and then to the USA for the 76ers, the 22-year-old wing said.The other final is Sunday in Manila, Philippines, where Canada gets a second shot to claim the Olympic berth that slipped away last year when it blew a late lead and was stunned by Venezuela in the semifinals of the FIBA Americas tournament.Cory Joseph of the Toronto Raptors scored 23 points and Tristan Thompson of the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers added 13 points and 10 rebounds Saturday in a 78-72 victory over New Zealand.France beat Turkey 75-63 in the other semifinal, getting 17 points from Thomas Heurtel.After Sundays final, there will be a draw to place the three champions in the Rio field. Two of them will end up in the same group as the two-time defending champion U.S.Along with the Americans, the other teams that have already qualified for the 12-team field are Spain, Lithuania, Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, China, Australia and Nigeria.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '