The Heineken Cup final at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday will be a record-breaking capacity crowd occasion - each finalist getting 21,500 of the 74,000 tickets that are now like gold dust - not to mention the end of an era or two.

Martin Johnson's Leicester Tigers take on Mick Galwey's Munster in the swansong contest for prop Peter Clohessy and coach Declan Kidney, the latter joining the Irish coaching staff.

But it will be Clohessy's final game - 15 years after he and Galwey first played together for Munster - as they have become the emblematic image of Munster rugby.

"I don't want to think about Saturday's match in terms of what might happen if we were to win it," said 'The Claw.'

"I know that my opposite number, Darren Garforth, is about my age so I'm looking forward to that personal battle.

"We must obviously respect Leicester because they are a great team and, once you're in the knock-out stages of this tournament, you have to respect everybody. But we have to believe that we are a great team too because if we perform well, we have every chance.

"I haven't really thought about it being my last game but it has been a fantastic experience to be part of Munster for the past 15 years. There are some great young players coming through and I have no doubt that the future of Munster rugby is in good hands.

"They may have good years and bad years but I don't believe Munster will ever be in a position where they won't at least be challenging for honours."

Meanwhile, time is only slowly easing the pain for Ronan O'Gara - the hurt of the 9-8 Heineken Cup 2000 final defeat by Northampton Saints at Twickenham now acting as a spur to try and ensure there is no repeat result when they meet champions Leicester Tigers in Cardiff on Saturday.

"Losing the Heineken Cup final was probably the biggest disappointment of all our rugby playing careers," said the Munster, Ireland and Lions outside-half.

"We had put so much into that season that to fail at the last hurdle was almost too much. Time, however, is a great healer, you do move on."

Munster are one of only three teams to reach two Heineken Cup finals - Leicester Tigers, there for a third time, and Brive the others - and O'Gara is banking on the Twickenham torture, and last season's semi-final defeat by Stade Francais in Lille, standing them in good big time experience stead.

"I think we are stronger mentally this time around," said the player who tops this season's points chart with 120 and is only the third player to crack the 400-points Heineken Cup barrier. "We have a lot more experience with the core team of two years ago still forming the guts of the group now.

"Leicester are the ultimate test as a team - but that's what the Heineken Cup is all about. We all enjoy this type of occasion.

"After all, this is the best competition in Europe and if we want to win something we have got to beat Leicester. It's a great challenge and it should be a good day for everyone but the most important thing is that we give it our best shot.

"I think if they beat us and we hadn't shown our hand it would be very hard to accept.

"Leicester have dominated English rugby for so long now, this must be another one they think they can win. But at the end of the day, it's all about who performs best over the 80 minutes on the pitch...nothing else."