Bilbao is very much red but Saturday will see blues battle it out for the Champions Cup final.
The San Mamés was resplendent in sunshine as both Leinster and Racing 92 went through their captains’ runs.
First up were Leinster, who had arrived in late on Thursday night and were happy for the opportunity to stretch their legs. Over 30 players took to the field but all were already aware of who was in and out of Saturday’s matchday squad.
There were a few Spanish journalists present at both press briefings and Cullen managed to get in a joke that referenced Munster when he was asked about playing in Bilbao.
“I came over here last week to check out the stadium and it is an amazing place,” he said.
“I’m glad we’re not playing Munster because it’s very red out there!
“But, no, it’s a great place and the players were very excited about coming here today because they understand some of the traditions of the club. They are very similar to ourselves in that the base a lot of what they do around the home-grown players. It’s a fantastic stadium and hopefully we get a big crowd for the games and hopefully we can put on a show.”
Indeed, Athletic Bilbao pride themselves on producing home-grown stars and challenging on domestic and European front with those same men.
That is the Munster way too but one of the stars of recent years, and European campaigns, is now in Racing blue – Donnacha Ryan. The Tipperary native was up for Racing’s press conference and spoke of the almighty challenge his side were facing, in Leinster.
With Gloucester and Cardiff fans also in town for the Challenge Cup, the weekend in Bilbao will certainly be a lively affair.
Many in the city will openly admit, however, that they were hoping for Munster to make the final. The printers of a Bilbao pocket travel guides were so confident Munster would get past Racing in the semis that they even went ahead with popping Conor Murray on the cover.
Think they printed the #Bilbao pocket guides before the @ChampionsCup semis #rterugby #LEIvR92 pic.twitter.com/5ljtLMOnU4
— Michael Glennon (@MicilGlennon) May 10, 2018
A familiar face for many of the travelling Irish fans and a reminder of what could have been.
