 Jerry Flannery is keen to keep hold of the Heineken Cup |
When Munster finally lifted the Heineken Cup in their third final appearance last May, their diehard fans must have thought the long quest for glory was over.
But for the players, the hard work had only just begun.
"Our goal was never to win it and die off - we want to win it again," hooker Jerry Flannery told BBC Sport.
"That's what teams like Leicester and Toulouse have done and it's where we want to be.
"Straight after we won it, it was mentioned in the dressing room - 'this is our chance to become a European super power'.
"As a team, we have ultimate goals. To win the Heineken Cup was always the big one - this season, it's to retain it."
 | HEINEKEN CUP RULES Six groups of four teams Group winners and two runners-up qualify for quarters Top four teams have home advantage in QFs Semi-finals at neutral venues |
Leicester (2001 and 2002) are the only team team who have ever successfully defended the trophy, and Flannery says Munster owe it to their fans to try and emulate that. "We've got hunger to do it again and the team that wants it the most will come through in the end," he said.
"There's been such expectation from our fans over the last eight or nine years that we've got to make sure the hunger stays.
"The squad won't be happy to have just won it and then drop off. It's important to keep that feeling through the whole province."
Flannery's ambitions don't end there - he says Munster must challenge on all fronts this season.
"You've got to be consistent all through the year, across all competitions," he said.
"Last season we came third in the Celtic League, which isn't good enough.
"Wasps, Toulouse and the like are always challenging for their domestic league - this is what we have to do."
Leinster and Ireland skipper Brian O'Driscoll told BBC Sport that Munster's success had been an inspiration to his side.
The two teams met in last season's semi-final at Lansdowne Road, with Munster winning 30-6.
"Munster winning the Cup is a big incentive for us to go one step further than we did last year," he said.
"We're massively envious of their success and their achievement, and we want to emulate what they've done.
"If you look at Munster's history over the last four or five years, their consistency has eventually won them the competition.
"That's what we lacked - it's about bringing our standards up to their level before we find ourselves in a final.
"We took a big step back in the semi-final by not fronting up. It showed we're far from the finished article."
Winning the Heineken Cup with his home province would be one of the highlights of O'Driscoll's illustrious career.
"It's a romantic notion, but it would mean so much more to me to win something with Leinster, rather than with a club like Toulouse or Leicester," he said.
"For myself, my friends and my family, it would be an enormous feat.
"It would be something to remember, rather than coming back in years to come with a medal and no-one to talk to about it."
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It would mean so much more to me to win something with Leinster, rather than with a club like Toulouse or Leicester