Cinderella side relies on crowd to help conjure up fairytale result

There are plenty of similarities between today's opponents. Both sides have a core of domestic players at their heart, supplemented by some outstanding foreigners, and they both warmed up for this match with a defeat in their domestic competition. The two teams each boast a rabid fan base that will create a heady atmosphere in the 32,000-seat Stade Anoeta and both sides are missing key players for this crunch tie.

Paul O'Connell hasn't played for Munster since January, which gives a rare start to big lock Mick O'Driscoll, who knows this neck of the woods well after spending two seasons with Perpignan from 2003-05.

Biarritz have their fair share of foreigners – Ayoola Erinle, Iain Balshaw and Census Johnston all start today – but the spine of the side is made in France. The vital eight, nine and ten jerseys are usually filled by Imanol Harinordoquy (right), Dimitri Yachvili and Damien Traille, but the latter is in the stands today.

Traille is replaced by Karmichael Hunt, a young Aussie who made his name in rugby league and who prefers playing centre. He has big boots to fill. Ignore for a moment the three drop goals from Traille in the last round, the veteran fly-half also sparked the try of the tournament to date when he opted to run turnover ball against the Ospreys from his own try line.

Traille fed the Zimbabwean-born, American winger Takudzwa Ngwenya who tore up the touchline at such speed that Shane Williams might as well have been wearing wellies for all the impression he made on the man dubbed "Supersonic". Ahead of this afternoon's match the flying Eagle paid tribute to the Basque crowd and thanked them for all their help.

"I always felt that we could achieve something special in this season's European Cup," said Ngwenya. "The Stadium Anoeta helps us with the public behind and carrying us along. They are the best and our preparation has been great. I need them (the crowd] to be at my best. Munster are a very strong side but we are at home."

Ngwenga has a point. While Biarritz's away form has been scratchy, the side have been solid at home … well, until last Saturday's 19-26 defeat by Clermont.

Yachvili takes his place at scrum-half and, while he is named in the starting XV, we probably won't know about the third of Biarritz's musketeers until the two teams emerge from the tunnel. The massively influential French No.8 Harinordoquy was the best player in the Six Nations but he broke his nose against Clermont last weekend and only took the plaster off midweek. He was thinking of applying for dispensation to play in a Zorro-like mask but he may opt for a pain jab and a deep breath instead. Either way the likes of Alan Quinlan and David Wallace don't need a second invitation to exploit an opponent's weakness.

"Yachvili, Harinordoquy, Traille, that's the hub of their team," said Munster's own playmaker, Ronan O'Gara, in the run-up to this match. "Yes, Traille's a big loss but you look at who they can bring in. They're strong and their game plan is very direct.

"Yachvili's a quality player. He's stayed loyal to Biarritz over the years even though I presume he had offers. He's back there or thereabouts in the French team. He makes the game just so simple when he's on song. That's what quality players look like, they've endless time on the ball. He's one of those players who can torment you if he gets into his rhythm."

You could say the same thing about O'Gara, who will seek to use this weekend to steal a march on his Leinster rival Jonathan Sexton, who missed yesterday's match at Toulouse. The competition is bringing the best out of O'Gara and if the fly-half hits his straps this afternoon Biarritz will be in for a bumpy ride.