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13th May 2015
05:31pm BST
The 2015 Champions Cup victors may be a surprising choice at 10, given they are right at the top of European domination with a record third successive season in the bag.
The Galacticos of European rugby have faced criticism in the past for being out of touch with their French support as a result of the club’s fondness for overseas players.
However, If you’re taking a trip to the Stade Mayol, the infamous pre-match battle cry ‘Pilou-Pilou’ will set your heart racing to the beat of the red and black sea.
This year’s award for most loyal must go to the Wasps supporters. The former London based club asked questions of its fans earlier in the season when it relocated outside of the M25 to the Midlands.
From the days of North London’s Finchley Road to Queen’s Park Rangers’ Loftus Road and High Wycombe’s Adams Park, the Wasps fans have stayed true in times of financial despair and European success in 2003/4 and 2006/7.
A Wasp will travel to the ends of the earth (Coventry) and adopt two regions as its home.
Saints provide a Supporters Liaison Group, which allows fans the opportunity to tackle issues, while also feeding back to the top. With a reputation of success across all competitions, both domestic and European (1999/2000), this is a club that maintains a strong relationship with its supporters come rain or shine.
This season’s runners up in the Champions Cup final are a neutral’s favourite and an opposition’s nightmare. The club’s reputation as having the most loyal and passionate fans in Europe would certainly put them top of the list, if it was based on who provides the most raucous atmosphere home and away.
The ‘yellow army’ are known for their infectious chants, ‘ici, ici, c’est Montferrand’ (here, here, it’s Montferrand), can be heard over any other team’s efforts.
These fans can influence the result of a game. They combine audacity with a romance for rugby like no other European club.
Given the city’s history of sectarian divide, Ulster rugby is one of the many focal points the locals draw on to celebrate Belfast as Northern Ireland’s thriving capital.
A tempestuous relationship with the Champions Cup for the Ulstermen this year, given their standing in the Pro12, nevertheless the fans will always stand up and are among the most friendly and welcoming supporters on the European stage.
The Kings of Irish rugby, both at club and European level, maintain a widespread fan base across the world, who are appreciative of their fluid running game and GAA induced skill-set. Although, a certain Brian O’Driscoll may have attracted all of the attention.
The Boys in Blue have, four times, been league champions and three times champions of Europe, with the fans enjoying domination at the top level. Yet another contender for the friendliest supporters, if it’s the perfect Guinness you’re after, the Dubliner’s will have it waiting for you at the bar.
The Red Army are among the most emotional. No one will ever forget the 2005/6 Heineken Cup final where over 65,000 fans poured into the Millennium Stadium to see their side become European Champions for the first time after defeating Biarritz.
The floods of tears from Munster legends, Peter Stringer, Ronan O’Gara and Paul O’Connell resonated with the support in both the Cardiff stands and on the banks of the River Shannon.
Such an achievement lifted Munster to greatness and so too the fans, who have sustained a reputation as a force to be reckoned with at European level, especially at their treasured Thomond Park.
The ground was cemented as a world-class venue after Munster played the All Blacks in 2008 for a magical reopening night of the upgraded stadium. The game was witnessed by a national television audience of over one million and was the starting block for Thomond Park's reputation as an amphitheatre feared by any visiting team.
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