Twice European champions Munster will play Toulon in the Stade Vélodrome in the port city on Sunday at 3.30pm.

The sides’ last encounter was in round 5 of the 2010/11 season in nearby Toulon. The home side were victors on the day, beating Munster 32-16.

It will be Munster’s 11th Heineken Cup semi-final.

Fans have been paying up to €1,000 each to get to the match, with flights from Dublin, Cork and Shannon to Marseilles and Nice packed with supporters and mostly sold out.

Hundreds will fly through London’s airports to get to the match. Others have opted for day trips, paying up to €450 each.

Yesterday, a special Ryanair flight from Cork to Marseilles that cost €430 earlier this month was priced at just €220.

Some 4,000 match tickets have already been scooped up in Munster, with a further 1,000 fans acquiring theirs as part of special match packages that also included flights and hotel accommodation.

It’s also understood that a large Irish population in France and other parts of Europe have purchased tickets directly from Toulon Rugby and other sources.

Munster Rugby Supporters’ Club manager, Jennifer Kiernan, said: “Munster have sold 4,000 tickets directly to supporters but we have had many queries after the deadline for unsold tickets to be returned to the ERC and have directed supporters to purchase directly from the Vélodrome Stadium so we would expect up to 5,000 to 6,000 Munster supporters at the match.”

“Munster Sports Travel have over 1,000 fans travelling on their packages from Cork, Shannon and Dublin, with others booked on other charter flights along with those on every scheduled flight available. We also expect a large number from both Britain and mainland Europe, as indicated by members involved in our branches in London and Brussels,” Ms Kiernan said.

“It’s an expensive trip for supporters and everyone in Munster Rugby is most appreciative of the huge effort being made once again by the travelling support,” she added.