A new date for the fixture has yet to be determined along with those for the matches postponed from last weekend's opening round. It means that Munster's next engagement in the Champions' Cup will be against Leicester Tigers at Thomond Park on Saturday December 12.
Munster, of course, have been to the Top 14 champions' home in the 11th arrondissement before but not for a long time and now they are having to wait a little longer for reasons which need no explanation.
The Stade Jean-Bouin, named in memory of a French Olympian killed on the Western Front at the age of 25 during the opening weeks of the Great War, has doubled its size to 20,000 since Mick Galwey's men won there en route to the 2002 final.
It will be another emotional occasion, especially for a club that can justifiably claim to have done more than any other to popularise the game as family entertainment on a grand scale at affordable prices.
Stade Francais knew nothing of the horrifying events in their home city until after their opening pool match at Leicester last Friday match. It was only later that they learnt about a massacre that began shortly before half-time at Welford Road where the Tigers turned on the style to claim all five points.
Munster followed suit at Thomond Park less than 24 hours later against Benetton Treviso, even if the Italians kept them waiting until five minutes from time for the bonus-point try.
Paris on Sunday promises to be the acid test of Munster's reconstruction, the first major assignment since some of the last survivors of their European champion team moved on - Paul O'Connell to the south of France, Donncha O'Callaghan to the west Midlands of England.
For the more seasoned foot soldiers of the Red Army, the merest mention of Stade Francais evokes a mixture of memories. They saw the quarter-final win on their first mission to Paris 13 years ago, with Italy fly half Diego Dominguez in his pomp, as some compensation for the injustice of the previous season.
Having been ambushed by Northampton at Twickenham in the 2000 final, Munster went into their second French semi-final in successive seasons reinforced by a collective conviction that they were good enough to get back to Paris for the Final the following month.
Stade got there instead by a single point and the record book shows that their Kiwi centre, Cliff Mytton, scored the only try. Munster have begged to differ ever since, and with good reason. Had the TMO been on duty in Lille that afternoon, Munster would also have had a try of their own.
They were seven points behind when John O'Neill applied an expert one-handed finish in the right corner only to be denied because the referee, Chris White, ruled that he hit the corner flag before touching the ball down.
Without recourse to an action replay, White had to call it as he saw it. Had he been able to summon technological assistance, Ronan O'Gara would have been lining up a touchline conversion to level the scores at 16-16.
The second round of the pool stage opens on Friday night in Belfast where another Irish province will face a stark reminder of what might have been. Saracens, fresh from an impressive home win over Toulouse, won in controversial circumstances on their last visit two seasons ago.
Jared Payne's early red card for a dangerous tackle on Alex Goode meant Ulster had to negotiate the last 75 minutes with 14 men. Five penalties from Ruan Pienaar and Paddy Jackson, almost wiped out three Saracens' tries from Chris Ashton (two) and Mauritz Botha.
Ulster will know what to expect, not least because the English Premiership champions are run by one of their own, Mark McCall. The 48-year-old former Ireland centre returns to his native province as director of rugby at a club whose high consistency can be gauged from one final and two semi-finals in the last three seasons.
The emphatic manner of last week's 32-5 win over Toulouse completed a notable double for McCall. It was the second time he had presided over a 27-point winning margin against the French giants, having done so when Ulster beat them 30-3 nine years ago.
Andrew Trimble, responsible for scoring two of Ulster's three tries on that occasion, had been due to break new ground last weekend at Oyonnax. It was postponed, for reasons that were all too dreadfully obvious, some 90 minutes before the scheduled lunchtime kick-off.
As Oyonnax's President, Thierry Emin, said: ''This was to be a big day for the club, our first game in Europe's big cup. But this is a time when we must say that rugby comes second.''
The Warriors' first appearance in Europe as GUINNESS PRO12 champions had to be delayed for the same dreadful reason. They meet head coach Gregor Townsend's old club, Northampton Saints, in Glasgow on Saturday. Leinster will be up against it at Bath, having been well beaten at home by Wasps and meeting a fresh Bath side whose game in Toulon was also rightly postponed. Benetton Treviso will also find things tough against the Tigers but home advantage should help them in their cause.
The Scarlets, who would have had much more than a losing bonus point for their trip to Northampton but for a series of missed penalties, are home to Racing at the same time (5.15pm) as the Warriors.
Munster complete the weekend in Paris straight after the other Sunday fixture in the Champions' Cup at Clermont where the Ospreys challenge a team beaten in two of the last three finals. The Welsh region make the journey with morale and belief restored on the strength of an impressive home win over Exeter Chiefs.
Munster in Paris:
European Cup quarter-final, January 16, 2002 at Jean Bouin Stadium:
Stade Francais 14 pts, Munster 16.
Munster: Dominic Crotty; John Kelly, Rob Henderson, Jason Holland, Anthony Horgan; Ronan O'Gara, Peter Stringer; Peter Clohessy, Frankie Sheahan, John Hayes; Mick Galwey, capt., Paul O'Connell; Jim Williams, David Wallace, Anthony Foley.
Try: Horgan. Conversion: O'Gara. Penalties: O'Gara 2. Drop goal: O'Gara.
Round 1 pool match, October 13, 2012 at Stade de France:
Racing Metro 22 pts, Munster 17
Munster: Ian Keatley; Doug Howlett, Casey Laulala, James Downey, Simon Zebo; Ronan O'Gara, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Damien Varley, BJ Botha; Billy Holland, Paul O'Connell; Donnacha Ryan, Sean Dougall, Peter O'Mahony.
Tries: Zebo, Dougall. Conversions: O'Gara, Keatley. Penalty: O'Gara.
Munster in Lille:
European Cup semi-final, April 20, 2001 at Stadium Nord:
Stade Francais 16 pts, Munster 15
Munster: Dominic Crotty; John O'Neill, Mike Mullins, Jason Holland, Anthony Horgan' Ronan O'Gara, Peter Stringer; Peter Clohessy, Frankie Sheahan, John Hayes; Mick Galwey, capt., John Langford; Donnacha O'Callaghan, David Wallace, Anthony Foley.
Penalties: O'Gara 5.
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