Expenses increase to ease strain

Given the concern by clubs over the cost of running a professional league campaign, a move to alleviate some of the strain should be greeted with a degree of relief. Yesterday's announcement by the IRFU increases All-Ireland League travel and accommodation grants by 43 per cent for the coming campaign. The increase will apply to clubs throughout the three divisions.

Last season clubs received £332,000 in League expenses with this year's total expected to top £475,000.

The bulk of the money will obviously go to the most successful teams who make it through to the semi-finals and final, which for Division One, is scheduled for Lansdowne Road on May 26th.

Last year's successful introduction of the incentive-based scoring scheme is also to continue with one bonus point awarded to a team scoring four tries or more and one bonus point to any team defeated by seven points or less. Promotion and relegation is two up and two down.

The holders St Mary's paraded the cup, which they won for the first time last season, at a launch yesterday where captain Victor Costello said that his club chances this season would critically hinge on the ability of St Mary's to field their number one team.

"If we can put out a full team we're certainly not weaker than last year," he said. "If we can put out a full team I'd be confident of winning the title again. Our aim, obviously, is to do that as often as we can. Like every other club we're suffering from the European Cup and injuries.

"We have the backbone from last year but we've also lost a lot of players to injury and some of our fringe players have defected. To a certain extent the monkey's off our back having won the league last year, so we want to be a bit freer, express ourselves a bit more. If we can get the same amount of young guys coming through like we did last year with the likes of Ross Doyle and Dave Clare, who were then relatively unknown, we'd be happy."

Costello is hoping to balance his captaincy with a return to the national side with whom he has endured a love hate relationship. "The international scene has been a frustrating time for me. It's two years now since I played for Ireland. But I'm back in the A squad again which is great . . . great to be back in because you kind of get depressed in your own world. "Winning the cup last year was a bit of a consolation for me but I trained hard over the summer to get back into some sort of squad and luckily enough I am now in again.

"But you know, the last two years have probably been the most enjoyable of my life rugby wise because we have been winning games, taking top scalps with Leinster. That coupled with the win with Ireland A (against South Africa A) was very gratifying."

It is Costello's first time as captain of the club he has been with now for close on eight years and assuming control after the gun slinging Trevor Brennan is a step into unknown territory. Brennan is another player the current captain sees as having the potential to get back to the level of two years ago.

"I haven't played yet. I don't know if the captaincy will be additional pressure. I've always wanted to do it. We've a blend of young guys and old guys. It will be a great experience for me. I don't know how it is going to work out. "We've been wanting to win that cup for 10 years. I think we're one of only a few teams who have been in it for 10 years but the pressure's off.

"I'd like to see players like Peter McKenna and Trevor . . . fringe players for Leinster, really express themselves and use it as a springboard up to a higher level."