LONDON IRISH do not give themselves a prayer in tomorrow's Pilkington Cup semi final against the league champions, Leicester, at Sunbury. Given that their priority is the league, that expected eventuality would suit them fine.

Yet, for their captain, this can be seen as the game that justifies a decision he estimates to have cost him a five figure sum. It is some way short of big money in these semi professional times, but by his decision to opt out of international rugby for a season and 50 concentrate on leading the Irish into the English First Division it is Garry Halpin's personal sacrifice.

Halpin is not in the major league of well heeled rugby identities, not as a teacher of geography at St George's College, Weybridge however respected his pedagogical skills may be. But yer man does not ultimately expect to have lost a penny provided always that London Irish gain the second promotion place after Northampton. So for altruism read an Irish punter's eye for the main chance.

"By choosing to drop out of the Ireland set up, it's cost me maybe about £12,000," he explained. "But put it this way I would fully intend to make that money up next season. I make no bones about it. If we make the First Division we have an agreement that I would be made up for this, and that's been a big driving thing for me. Either way, I'll come out of this smiling."

This is no more than straight realism from a genuinely top rate fellow. Halpin has speculated on his and London Irish's future in the hope now expectation of accumulating. If the Irish's semifinal has the corollary of showing Ireland what they have perforce been missing, so much the better for his prospects of being recalled next season.

A curious thing is that Halpin, 30 last month, should have stepped aside at the moment he appeared at long last to have secured the place at tight head prop which was first his in 1990 when he was playing for Wanderers. He has since accumulated only 10 caps, but, as the last three of those were during the 1995 World Cup, he approached this season favoured as the man in possession.

It made no difference. "When I see Ireland playing at Twickenham, of course I would love to be playing," he said. "But I never doubted I did the right thing, both for me and for the club. The first thing was I was tired after the World Cup I just didn't have the ambition and coupled with that there was the captaincy of London Irish."

In this regard the impressive presence of Clive Woodward, the former England centre, as club coach had a powerful bearing. "I knew it was going to be a big and demanding job, and Clive does nothing half heartedly you do it totally committedly or you're no good to him. I very much agree with, and believe in, that philosophy.

"Because of this, everything was very clear for me. I could foresee too much hassle between London Irish and the IRFU about player availability and I didn't want to be in the middle of that club-v-country thing, wondering what to do when the IRFU wanted to take me out of important games. If I, as captain, had to leave every time, it wouldn't work.

"I'm quite influential in our team. There are a lot of young guys who sort of look up to me, even if it's the first time in my life anyone's done that. So I was making a statement to them, that I had given up international rugby and that this was the level of commitment I was willing to make for the sake of the club. They responded.

The result is second place in the Second Division, two points behind Northampton (who have two games in hand) but, more relevantly, two ahead of London Scottish with four to play and a vastly superior points difference.

The semi final should provide the exiles and Woodward and Halpin in particular with a yardstick of what to expect next season and how far they will need to go in strengthening a promotion winning team.

By next season Halpin hopes (against hope) that the club-v-country issue will have been resolved. Then he will be ready to restake his claim.

"In the ability to play rugby I'm as good as anybody there, and, internationally, I still have huge goals. I've taken my year out, I'm recharged, and I want to go on the Lions tour to South Africa next year.

"I may not have that many caps, but the only other tight head I would really regard in these islands is Darren Garforth. And if I got a Lions tour, five or 50 caps for Ireland wouldn't matter a damn."