RUGBY: Victor Costello, Gary Longwell and Girvan Dempsey are expected to be in contention for selection when Ireland's team to face England in the Six Nations Championship at Lansdowne Road on Sunday is announced after training tomorrow.
Leinster and Lansdowne centre Shane Horgan may also be considered for selection after recovering from a torn quadricep.
Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan confirmed that all three players trained with the extended panel before it is trimmed to the 22-man match squad.
Dempsey may have won his battle with a niggling groin injury that has frustrated the Terenure College full back for several weeks.
O'Sullivan confirmed: "Girvan was tested by the medical people on Friday and was given a clean bill of health."
Costello and Longwell both missed the victory over Wales - Costello with a slight groin strain, Longwell suffering from the hamstring injury that forced him to retire before half-time in the game against France.
It is anticipated that the pair will return to the starting line-up if they can prove their fitness at the expense of Alan Quinlan and Leo Cullen, both of whom deputised ably at the weekend.
Irish number eight Anthony Foley, who sustained a cheekbone injury in the Welsh match on Saturday, has been given the all clear following an examination at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on his return home. Hooker Shane Byrne also picked up a knock while on duty on Saturday but it is not threatening his participation.
Horgan's torn quadricep has responded to treatment and O'Sullivan ventured that "he was still in the mix at this stage".
The Ireland team to play in the A international against England at Donnybrook on Friday night (7.0) will be picked and announced this morning.
Meanwhile, the Irish Rugby Football Union have invited existing East Stand 10-Year ticket holders to reapply as the current programme will expire at the end of this 2002/3 season.
The price per ticket will be €9,000, payable in the form of a €900 deposit with the balance due following the allocation of tickets this coming July.
The quantity of tickets allocated is approximately 4,000. Existing ticket holders will not be allocated more tickets than they currently hold, with no guarantee that applicants currently in possession of multiple places will be accommodated. On completion of the offer to existing holders, should tickets remain available, they will then be offered to the wider rugby public.
The IRFU have negotiated a finance package with Permanent tsb which is available to all applicants and will allow payment over a number of years.
IRFU honorary treasurer John Lyons stated: "There is a significant pent-up demand for international stand tickets at Lansdowne Road.
"However, in so far as it is possible, those existing 10-year Guinness East Stand ticket holders will be accommodated before we would make tickets available to a wider public."
The new price of €9,000 compares to the last issue mark (1993) of €2,539 but the cost of an international ticket has risen from €27.93 to €57 at present and a projected stand ticket price of not less than €65 next season. Also the number of international matches per season has risen from an average of three to 5.5.
The annual cost of rugby for the IRFU is about €20 million with a further €9 million also being spent on underage rugby, including schools and clubs.
In the event of the IRFU moving matches to a national stadium, or other stadium, holders would be given first refusal on any club seats/debenture schemes that may be offered and a credit or refund would be given on a pro-rata basis on their Guinness East Stand tickets.
The closing date for ticket applications will be April 9th, 2003.
