Leinster stick with winning blend

Presumably the Leinster management could pick their team from opposite sides of the street nowadays. Just a nod and a wink would suffice. So it is that in the continuing absence of their injured tight-heads Angus McKeen and Peter Bruce, Mike Ruddock and co have duly given their imprimatur to the XV which finished Leinster's finest 80 minutes against Leicester for next Saturday's European Cup game away to Milan. All of which serves to underline the increasing value of Reggie Corrigan to the team. The Greystones prop, hitherto Leinster's loose-head, reverted to tight-head in their hour of need and will bed down the scrum at number three while Paul Flavin continues to assume the loose-head position.

After all, it was good enough to present an immovable object to the Leicester front-row for three successive five-metre scrums. After the third put-in, Graham Rowntree was penalised by the excellent Joel Dume for levering down the scrum; a source of supposed puzzlement to Bob Dwyer, but not to a Leinster side tipped off by some-one in the know, nor to some of the refereeing fraternity, who are fully aware of Rowntree's penchant for this practice.

The legend has it that in this glorious moment, as 7,000 Donnybrook patrons rose as one, Steve Jameson rose from the scrum and approvingly compared it to sitting in an armchair.

In any event, the Leinster team almost picks itself now. The 22year-old Skerries flanker David O'Sullivan, needless to say, keeps his place after an impressive competitive debut for a second division AIL player pitted against Neil Back and company. A genuine open side, quick around the pitch and good on the ground, O'Sullivan's performance must, privately, have made the Leinster management wonder if they shouldn't have risked him sooner. That problem position looking healthier than heretofore, manager Jim Glennon admitted last night. "It has settled down and, although Angus and Brucie are injured, it's been quite a good run for us injury wise. But it's also a tribute to the work done by the squad."

Certain players have played their way into form, Martin Ridge coming good with a Man of the Match award against Connacht, captain Kurt McQuilkin producing a near-vintage display in a man-of-the-match performance against Leicester. All that remains is to finalise the replacements' bench.

Leinster will depart for Milan on Friday and on arrival will immediately transfer by coach to near the match venue in Calvisano about an hour away. They will train on Friday at 4.00 p.m. local time, kick-off time for the game 24 hours later. Such a professional approach need not necessarily be taken for granted, given Bourgoin only arrived by air for Saturday's game at Harlequins on Saturday morning. Sod's law decreed a late arrival and that sacrilegious eventuality for any Frenchman, a late, rushed lunch. Similarly, Northampton only arrived in Galway for their afternoon game away to Connacht around 1.00 a.m. the night before.

In holding the game in Calvisano, Milan may be seeking to emulate Leinster's preference for the more atmospheric confines of Donnybrook. The Milanese expect a crowd of about 3,000 to 4,000.

In other respects, they will be familiar opposition. The team, which will be finalised on Friday, is likely to include eight or nine of the side that extended Leinster to a 24-21 win two years ago. Amongst these will be Paolo Vaccari, hat-trick try-scorer against Ireland last season. Munster, for their part, will not finalise their side for Saturday's home game against Bourgoin until today, though they expect both of their Cardiff absentees, Shane Leahy and Mark McDermott, to be fit and available. Ulster will finalise their side for Sunday's imposing visit to Loftus Road to take on English champions Wasps until tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Jim Staples is the only doubt from the 39 chosen for tomorrow's first mid-week Irish squad session at Aer Lingus.

Leinster (v Milan): K Nowlan (St Mary's); D Hickie (St Mary's), M Ridge (Old Belvedere), K McQuilkin (Lansdowne, capt), J McWeeney (St Mary's); A McGowan (Blackrock), D O'Mahoney (Lansdowne); P Flavin (Blackrock), S Byrne (Blackrock), R Corrigan (Greystones), S Jameson (St Mary's), A Freeman (Lansdowne), T Brennan (St Mary's), V Costello (St Mary's), D O'Sullivan (Skerries). Replacements to be finalised.