National squad get extra day of training

Rugby News round-up: Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan hasn't endeared himself to his provincial counterparts by calling a three-day Irish training camp from December 28th to 30th. It was originally supposed to be a two-day get together but then the communication arrived from the IRFU that it would be three.

Needless to say Alan Gaffney (Munster), Gary Ella (Leinster), Michael Bradley (Connacht) and Alan Solomons (Ulster) aren't happy that their preparations for important Celtic League games have been thrown into chaos by the Irish gathering and New Year celebrations.

Leinster host Ulster at Donnybrook on Friday night week while Connacht entertain Munster - both Celtic League matches - at Dubarry Park on the same evening. These games would be reasonably important in themselves but the significance is increased by the fact that three of the provinces resume their Heineken European Cup campaigns the following weekend, with Connacht facing Pau in the Parker Pen Challenge Cup.

At present the Irish squad is in Lanzarote for fitness work (though fitness adviser Mike McGurn isn't with them) and when they return they have a short break with their families, gather once again for the three-day national camp and then, thanks to their provincial coaches, won't be asked to train on New Year's Eve. It means that the provinces will only have about a day and a half to prepare for the Celtic League games.

Meanwhile, today marks this year's second Leddin Finance Leinster Senior Cup final. The 2002/2003 final took place in May while the 2003/2004 version will be staged at Donnybrook this afternoon (2.30). Maintaining the symmetry is the fact that the two teams that contested the final in May do so again today.

Carlow won that match to claim a first Leinster Senior Cup and will be hoping for back-to-back successes. DLSP will be keeping their fingers crossed that it is a case of third time lucky as they lost previous finals to Clontarf (1999) and Carlow (2003).

The Munster Senior League final will also be decided at Musgrave Park (2.30) with Shannon taking on Cork Constitution.

CARLOW: B Murphy; R Jackson, M Swetman, T Bonnefoy, M Logue; B Young, D Van Zyl; K Ashmore, A Galavan, K Corrigan, W Whitten, R Sheriff (capt), D Cox, D Dillon, A Melville. Replacements: J Hannon, C Gee, D Hyland, D Mallon, B Curran.

DLSP: D McCabe; C Hickey, M Vioreanu, F Cooney, C Dempsey; S Broughton (capt), B Hogan; M Kavanagh, A Davies, K Taite, A Toher, P Lennon, C Power, D O'Brien, J Jones. Replacements: C Cadogan, C Lehmann, S Sarsfield, K Sharkey, T Fanning.

Referee: A Rogan (Leinster).