Ross aims for final heave

MAGNERS LEAGUE FINAL:A WORLD Cup final trial match is as good a way of looking at the Magners League Grand final on Saturday between Leinster and Munster. With no Churchill Cup for Ireland in the summer despite the fact it is being held in England, the final is the last competitive game for a large rump of the international team before they dissolve for a summer break.

Traditionally the Churchill Cup has been a platform for fringe players and those on the rise. Next up is the series of pre-World Cup friendly Tests in August. In that light the European champions, Leinster, if they need motivation, can look to it as showcasing their wares in the final game of the domestic season. That it’s against Munster is plenty of reason to shape up for one final heave.

In the frontrow Mike Ross, stiff and sore from the win over Northampton, may face Marcus Horan, while scrumhalves, flankers, centres and secondrows are cute enough to know there will be influential eyes watching.

“We know them and they know us and it’s interprovincial so there’s a little extra edge because players are playing for a World Cup place,” says Leinster’s tighthead prop Ross. “This will be our third time to play this season. I know Marcus well enough. He’s had a couple of tough years with injury and that heart condition. He’s a pure competitor and he’s not going to give me an easy time.

“There’s no Churchill Cup so it’s a last opportunity for people who might be on the fringe to impress. I was in the Churchill Cup panel and you wanted to do everything to put yourself in the frame for the senior team. I’m sure that will be no different this time because no one’s guaranteed a spot. This is definitely a chance to lay down a marker.”

A number of dynamics will play out in the match. The competitive tension and the fact by Munster standards this has been an average season will sharpen their end. Leinster swaggering into Thomond Park wearing their European champions cap should compel the home side to knock it off. Grounding the champions within a week of their triumph would end the season with a pleasant red ring. But it’s not part of Leinster’s thinking.

“It’s easy to focus for a game against Munster . . . We lost to them the last time and it’s up to use to redress the balance. I think it will be more of an incentive for Munster. It (Leinster) is a bigger scalp alright.” adds Ross. “If you play for Munster you don’t want to lose to Leinster, and vice-versa. If you can’t get up for a Magners League final against Munster then you’re playing the wrong sport and if we can’t do then no one deserves to be on the pitch.”

Hard talk but given the distractions this week Ross sees only one way to play out the season. He also gives the team a clean bill of health. The fact he can barely move his head sideways is no cause for alarm.

“We lost to them the last time we played them and it’s up to use to redress the balance,” says Ross. “You don’t want your last game to be a loss. No one wants to go into the off-season and the pre-season on the back of a loss. Obviously we’ve already won the Heineken Cup but we’re greedy, which is a good thing.”