Corrigan Hopes For Silver Lining

The Leinster Lions captain had been building a mighty reputation for himself in the Irish front row following the retirement of Peter Clohessy last season and was becoming the cornerstone of the pack before injury struck him the cruelest of blows.

A broken wrist in the first-half of the victory over Italy in Rome on 22 February forced Corrigan to have a pin put into the joint and it wasn't until Friday that it was removed.

'I was able to have the pin taken out of my wrist at the end of last week and now I will be in a plaster cast for a week," said Corrigan.

"At least I'm coming to the end of the injury road and there is an outside chance I could be fit to play in the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Biarritz Olympique at Lansdowne Road a week Saturday.'

If not, that will represent a double dose of heartbreak for the unluckiest man in Irish rugby. More than 40,000 tickets have been sold for Leinster's showdown with the French champions and Corrigan wants to help his side maintain their unbeaten European record this season and stay on course for the final in Dublin on 24 May.

'I'm a little bit disappointed, but I guess it is just one of those things. Everything had been great up until the injury,' said Corrigan.

'At least I played a part in getting Ireland to the verge of a Grand Slam and what I've been focusing on since the injury are the things that lie ahead, like the World Cup.'

Before then, though, there could be a Heineken Cup semi-final and final at Lansdowne Road to look forward to for Corrigan. That at least would provide him with some solace for missing out on the biggest day in Irish rugby for 55 years.

Leinster Lions, short of match practice as a team, have arranged a practice match behind closed doors against Ulster in Dublin on Friday night.

'We have sold over 40,000 tickets and all stand tickets are now sold. Only North Terrace tickets are available and over 10,000 tickets have been sold on-line,' said Leinster Chief Executive, Mick Dawson.

'On advice from the GARDA we are not selling any more school pupil tickets so the Lansdowne Road capacity will be close to 47,000 on the day.

'We are delighted with the response and are looking forward to providing an entertaining event with exciting rugby at the forefront. A live Irish band, SHAMROG, will entertain the fans before the game and at half-time, plus music from our resident DJ Doug Murray, will ensure maximum audience participation.

"Younger fans will be entertained with the assistance of Bank of Scotland Ireland, our sponsors, who will provide free face painting, and Canterbury of New Zealand will provide their Road-show behind the East Stand.

'All this plus 47,000 blue and gold cards - one for each fan - will guarantee Matt Williams and the Leinster Lions team will get 'the sea of blue' that they sought.'