Corrigan hopes to make it lucky 13 for Leinster

Reggie Corrigan isn't quite ready for his dotage. In fact, at 31 years of age - his birthday was last month - he barely qualifies as middle-aged in the lexicon of propping. He has no intention of reaching for the blazer and paunch just yet.

It's hardly surprising that Corrigan is enjoying his rugby as Leinster's unbeaten march through both the Celtic League and European Cup competitions - 12 victories - has guaranteed that Donnybrook is a lively and colourful venue on a Friday night. It's far cry from the days when an apathetic Dublin public stayed away in droves.

The experience is all the more pleasurable for the 10-times capped international prop in that he is the province's captain and at least until Friday night the only unbeaten one in the history of the province to have led a team in excess of 10 matches.

The current well-being of the province - Leinster have already qualified for the quarter-finals of the European Cup - is in marked contrast to the mood in the Leinster camp at the end of last season. Their miserable European Cup exit in Biarritz prompted a full and frank exchange of views and a resolution that the team would never experience a commensurate low point of their own making.

Corrigan explained: "When we came together again as a group following a break after the Biarritz game there was an undertaking that we were going to do things the right way. We didn't ever want to feel like we did in that Biarritz match. That season was thrown away with the Edinburgh game, not the one in Biarritz, but we just didn't want to be in that situation again.

"If we are to be beaten and put out of a competition it must be that the other team was better on the day not because we weren't prepared properly for it. There was a large slice of honesty involved in terms of examining ourselves and looking at the commitment that was required. That came out in the pre-season training.

"A lot of the lads were in Poland (with the national squad) but the rest of us were putting in serious graft here. No secrets really just a lot of hard work. We have been training on Sundays for the past four months as well as during the week, basically just getting the Saturdays off. Everyone has been very good about it in the sense that, in wanting to be the best, you have to put in that extra bit of work on and off the pitch.

"We spend a lot of time working with Brett Igoe on video analysis, and on extra training with Dave Fagin and Jason Cowman in the gym. We have a good backroom staff with Roly (Meates) doing the scrummaging, Willie (Anderson) taking the lineouts and then there is Al (Gaffney) and Matt (Williams).

"As you can see, every area, be it fitness, defence, skills, lineout, scrums and individual backplay is monitored and developed. Those who need extra assistance in any aspect receive it. There is no question that the increased workload has been more of an ask this season than in previous years but when you look at the results on a personal and collective basis there is little room for argument."

Coach Matt Williams needed a successor to Liam Toland as captain and after discussion with the players and examining several candidates including Shane Horgan, Malcolm O'Kelly and Shane Byrne, Corrigan was chosen. Modestly, he plays down his role, preferring to dwell on the support he receives.

Corrigan's performances this season are more mature, rounded in his contribution to the team: he's thrown himself into the graft of being a prop and curtailed the ball-in-hand sorties in midfield. By his own admission he is fitter, stronger and playing the best rugby of his career.

He retains ambitions to reclaim a place in the national squad, having received a taste from his involvement with the A side for the recent game against New Zealand at Ravenhill.

He's philosophical about his chances, perhaps wary of the fact that the last of his 10 caps was in Lens in October 1999. Form demands that he deserves another opportunity although he prefers to take (and apologises for) the clichΘd refuge of just taking it one game at a time: he wants to win trophies with Leinster and let his performances invite further honours.

His priority is Friday's game against Glasgow in the Celtic League semi-final. Unlucky 13? Nobody knows, but for Corrigan he is satisfied that Leinster have loaded the dice in terms of guaranteeing a good performance. They have worked hard and prepared properly and therefore the scope for recrimination is minimal.

Much like their captain.