Finegan sure of hearty support

He holds an Irish passport, he entertains aspirations of one day perhaps playing rugby in Ireland, his parents are Irish but for the next six weeks and the duration of the Rugby World Cup finals, Owen Finegan will hope that it is a case of `Advance Australia Fair'.

The 26-year-old ACT Brumbie flanker-cum-second row agreed that his Irish links are strong and that for him a visit to Croke Park last Sunday for the All Ireland football final would have been especially poignant. "My father (Patrick) is from Meath and my mother (Josephine) is from Cork so I would have loved to have been able to go on Sunday.

"I phoned my father and told him we had a couple of spare tickets for the match: he was sick because he couldn't get over in time because of flight connections. I had left it a bit late." The Australian party was to have gone to Croke Park but a double training session that day ruled out the trip.

The Australians' media liaison officer David Pembroke confirmed: "Some of the boys were really looking forward to it but with training commitments were not able to attend. I went and enjoyed the spectacle and I know Owen was especially keen."

Finegan conceded: "I did see the highlights that night and I hadn't seen much of the sport up until then, just the odd snatch on television. It looked very quick and fast."

Despite not being overly familiar, Finegan confirmed that his parents frequent Irish clubs in Australia where matches can be seen - "typically Irish, plenty of Guinness and oysters.

"I have a lot of relatives over here from all parts of the country and when any of their teams beat Meath, Dad gets a phone call, so I suppose I'm fairly up to date on the results."

Finegan's season, like that of compatriot John Eales, is only really beginning. "I underwent the same shoulder operation as he did, for a torn rotator cuff. It was about two weeks after his. That was last February and I was told that the rehabilitation would take six months. Obviously the World Cup was a goal and I managed to beat that target."

A frustrating season was compounded slightly when Finegan's comeback to the national squad - sitting on the bench for the game against New Zealand in the Tri-Nations game in Sydney - ended prematurely. "I was called on with 20 minutes remaining and within two minutes I had been knocked unconscious.

"I dropped down on a loose ball at a lineout and caught Norm Maxwell's elbow on the back of the head. I was out for about a minute and a half, which was quite a long time, but when I woke up I wanted to go back on immediately. However, the medical team advised against it. At this stage I just can't wait for a game."

And what of Australia's prospects? "We are playing very well at the moment. The win against New Zealand has given the squad a lot of confidence. We also beat South Africa so we know that we have the ability. It's going to be a tough tournament. Teams like England and Wales will be tough to beat at home. But first we have to beat Ireland. We don't expect anything easy."

On a personal level, Finegan is just hoping for an opportunity to force his way into the team. Coach Rod Macqueen has intimated that he will give him a taste of the action in Sunday's opening clash with Romania at Ravenhill, providing that the pattern of the match allows him to spring Finegan from the bench.

And looking further ahead? "This is my first World Cup and I'd hope to be around for another one. After that I would like to come to Europe and Ireland to play. That is if I'm still good enough. To be honest though I'm just concentrating on the days ahead. I want to enjoy this World Cup."

His parents are due to arrive in Dublin next week in time for the Ireland-Australia game at Lansdowne Road the following Sunday. "If I'm playing I think they'd like Australia to win. Having said that I remember watching the 1991 quarter-final with my brother-in-law who is a mad Aussie. He had one of those big flags and when Gordon Hamilton scored that try my father went over and crumpled it up, giving him a hard time. He didn't have long to celebrate though and got a taste of his own medicine."