Celtic Cup semi-final: Gerry Thornley talks to two men hoping to mark the end of their Leinster careers with silverware.

Whatever happens at Lansdowne Road tomorrow, there'll be an air of poignancy hanging over the old ground. For several within the Leinster and Munster set-ups, either this semi-final or next Saturday's final will mark their final outing in those colours. That's the way of end-of-season affairs.

Cometh the end of the campaign, the former Leinster assistant coach Alan Gaffney will end his five-year association with Irish rugby and three-year tenure as Munster coach. There is a palpable desire within their squad "to do it for Gaffer", on top of which Jim Williams, Gordon McIlwham and Jason Holland are all retiring.

Several Leinster players are also being released from contracts at season's end, while Victor Costello and David Holwell are ending long- and short-term careers with the province.

Ever since he was a part of the last Irish province to beat Munster in their Thomond Park citadel, almost 10 years ago, games against the old foes stand out in Costello's memory, none more so than the last meeting at Lansdowne Road, the inaugural Celtic League final of 2001-2002.

"When we beat them in that final we were a man down (Eric Miller had been sent off) and we were down a few points and I'm not saying the pressure was off but we actually played a bit more of our rugby as opposed to cup rugby and look what happened. So we know how to beat Munster but going out and doing it will be another thing," he says.

Costello is glad his extended farewell embraces a match against his long-time friends and foes, not least his number eight rival Anthony Foley.

"I've a lot of respect for Axel. After playing against him on many an occasion it was really when I started playing with him I realised how good he was. So it is great that I am playing Munster because apart from them being the old enemy there are a bunch of friends in there that I played with for Ireland. I'm delighted it's Munster, because you could play out the season with maybe a couple of anonymous teams."

Big Vic is "running out of games now", as he says himself, but while not divulging his exact business plans for retirement, he seems impressively at ease with the decision himself.

"I'm very proud of the fact that I'm embracing retirement. It's something a sportsman probably sees coming and wants to avoid at all costs. I'm going to be sad, and I'm going to miss it, but most of all I'm going to miss the people because rugby is all about the people. But I'm still going to go to games and I'm very excited about the future.

"I'm going to step away from the game for a while but I think it would be foolish not to pass on my experiences, with the coaches I've had - the likes of Clive Woodward, Mattie Williams, Mike Ruddock, et cetera, et cetera - to younger people at whatever level. But I certainly wouldn't be looking to get involved in coaching for the foreseeable future."

Holwell's non-playing future has long since been mapped out, and to leave his parents looking after his newly-acquired farm and their own for another year was, he felt, unfair. Despite overtures from Leeds, the Ospreys, Northampton and Harlequins, Holwell will thus play for his club, Mid-Northern, and Northland in the National Provincial Championship.

He's still trying to get his head around being chosen by the Irish players as newcomer of the year at 30 years of age, but tangible recognition of his great consistency in practically every facet of play, and his dead-eyed goalkicking, was fitting. Utterly unfazed and an utter pro, the man made his mark alright.

"It's had its ups and downs, some disappointments along the journey," he reflects. "Overall I've got to be pretty pleased but I still think back to the (Heineken European Cup) quarter-final (defeat to Leicester) and it frustrates me a little. The whole season was riding on that game and we came up short against a better side on the day."

Candidly, Holwell admits he was "a broken man" after the eye-opening 11-3 defeat to the Ospreys in his second outing with Leinster when smothered by the home side's blitz defence. He cites the advice of his adopted mentor - and supplier of his Umbro boots - Paul Dean in helping him adapt his game.

The six group wins in the European Cup stand out from his all-too-brief sojourn here, as does running out on Lansdowne Road and launching the galacticos outside him.

"You can't beat it. To have the calibre of players like that outside you and playing on a pitch like Lansdowne Road is why I play rugby. Those guys have so much skill, to give them the ball and watch them play is an enjoyment in itself. One of the highlights of the season for me was the good times we've had and the periods of good rugby we played."

A New Year's Day run-in with Munster in Musgrave Park helped make Holwell fully cognisant of the rivalry between tomorrow's protagonists, prompting him to compare it to a Canterbury-Auckland showdown "with the odd bit of biffo now and then. And there's nothing wrong with that".

"Both camps got pretty fired up," he recalls, "and there was a lot of emotion there. They're two of the strongest sides in Irish rugby, with a lot of history, so that opened my eyes and no doubt there'll be a high intensity on Sunday."

Something tangible to show for his time here in a squad context would matter more to him than personal accolades.

"It's obviously some silverware and at the moment, to be honest, we haven't got much in the cupboard. It's not the highest-profile cup in world rugby but it's silverware and we want a bit of it."