Aidan McCullen (Leinster) Jack Osborne (Gavin Hickie). When Gav had that shaggy hairstyle during the summer, he was a ringer for Jack Osborne

Best nickname:

. He was also known as JP as in Junior Prop. He looks like any junior prop at any club in the country. Another good one was a former French colleague who was know as jigsaw because he'd go to pieces under pressure.

Favourite line from a movie:

"Never get with a woman you can't leave after five minutes when you feel the heat coming around the corner." Taken from the film Heat.

Last book you read and why:

Killing Pablo. It's about Pablo Escobar, by the same guy who wrote Black Hawk Down. Benny Willis passed it on to me before he left.

Heineken or Guinness? Guinness, the best of a bad bunch.

Worst habit:

Bite my nails and I have a similar affliction to Michael Douglas.

Christmas cracker joke:

A horse walks into the bar. Barman says: "Why the long face."

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Because he thought he saw a lay-by on the other side.

Most annoying team-mate:

Gleeso (Keith Gleeson). The ultimate perfectionist. The ultimate professional. The ultimate athlete.

Least favourite ground:

Cardiff Arms Park after breaking my arm over there. We reckon after the recent bad luck that affected Leinster players there that it was built on a pet cemetery or ancient burial grounds.

Give us a recipe that includes pasta:

Carbonara. This is one I learned in France. Use brown pasta because it's better for you. Use crème fraiche, fromage rappé (I think it's Emmental) and ham instead of bacon, again because it's healthier. Onions, if you want, and a few sunripe tomatoes. Gently fry them and add in your crème fraiche and fromage rappé and throw on top of pasta. Pepper is vital.

What's in the CD player?

A band called Cinematic Orchestra. They're a five-piece band from England. They play the instruments you hear, including a mobile phone in one song. Such chill-out music. They pick out different vocalists and recently picked one whose husband had just died. This woman, Fontella Bass, never spoke to anyone about it. They wrote this song and it was the first time she cried following the death of her husband. It's absolutely beautiful.

Favourite breakfast:

Porridge, a six-egg omelette and freshly squeezed juice.

Lord Of The Rings or Star Wars:

Star Wars, I'm an old school fan. Princess Leia and all that.

One item for a desert island:

Guitar.

One luxury you cannot do without:

Ken Ging. No seriously I suppose it would have to be the Internet, if you define that as a luxury item. You have access to everything. No, I'll go with Fashion TV.

Number of times you lied in this interview so far:

16.

Who will win this competition (European Cup)?

Hard to bet against Toulouse. Perpignan have strengthened their side. Possibly a repeat. Munster did well with their recruiting.

Dog/cat/budgie:

Dog.

Favourite cuisine:

Italian.

Pamela Anderson/Heidi Klum/Miriam O'Callaghan:

Parts from each. Heidi Klum.

Boxer shorts/Y-fronts/thong:

Commando, nada, nothing. If you have to, boxer shorts.

Party piece:

The Floating Malteser. You lie on your back, put a malteser on your lips and blow. It looks as if it's floating in midair. The other thing is to write a rap about my team-mates which I've done for both Lansdowne and Leinster.

Favourite body part:

My hand. I missed it over the past six weeks when I had a broken arm. It's amazing the amount of things that you can't do properly or take so much more time doing and makes you realise the value of having two hands to do things.

INTERVIEW: John O'Sullivan