Tour openers aren't lucky for Reggie Corrigan. It was the corresponding first game in Boland last summer which saw his career suddenly go pear-shaped. Arising from a cynical knee in the back, the Irish loose-head was diagnosed as having sustained four broken bones in his back and was sent home. One of the ironies was that Corrigan had been fined by the players when the injury was sustained - for squealing.

He had been named to play against New South Wales Country in the Woy Woy Oval today (kick-off 7 p.m. local time, 10 a.m. Irish), and nobody could begrudge him it. Yet, with sad irony, he became the first tour casualty yesterday when a groin strain forced his withdrawal from the Irish team; Justin Fitzpatrick replacing him.

He is, naturally enough, "gutted" by the latest in a list of year-long sequence of major and minor knocks. However, his injury has been responding to daily physiotherapy and Irish manager Donal Lenihan indicated that Corrigan's return may now come on Saturday next against New South Wales.

Figuratively and literally, you wouldn't want to have a limp in this squad, for as Corrigan recalls of last year's incident with a wry grin, "I also got fined for being on the mobile phone, ringing home and saying `I'm not actually dead' because I got stretchered off."

Corrigan can afford to laugh it off now, though he admits "when myself and the Doc went and got X-rays about two days after it happened, I couldn't believe it when he said there was four bones broken in my back. Being a prop and everything else I thought that was it. Finished. Good luck."

Instead, he's come back and nobody would begrudge him a comeback on Saturday. Aside from being likeable and easy-going, he had also been eminently accommodating yesterday. At the request of a photographer he had conceded to changing from track suit pants into shorts, then taking the short walk across the road onto the beach.

He even took off his shoes and socks to walk on the water's edge complete with raybans. After the year he's had, as Corrigan points out himself, he can readily take a little bit of peripheral limelight.

Corrigan had always wanted a professional rugby career. Then, having sampled a full-time contract, breaking into the Leinster team and winning his first six caps, Corrigan wanted it back even more. Down and out a year ago in Cape Town, he vowed not to put on any weight and work his socks off over the summer, and was as good as his word.

Returning in mid-October, all he got was the tail-end of Leinster's European Cup campaign against Stade Francais, Begles/Bordeaux and Llanelli, sandwiched with a 30 minute run as substitute against Munster.

All were lost, and there followed an unfulfilling campaign with Lansdowne as well. It seemed as if Corrigan's own season went down in flames when he damaged his medial knee ligaments in the defeat to Wales A on February 19th.

"The worst thing about getting an injury like that is that you're out for four or five months, then you're getting all these little niggles as you're coming back. I felt I was only really starting to come back for the French A game and then against Wales A I did my knee."

After missing Lansdowne's last three league games he had to knuckle down again if he was to make the tour. It was a close shave. "To be fair Jimmy Screene was playing well with Buccs, Martin Cahill was doing well and John Hayes is a good prop as well. I think the only thing that got me picked above them was the fact that I had a few caps and they didn't."

The World Cup ultimately dominates the landscape, but his enthusiasm is palpable when he discusses his short-term targets.

Be very solid in the scrum and line-out area, rucks and mauls, and tackle count very high. Use the better weather and grounds to get around the park, use the tour to up his fitness levels further and hit the ground running when he resumes with Leinster on July 12th.

The tape recorder switched off, Corrigan catches the mood of the camp by offering one more final thought. "I have a strong feeling that this is going to be a serious tour from a winning point of view."