English Premiership Final, Leicester v Gloucester:As Leicester chase the second leg of a treble against Gloucester today, Robert Kitsonmeets their departing Irish flanker, who has made a huge impact
Shane Jennings will soon be relocating back to Ireland and the less tidy-minded squad members at Leicester will miss him. "When we go out drinking he'll even arrange the empty bottles on the table in a straight line," reveals his mischievous compatriot Geordan Murphy. "He doesn't even know he's doing it. I like to mess them up when he's not looking and see how long it takes for him to notice."
Jennings, clearly, is that rare beast, a sportsman who gets drunk and orderly on a night out. It is the precision of his work on the field, though, which matters tomorrow when he and Leicester attempt to complete the second leg of a potential trophy treble, at the expense of Gloucester.
There will be international players scattered all over the pitch but the uncapped 25-year-old wearing Neil Back's old jersey may easily be the decisive figure.
The England lock Ben Kay has already risked a few friendships in recent weeks by describing Jennings as "the best backrow forward I've ever played with". As Kay has shared a Tigers dressingroom with, among others, Back, Lewis Moody, Martin Corry and Josh Kronfeld as well as representing the Lions, that is some accolade.
No wonder Jennings looks slightly sheepish. "I don't think it's true, to be perfectly honest," he sighs. "I don't think I'm anywhere near the finished player. Though I guess he's entitled to his opinion, whether he's lying or not."
Either way the Celtic Tiger will return home with a cacophony of praise ringing in his ears. This week he was pipped to the Guinness Premiership player of the season award by his clubmate Martin Castrogiovanni but there are many who felt Jennings would have been a worthy recipient.
There are bigger backrow forwards but few with his all-round package of pace, power-laden tackling and ball-stealing ability. This is a player who puts his head where others think twice about placing their feet.
All of which makes it faintly remarkable that he has not yet been capped by Ireland. That omission should be rectified shortly because he has been selected to join the Ireland squad on their tour of Argentina once his Leicester commitments are over.
In World Cup terms, though, he still has to work his way up a queue containing David Wallace, Keith Gleeson, Johnny O'Connor and Alan Quinlan. Top-class Irish flankers have rarely been so thick on the ground.
If Jennings's display in the Heineken European Cup semi-final against Llanelli Scarlets is anything to go by, it is his rivals who should be uneasy. Two seasons in England, it seems, have achieved exactly what the modest Dubliner set out to achieve when he abandoned Leinster for pastures new.
"I just thought I was going a bit stale and wanted to experience a different environment," he says. "I hoped I'd freshen up and learn a bit more by coming to England and it's worked out that way. I've loved my time here and reaching these finals is a great way to finish up."
He returns home to Ireland this summer and the obvious assumption is the Ireland management twisted his arm to re-sign with Leinster. Otherwise why would he abandon a club threatening to reassert itself as the most successful in Europe?
In truth it was a combination of factors. Jennings has two rugby-mad brothers, both married with families, and a girlfriend in Dublin, so he is not coming home solely for the Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan's convenience.
"If you want to play for Ireland, they obviously want you where they can see you. But there were personal and family reasons as well. It's also kind of nice to be leaving a club after what will hopefully be a season to remember rather than on bad terms.
"Coming over from Ireland we sometimes have this stupid stigma in our heads about English people being a certain way. But the people of Leicester have been nothing but brilliant to me: very kind and very supportive.
"I love Dublin and I love my family but after the way I've been accepted it's going to be hard to leave Leicester behind.
"That's why it's very important to me to try and help the club as much as I can in the next two weeks, so I can leave on a high note."
If Leicester do sweep all before them it will be a distinctly shamrock-tinged triumph, with Frank and Geordan Murphy, Leo Cullen and Ian Humphreys all vying for places in the match-day 22.
As the senior Murphy says: "We just need a few more over and we'll take over the place."
For Jennings , though, the chemistry of the Tigers dressingroom has less to do with nationality than collective desire.
"It's an intangible thing . . . it's only when you come over that you realise why they've been so successful over the years. They simply demand success."
They also know a decent openside flanker when they see one.
