THE Leinster players and replacements in all four matches in the Interprovincial Championship this season and who were involved in the three matches in the European Cup - Leinster reached the semifinal stage - will receive payment worth £3,500 each from the IRFU.

And all players who played in the interprovincials and European competition for the other provinces will be recompensed by the IRFU, who will make and administer the payments. The Leinster players will receive more than those from the other provinces because of their European success.

The IRFU has agreed to pay each player and nominated replacement £400 per appearance in the Interprovincial Championship. Each player and replacement in the group stages of the European Cup will get £600 per match and the Leinster players and replacements in the semi final against Cardiff will receive £750 each for that game.

This therefore means a total of £3,550 each for the Leinster players who were involved in the seven matches the province played in the two competitions. The Munster and Ulster players and replacements who were involved in the six matches in the interprovincials and European Cup (in which both provinces were eliminated at the group stages) will receive £2,800 each.

For the provincial players who are in the Ireland squad and who also played in the two internationals already this season and appear in the four matches in the International Championship, it will mean minimum earnings of £27,300 each even if Ireland do not gain even a point. For the Leinster players it will mean a minimum of £28,050. There is the additional incentive of the £500 per point gained in the championship that the IRFU has agreed to pay - thus a potential earning capacity of well over £32,000 for their representative involvement.

The payments to the provincial players will cost the IRFU £168,000 for the interprovincial series. In addition they will pay out £95,700 for the European competition in which each team was allowed seven replacements as opposed to six in the interproviacials. Those payments, allied to the grants of £100,000 allocated to the branches earlier in the week plus a grant payment to the Exiles, will take care of Ireland's revenue from the European Cup.

Twenty nine of Ireland's 30 man international squad are due to sign their contracts tomorrow evening following consultation with their legal advisers. The player assemble in Dublin tonight for two days of training beginning tomorrow morning. Following the afternoon session, they are due to meet to discuss the contracts.

One member of the nominated 30, flanker Eddie Halvey, has not yet been offered a contract. Halvey has been out of the game since last October with a groin stomach muscle injury and he failed to complete his comeback match a few weeks ago.

The contract, worth potentially £28,500 should Ireland win all four matches in the International Championship and a minimum of £24,500 even if they fail to win any, is being withheld until Halvey proves his fitness. Halvey is due to go to Saracens at the end of the month. He has signed a three year contract with the English first division club, worth £50,000 per annum.

Halvey's place in the party that went to Atlanta last week was taken by his Shannon clubmate Anthony Foley. But Foley has not yet replaced Halvey in the squad. If Halvey is ruled out officially, then Foley is the man likely to be called in and offered a contract.

Former All Black full back John Gallagher, said yesterday that he was "surprised and delighted" when he heard that he had been selected for the Ireland A team to meet Scotland at Donnybrook this day week. "I was at a dinner on Wednesday night when the team was announced - and did not know anything about it until I came home very late.

"I am very happy to be chosen in the centre. I am especially pleased to get this chance as I felt when I did not make the 30 man squad for Atlanta that I might be out of contention," said Gallagher, whose last appearance at international level for the All Blacks before he turned professional was, ironically, against Ireland at Lansdowne Road on November 18th, 1989.

Gallagher, who after the ban on former League players returning to Union was lifted by the English RFU a few months ago, played a few friendly matches for Harlequins, confirmed that he has now moved to Blackheath. "I am now part time director of rugby with the Blackheath club," said Gallagher, who is a teacher. He was, in fact, born in Blackheath of Irish parents. He will be 32 at the end of this month.

Peter Clohessy, restored to the tight head berth, after missing the World Cup because of business commitments, and the matches against Fiji and US, is also delighted to be back. "Missing the World Cup was as big disappointment for me and then I was out for six weeks earlier this season with a knee injury and that did not help me to get back. But all that is now behind me," he said.

Meanwhile I cannot understand and totally disagree with the selectors' decision to play Malcolm O'Kelly and Eric Millar on the A team against Scotland. Both these fine young players had been chosen on the Ireland under 21 team to play Scotland at Stradbrook next Friday. They are now obviously ruled out of that match. The under 21 side has already beaten England away and stand a fine chance of winning the Triple Crown with home matches against Scotland and Wales to come.

I see no beaefit whatsoever in these players being chosen on the A team, thus the weakening under 21 side. Nor is this the first time that the under 21 side has been weakened by players being taken out to sit on the bench at A and team level. The selectors had plenty of options to O'Kelly and Millar for the A side.

I also think the selectors have been harsh in their judgement on hooker Shane Byrne. He has been chosen on the A side and loses his place on the bench on the senior team to Alan Clark, who came on as replacement against Fiji. Clark had treatment for a hip injury in Atlanta and Byrne was chosen as replacement against the US.

In fact Byrne has never won an A cap although he was called out to Australia in 1994 and to the World Cup last May when Keith Wood was injured playing against Japan. Byrne was the replacement for the World Cup matches against Wales and France.