Horgan loses race to be fit for Biarritz clash

SHANE Horgan has lost the battle to be fit and will be in the frustrating role of supporter for Leinster’s eagerly-anticipated European Cup quarter-final against Biarritz.

“It is important to get this injury right,” said Horgan yesterday. “Last week I would have been confident I would have played some part in the game but you have to be careful not to push an injury like this too much.”

Horgan injured his quad earlier in the season after playing in Ireland’s first Six Nations game against Scotland.

However, for the rest of the campaign he was on the sidelines, watching Ireland’s ultimately failed attempt to win the Grand Slam.

“It was frustrating on a personal level. I remained within the squad, trying to get ready and just experiencing the buzz that was going round the camp. It was frustrating, though, being so close to it and not being able to be involved. All the same, it was great to see the lads doing so well.”

Horgan would have been an integral member of the Irish squad, just as he has been vitally important for the Leinster cause over the past two years.

Now, as Ballsbridge prepares itself for a special day in blue, he must sit it out. Still, he is looking forward to it.

“It will be an unbelievable experience, something totally different. It will be funny to see Lansdowne blue for once,” says Horgan, who adds the cement of Leinster’s good form was set last year.

“It is a stronger outfit this year. We only lost two games last year and those were the last two. The groundwork was done last year. There is a winning mentality in the squad. The squad is a lot stronger. If we are a man or two down, people can walk in.”

Meanwhile, English and French rugby officials clash in Dublin this afternoon in a bid to win the 2007 Rugby World Cup. England claim their bid will generate stg£100m of revenue, just under half of which will go to the International Rugby Board to develop the world game.

France have hit back, saying England are basing their figures on a rise in ticket prices of 30-40%, which they say the market will not sustain.

The French claim their own project will bring in around stg£50m. They also believe that as England staged the 1991 tournament, it’s their turn.

France are proposing a 20-team, 48-match tournament running from September 7 to October 20. England have made three bids for a June-July tournament. Their preferred choice is for a 16-team tournament with a 32-team Nations Cup running in parallel but have included options for a 20-team format and a mixture of the two.