Lansdowne Road showdown a family affair for Finegan

OWEN FINEGAN has had a busier week than most big, strong, bruising Australian backrowers.

Between long-haul flights and a punishing training schedule, the Aussie who has earned the nickname 'Melon' from the travelling party, has had to seek out tickets for Saturday's meeting with Ireland. 44 to be exact.

But such demands are a céad míle fáilte of sorts for the Randwick clubman, as his father hails from Co Meath and his mother is a Corkonian. So as he sets about to win his 51st cap for the Wallabies, in the new ground of second row, there will be a sizeable Irish contingent with Aussie sympathies "There would have been a lot of disappointed relatives if I didn't get some time on the pitch," Finegan said yesterday.