Rugby: O’Shea - don't make Saturday a one-off

London Irish will make their first English cup final appearance for 22 years on Saturday, with rugby director Conor O’Shea declaring: ‘‘We don’t want it to be a flash in the pan.’’

The Exiles last appeared at Twickenham in 1980, when a Leicester side containing current England boss Clive Woodward defeated them 21-9.

They’ve done very little since, but as the 2001/02 season nears its climax, Irish are on course for a magnificent treble - possible Powergen Cup and Parker Pen European Shield glory, plus Heineken Cup qualification next term.

It would represent a remarkable hat-trick for a team written off by most pundits last summer as relegation material.

But whatever the outcome of Saturday’s final against Northampton, Irish are determined to maintain and improve existing high standards.

‘‘All season, we’ve talked about performance and going into every game not wanting to perform below a certain level,’’ said former Ireland full-back O’Shea.

‘‘If things go well on Saturday, and by some freak we manage to beat an outstanding Northampton team, then we are not going to sit back and keep congratulating ourselves.

‘‘We don’t want it to be a flash in the pan. We want to be a club that is respected throughout the Premiership by all the other teams.’’

Irish player/coach Brendan Venter has termed this stage of the season as golf’s equivalent of being at Amen Corner in the US Masters.

Amen Corner - Augusta’s notorious 11th, 12th and 13th holes - has destroyed many Green Jacket dreams over the years, and Venter knows that Irish could still end up with nothing.

They play Welsh challengers Pontypridd in the Shield semi-finals on Saturday week, and with three league games remaining, Irish currently lie second, knowing that a top-three finish would secure prized Heineken Cup status.

‘‘All our hard work comes down to these last few weeks of the season, but there is nothing I can do to change that,’’ Venter said.

‘‘All we can do is go out and play. Week in, week out, the guys have put it in, and the more that we can treat Saturday’s final as just another game, then the better.

‘‘For my team, this week is a case of business as usual,’’ Venter added.

Irish, whose Sunbury training base is just down the A316 from Twickenham, will make that short coach journey during Saturday lunchtime, keeping preparations as routine as they possibly can.

Venter has made three changes one positional from the side that defeated Harlequins 32-27 in a memorable semi-final clash last month.

Former Springboks hooker Naka Drotske replaces Richard Kirke, while prop Michael Worsley - a serious contender to make England’s proposed Argentina tour this summer - takes over from Simon Halford, with Rob Hardwick featuring at tighthead prop instead of loosehead.

Team: M Horak; P Sackey, G Appleford, B Venter, J Bishop; B Everitt, H Martens; M Worsley, N Drotske, R Hardwick, R Strudwick (capt), S Williams, E Halvey, D Danaher, C Sheasby. Replacements: D Edwards, J Brown, R Hoadley, J Cockle, R Kirke, G Delaney, S Halford.