Corrigan wants to cash in

The last thing Reggie Corrigan minded about when he was named skipper of Ireland for Saturday’s Test against Tonga was the fact he had lost a bet to an old friend back home that would leave a severe dent in his pocket.

Corrigan was this week named as captain of an Ireland side missing its big names for the first of two Pacific Island Tests, the ideal tonic to help recover from last week’s hammering by Australia in Perth.

Only four of the side that started at the Subiaco Oval will play in Nukualofa, but they do include British Lions fly-half Ronan O’Gara, fullback Girvan Dempsey and Shane Byrne, the hooker.

To lead his country out in an international is something Corrigan never dreamed would happen – otherwise it is unlikely he would have taken that bet.

“I know it’s just a temporary thing because most of the senior boys have gone home. But it’s still huge,” he told the Irish Independent.

“This time last year I was going on tour to New Zealand to see if I could get back on the team. Now, exactly 12 months later, I’m captaining Ireland in an international.

“It’s some jump, some turnaround. It’s funny actually because a good friend of mine Gerry McCoy predicted about three years ago that some day I would captain Ireland.

“I wasn’t even in the Irish team at the time, so I told him, I didn’t think there was even a chance of that happening.

“But I also told him that if it does, I would buy him drink for the night. I’m sure he will keep me to it when I get back!”

The Tongans have just returned from a two-match tour of New Zealand, during which they were heavily beaten by the Maori before focing a 10-10 draw with the Division XV, a side of amateurs taken from the second and third tiers of the NPC.

Nevertheless, coach Eddie O’Sullivan has warned against taking the game too lightly, given the conditions will suit the the hosts.

Tonga’s last four Tests were all part of their successful Rugby World Cup qualification campaign, which included landslide victories over Papua New Guinea and then Korea.

“We will need to control the pace of the game, because a quicker pace in the heat over here might suit them more than us,” he said.

“They are a very physical team and, if we are not strong in the tackle, we will struggle due to the fact that they will offload out of the tackle.

“The players should be very focused. It’s an opportunity for them to throw down a marker for the World Cup. And, if guys come up short on Saturday, it will make life more difficult for them.”