Try, try, try and try again for £1m carrot on Saturday

So you want to be a millionaire? Well, that's the cash prize awaiting the first Irish player who can score four tries against…

So you want to be a millionaire? Well, that's the cash prize awaiting the first Irish player who can score four tries against Wales in Saturday's Six Nations rugby match at Lansdowne Road.

The £1 million award is being put up by the Carphone Warehouse and is the largest prize of this kind to be offered in world rugby. It is sponsoring the cash as a reflection of its confidence in the Irish team; with the pool of talent in the squad, any player is capable of achieving the goal.

It is just a case of try, try, try and try again.

A display of the £1 million in cash was put on show yesterday in the Bank of Ireland vault at College Green, Dublin.

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Mr Stephen Mackarel, managing director of the Carphone Warehouse, assured us that he was "really looking forward to giving the money away".

Also on hand was Brian Robinson, one of only two Irish players who have previously scored four tries in a senior international at Lansdowne Road.

"If I got that money in my day I wouldn't be here talking to you," he said. Robinson achieved his scores against Zimbabwe in the 1991 World Cup. The team captain, Keith Wood, also scored four, against the US last October. Brian O'Driscoll picked up three tries against France a fortnight ago and is probably the player with the best chance to claim the cash.

The prize was conceived following Ireland's defeat against England at Twickenham last month. "We feel that by setting a dramatic goal like this it will help to focus the players on delivering a winning and entertaining game." Mr Mackarel said.

Robinson, however, is confident that the players won't be getting too carried away. "They'll be concentrating on the game," he said. "This is a bit of fun alright but all the players have the experience to not let this get in the way of what they have to do on the day."

Asked about the £1 million bonus on offer, manager Donal Lenihan said: "We'll definitely play Brian O'Driscoll so."

Meanwhile, Ireland has made just one change for the Wales match. Shane Horgan, fit again, returns on the wing and Kevin Maggs, who took his place against France in Paris, drops to the replacements. John Hayes passed a fitness test yesterday and will play in the front row.

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics