In an inconsistent season so far Blackrock have regularly looked to one of their players for some sort of direction in their AIB All-Ireland League campaign.

Irish under-21 winger and current Blackrock centre Gary Brown is one of the few who have provided scoring performances that have not dipped since the beginning of the league.

Now with eight tries, the UCD computer science student is setting the touch down pace in the league despite Blackrock's unsteady progress.

Before Christmas Brown was one of half a dozen or so backs that Matt Williams invited along to train and practice with Leinster as the province faced an injury crisis. While it has not changed his status from a club to contracted player, the invitation was important.

"I played a half against Ulster in a friendly at Waterpark before Christmas," he says. "Matt (Williams) asked me to join the squad for a week and I played on the wing. Obviously I'd love to get in the door with one of the provinces, but so far nothing has been said and I'm still happy playing with Blackrock."

After finishing school with a Senior Cup win over Roscrea in the 1999 final, Brown hooked up with the Irish under-21s.

Last year because of the foot-and-mouth crisis, the championship was curtailed but he went on to join the three-week under-21 tour to Australia before settling into the wing and then centre for Blackrock.

"It's my second season. It is a different pack and back line to last year and that has provided more opportunities. The way we play has changed," he says.

"I think Kevin West (coach) knew the team we were going to have, a more mobile pack to stretch teams and throw the ball a bit out the back line. We're lucky to have a good scrumhalf and outhalf and this year we said we wouldn't mind a little ball to run with. I've been lucky to be at the end of some good breaks."

Ironically, when Blackrock lined out two weeks ago at Lakelands with their strongest team to date, Terenure won the match after a dogged second half display. Bob Casey, Leo Cullen, Shane Byrne and Paul Wallace formed half the pack but again it proved that big names dropped in don't always add up to a big performance. Blackrock are not the first team to experience that anomaly and it was one of the few times Brown did not get over the line.

"Our only problem has been consistency but now that we've only four games left we have no choice," he says.

Blackrock still hope to find their way into the top four and on Saturday face Ballymena in Eaton Park.

"It's hard to tell what sort of team Ballymena will have. They've got their Ulster players back but this season you don't really know who you are facing until you line out on the day," he says.

A number of players are gaining on Brown's try count. Buccaneer scrumhalf and former Kildare Gaelic footballer Ted Robinson, who scored twice in his side's 61-0 demolition of DLSP two weeks ago, has six to his name.

"This is definitely my best scoring run since leaving school," says Brown. "I haven't been on a run like it."