Ireland V New Zealand: Ireland outhalf Ronan O'Gara flippantly observed in the spoof documentary Chasing The Lions that had Brian O'Driscoll not become a professional rugby player, he would have being taking the 46a bus from a leafy south Dublin suburb into the city every day to work in an accountant's office.

Talking to Denis Leamy, a lean athlete with huge country vet forearms, the impression is it wouldn't be to the city in a suit he'd be commuting each morning had he not been Eddie O'Sullivan's first pick number eight this week and Munster's flanker of choice all year.

We would not be as astute as O'Gara in divining what Leamy would or would not have done outside rugby, although it's probably safe to say his chosen professional would take him away from anything to do with microphones.

A phalanx of them have already driven the 23-year-old slowly into the wall in the Ireland squad's headquarters at Citywest Hotel and Leamy is slightly uneasy, his folded arms the last line of defence.

It may be the edgy sort of defensive position he'll have to adopt this weekend against an All Black backrow led by the devastating Richie McCaw. But what comes through from Leamy is how earnest he is about his performance and a give-all attitude with a reassuring hint of menace - a player you would like with you when trying to match the ferocity of the All Blacks.

That Leamy has removed his friend and colleague Anthony Foley from the position has played on his mind a little this week and although his competitive edge would preclude him from dwelling too long on sentiment, the more mature player has put the younger man at ease.

"Anthony Foley would have been someone I've always looked up to," says Leamy. "Obviously it's hard. I get on very well with him. It is hard to take his position. But he's wished me luck. I appreciate that. He's always helped me when I needed help. He's a legend in Munster rugby and Irish rugby. They're big shoes to fill."

That Leamy was moved from flanker to the back of the scrum is not an issue. At school in Rockwell he played at number eight and to listen to those who watched him he played at six, seven, nine, the frontrow and wing. As a schoolboy he dominated the team and at times carried them, almost, to a Munster Senior Cup win.

Recognising his ball-carrying ability Munster played him in the centre for a few experimental matches but his elevation to the national side has not come easy. A cruciate ligament injury picked up against Edinburgh in 2001 kept him out of the game for nine months but last autumn he was finally called up to play against the USA in his first Test.

Dropped for the next game, a hamstring injury then put him out of O'Sullivan's eyeline. It has been a fight to get back in and on Saturday he eyeballs McCaw with just three caps behind him.

"That injury focused me more on what I wanted to achieve in rugby," he says. "It showed up just what the sport is about - you're a bad injury away from never playing again.

"Up to that I wouldn't have said I was lazy but I was going through the motions just a little bit. I was young, 21, but being out of the game definitely made me more hungry."

Since then Munster have been singing his praises and good form there has launched him into the front line. "I started to study a lot of videos and stuff like that," says Leamy. "Probably my running lines off scrums and lineouts are a lot better than what they were. Possibly I was taking the wrong routes before - through rucks and stuff. Obviously McCaw is an outstanding player. One of the best in the world. It is going to be a big job for the backrow to keep him under wraps and get him off the ball and away from slowing down ruck ball. That's going to be a job all right."

O'Sullivan slotted Leamy in at number eight in Ireland training sessions all week. It would have been difficult for him to be oblivious to what the coach was thinking. Still, wishing too hard can land surprises. This time the surprise went with him.

"It's going to be hugely physical and the pace will be massive," says Leamy with a twist of his head. Already the veins are rising.