By Phil Harlow

Everybody that's leaving wants to go out on a high Shane Jennings

HEINEKEN CUP FINAL
Sunday, 20 May
Twickenham
Kick-off: 1430 BST
Live on BBC Radio Five Live, local radio commentary and on the BBC Sport website

When World Cup-winning second row Ben Kay picked out the best back-rower he had ever played with, he had a pretty impressive cast list to go through.

Kay, don't forget, played alongside the Richard Hill, Neil Back, Lawrence Dallaglio triumvirate for many years, not to mention the likes of Martin Corry, Lewis Moody and Josh Kronfeld.

But Kay chose Shane Jennings, the uncapped Irishman who has spent two seasons at Welford Road since arriving from Leinster in 2005.

"That cost me a lot of money," joked Jennings, when asked for his reaction to Kay's glowing tribute.

The 25-year-old is loathe to dwell on the plaudits coming his way ahead of his final ever game for the Tigers - Sunday's Heineken Cup final against Wasps - before he returns to the Irish province.

"If you start thinking about the size of the crowd or the fact that it's your last game or what's been written about you, it means you get emotional and that takes away from your performance," he told BBC Sport.

Shane seems to have everything. I honestly believe he's the best back-rower I have ever played with - and I've played with some really good ones Leicester & England lock Ben Kay

"It might sound selfish and disrespectful to the competition but I'll be treating it like it was any other game. That said, it's certainly the biggest match of my career.

"I'm one of the lucky ones who has the opportunity to play at Twickenham and I want to keep everything in perspective so I don't let myself, or any of my team-mates, down.

"There's a few of us - like Daryl Gibson and Leo Cullen - who will be playing our last game for Leicester, plus [coach] Pat Howard, and everybody wants to leave on a high.

Jennings has made a huge impression at Leicester with his displays at open-side, making it all the more surprising that he has yet to get a look-in at international level.

The Dubliner, who has the outstanding David Wallace in front of him in the queue for the Ireland number seven shirt, has been selected for the summer tour to Argentina.

Jennings is looking forward to locking horns with Tom Rees

"I hope that playing in huge matches like the Heineken Cup final will help me out in an international sense," said Jennings.

"It's great to play against players like Tom Rees, James Haskell, Joe Worsley and Lawrence Dallaglio - they're all international back-row players who are at the top of their games.

"I'm very ambitious to play for my country and I was delighted to get picked for the summer tour.

"If I can play well as part of a Leicester back-row unit, then hopefully that will lead to international things - but I'm not thinking past the weekend."

Jennings will return to his native Ireland, to rejoin the likes of Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy and Shane Horgan at Leinster.

He made his decision some time ago, before Leicester's treble charge began to gather steam, but insisted he had no regrets.

"It wasn't just a rugby decision - there are lots of other reasons, family and so on," he said.

"It will be very hard to leave some things behind - playing at Welford Road and a lot of the lads have become very close over the last couple of years, but such is life.

"I'll probably realise how much I miss it at Leicester when I get home."