John Higgins feigned discomfort at the notion of showing his face in Dublin so soon after the dastardly deed. "I know, it was terrible, wasn't it?" mocked the world number one, recalling a thrilling victory over Ken Doherty in the final of the Benson and Hedges British Masters at Wembley only 10 days ago.
How easily one Irishman's Wembley pain was forgotten in the wake of last Saturday's rugby exploits. Either way, Doherty looked none the worse for wear when meeting up with his rival yesterday to preview the Benson and Hedges Irish Masters at Goff's on March 23rd to 28th.
They were joined by Shankill's Michael Judge, who has been given a wild card into the event, along with Steve Davis, Jimmy White and world number nine Stephen Lee. Should Judge beat the 1995 champion Peter Ebdon in the opening round, he will have the dubious honour of meeting Higgins in the quarter-finals.
This possibility gave the Scot the chance of displaying a further disregard for Irish feelings. Addressing his hosts, he said with a wicked smile: "Yes, hopefully I can play Michael on the Friday afternoon - and hopefully stuff him."
Judge (23), will realise a boyhood dream by playing at Goff's. The son of an Irish father and a Lebanese mother, he learned the game from his uncle, Francisco Michael, who took him to the tournament for the first time about 10 years ago.
The benevolent uncle, an irrepressible snooker enthusiast, happened to have a table in his house, only three doors away, which provided Master Judge with a heaven-sent opportunity to learn the game.
"He coached me and has helped me enormously," said the player ranked 58th in the world, who has beaten Doherty in their two meetings. That was by 5-4, after potting a decisive black in the Regal Welsh Open three years ago, and by 5-3 in the British Open a year later.
"I've now realised the first of my two main ambitions for the season," he said. "The other one is to qualify for the World Championship at The Crucible."
Judge missed out on a place last year by losing 10-9 to Gary Wilkinson. The first of his three qualifying matches this year is against Tony Knowles on March 29th, the day after the final at Goff's.
Judge added: "Winning five out of my nine singles matches for Ireland in the recent Nations Cup has been a great boost. So I fancy my chances against Ebdon. The only time we have met was in the 1997 British Open in which he beat me 5-3. And there was no disgrace in that."
Doherty, who played Higgins in an exhibition match in Athlone last night, takes no great satisfaction from his status as the reigning Irish Masters champion. It will be recalled that last year's winner, Ronnie O'Sullivan, was later stripped of the title after being found guilty of drug-abuse, with the result that runner-up Doherty was awarded the title by default.
"I don't really feel like I'm the defending champion," he said, "though I'm not going to complain about the extra £40,000." He added: "For me, the greatest thrill from playing this game is to have the cheers of the crowd ringing in your ears as you lift the trophy at the end of a successful tournament.
"That's where the real buzz is. And I have yet to experience it at Goff's, which makes me all the more determined to do the job properly this time."
Higgins, of course, has been doing proper jobs on a regular basis of late. Through his 10-8 victory over Doherty at Wembley, he became only the third player to hold the World, UK and British Masters titles at the same time, emulating the achievements of Davis and Stephen Hendry.
"I was delighted with the way I got stuck in to win those last few frames at Wembley," he said. "But I've never done anything on my visits to Goff's. I suspect I've been enjoying the hospitality too much."
The Scot then went on to make the obligatory reference to pints of Guinness. One sensed, however, that even at full throttle, this particular Higgins would project a very pale image of his Belfast snooker name-sake when it came to roistering.
Victory over Doherty in the final of the World Championship last year emphatically lifted Higgins out of the formidable shadow cast by compatriot Stephen Hendry. "When I practised with Stephen as a colleague in the same management group (Ian Doyle), I had the feeling I was always going to be number two to him," he said.
Higgins went on: "So I had to break away if I was to become my own man and get to the top. That was how my man happened to take over my affairs about five years ago - which he still does. It's a great arrangement. My dad now comes to all the tournaments and keeps a tight rein on me."
Then he turned once more to his boyhood rival: "Though Stephen has struggled a bit recently, he's still a class act. There were certainly signs of his old form in the way he won the Regal Scottish last weekend (beating Graham Dott by 9-1 in the final). But if I play well on the day, I feel I'm the best in the game. I feel I have proved that over the last 12 months."
Order Of Play
Tuesday, March 23rd: First round (best of 11 frames) - Mark Williams v Jimmy White (2.0 p.m.); Stephen Lee v Alan McManus (7.15).
Wednesday: First round - Steve Davis v John Parrott (2.0); Peter Ebdon v Michael Judge (7.15).
Thursday: Quarter-finals (best of 11) - Ken Doherty (holder) v Lee or McManus (2.0); Ronnie O'Sullivan v Williams or White (7.15).
Friday: Quarter-finals - John Higgins v Ebdon or Judge (2.0); Stephen Hendry v Davis or Parrott (7.15).
Saturday: Semi-finals (best of 11) - Thursday's winners (2.0); Friday's winners (7.0).
Sunday: Final (best of 17) - First session of seven frames (2.0); Second session (8.0).
Postal bookings - Kevin Norton Event Management, Kildare Paddocks, Kill, Co Kildare.
