Even in a team game like rugby union certain individuals are hard to ignore. Vast areas of rainforest have been flattened to cater for the torrent of appreciative words on the soon-to-retire Lawrence Dallaglio, reviving memories of Martin Johnson's high-profile farewell in similar circumstances in 2005. In Johnson's case it ended messily when Wasps comprehensively trounced the Tigers in the Guinness Premiership final. If the same fate befalls Dallaglio today it will be conclusive proof that even the greats cannot rely on a happy ending.
The merest glance at Martin Corry's face should also remind Dallaglio there is no monopoly on desire. The two old back-row titans are starting to resemble the veteran explorer Ranulph Fiennes, both chasing one last peak at an age when their bodies are screaming for mercy. They make even the limbless Black Knight in Monty Python's Holy Grail - "It's just a flesh wound" - seem weak-willed. In midweek Ian McGeechan bracketed Dallaglio alongside Shaun Edwards on the list of the most competitive individuals he has ever met. He is not far wrong but Corry, in a less vein-throbbing fashion, is also right up there. "There is no one who wants it more than me," mutters Leicester's captain, readying himself for one last eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with his frequent nemesis.
Which, of course, is what makes today's final - watched by a crowd of 81,600, a world record attendance for a club game - such a compelling prospect. If Dallaglio has been the most easily identifiable face in English rugby for the past 15 years, Corry has enjoyed equal success and arguably worked even harder for it. Two Heineken Cups, five league titles, the EDF Energy Cup, 64 caps, two Lions tours, the national captaincy . . . even at 34 he is not about to let the 35-year-old Dallaglio relax. If Corry has had slightly less international recognition, it is only because of the years he spent waiting for Dallaglio, Richard Hill and Neil Back to slow down. In Dallaglio's autobiography Corry does not get a mention until page 382, slightly at odds with the pair's public protestations there is no ill-feeling between them. "We've both been highly competitive individuals," says Corry with a shrug, opting for diplomatic understatement. "There have been flashpoints but only because each of us wants to win as much as the other."
He pauses for a second, aware that winding up Dallaglio on the eve of a big game is never wise. But what about that evocative picture of him shaking Big Lol warmly by the throat in a Heineken Cup game in High Wycombe three years ago? "When you have careers that clash there are always going to be those moments, some which go unnoticed, others which the press want to make an issue out of. We've both played the game a long time and we're both desperate to win for our clubs." Is it possible that one of the reasons Corry is playing on for a further season is to score another subtle point in his endless tussle with English rugby's most recognisable gladiator?
Another viewpoint is that the pair of them, along with Johnson, have personally shaped the identities of their respective champion sides. Wasps are forged in Dallaglio's own image: spiky when necessary, restless, determined never to settle for second-best. Leicester's era of success was built on a diehard spirit and bottomless will which Corry encapsulates more than anyone.
Both men, as it happens, rate Cool Hand Luke as their favourite film but the resemblance ends there. Corry grew up in Tunbridge Wells but his mother is Welsh and, unlike Dallaglio, he prefers rural Leicestershire to London's glitzier postcodes. "I'm a London-phobe . . . when I go there I like to know I can be on the last train home," he says.
When it comes to the crunch, though, the pair share more experience of endgames than anyone. In the last 14 months alone Corry has qualified for a remarkable six finals, five with Leicester as well as a World Cup final with England. Of the previous five he has been on the losing side three times and won two. Until last year's European final defeat by Wasps he was threatening to lead the Tigers to an unprecedented treble.
This campaign has been tougher, far more of an emotional roller coaster. "Looking back the World Cup feels like a different season. You get to this point and think: 'Jeez, was that this year?' In terms of my body, I know I've played a long, gruelling season. But it's no worse than usual, I'm always pretty battered by this point. You just have to rely on feel-good moments to drag you through. This week it has been sitting listening to Ben Kay talking about his forthcoming New Zealand tour. It's amazing how good it feels knowing your own season is about to finish no matter what."
He has also been sustained by the knowledge that Leicester have already beaten Wasps twice this season, most memorably in the EDF Energy Cup semi-final in Cardiff. "We still feel whenever we take the field that, if we play our best rugby, we can dominate whatever the opposition do. We respect Wasps but we feel we've got more than enough capability to beat them. Lifting any cup is huge and we've got an opportunity to make this season a success. But it doesn't just happen through desire. You've got to earn it and you've got to play the right way. We've been thinking less about winning than looking at what we need to do to make it happen."
The often strained atmosphere at Welford Road also seems to be improving, with the coach, Richard Cockerill, even joining in the team's defence session this week. Corry smiles wolfishly. "Tell me another walk of life in which you're allowed to knock lumps out of your boss, to line him up when he's standing over a ruck and give him everything?" It is the time-honoured Leicester way and Corry will not be among those rolling out the red carpet for Dallaglio.
"Listen, he's been a great ambassador and role model and his CV speaks for itself. It's not there by chance. As a character and a player he's ticked all the boxes. It's with a big tip of the hat that I bid him farewell. But I'm playing on for moments like this. I love this sort of stage. You've got a chance to get the just rewards for all the effort you've put in. The hype about Lawrence and me counts for nothing. It's just a matter of who wants it more and who can best deliver for their team."
