Kearney’s cool running is the perfect fit for leggy Leinster

THEIR hopes of securing a quarter-final Heineken Cup berth may be somewhere between slim and none but, with talent like Robert Kearney in tow, Leinster remain committed to playing the type of expansive rugby rarely seen before in this part of the world.

When CEO Mick Dawson started scouring the globe for a man to replace Declan Kidney, it was only going to be a matter of time before his eye fell on the Randwick club in suburban Sydney an outpost long renowned for it's almost Barbarian devotion to running rugby.

Michael Cheika and David Knox had resurrected the club's ailing fortunes, in recent years, and it didn't take long for Leinster officials to realise that here were two men who could do wonders with the Irish province's richly talented back line.