Manning gets drop on Clontarf after visa let-off

CORK Constitution will forever be grateful to an Irish immigration official who gave their outhalf Jeremy Manning a stay of execution at Dublin Airport on Saturday morning.

Manning (a New Zealander), returning from Munster’s Magners League clash with Edinburgh was called in by officials because his visa had apparently expired. At one stage the threat was that he would be sent back to Scotland until a senior official gave him a week’s grace to get his affairs in order, and allowed him back into the country.

Constitution would do well to send that official a letter of thanks, because Manning, who admitted to “laziness” in not securing a new visa, was the key man in this crucial victory that helped keep their position at the top of the AIB League.