Going extra mile to give ex-pats helping hand

Leinster were probably thrilled when ERC chiefs handed them a Saturday evening slot for this week’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Cardiff.

It is a sentiment most of their fans will have shared given that it allows a generous amount of time to enjoy the watering holes that surround Lansdowne Road. But the kick-off time isn’t so convenient for everyone.

Take New Zealand, where the game will begin at 4.45am local time on Easter Sunday, which just happens to be one of only three days in the entire year when the sale of alcohol is forbidden by law.