Kearney fears continental exodus

The IRFU faces an increasingly difficult task in persuading top Irish players to stay with their provinces after an amendment to a Government scheme which means they no longer need to finish their careers here to avail of attractive tax breaks.

So says Rob Kearney, the Leinster and Ireland full-back who is also the current chairman of the Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association and someone who has spoken frankly on previous occasions about the lure of life on the continent.

Under the new regulations, Irish sportspeople need only be resident in any EU country or Iceland, Switzerland, Norway or Liechtenstein in order to claim the relief and Kearney admitted it loads the dice considerably in the players’ favour when dealing with the union.