O'Meara joins Lansdowne as player coach

Cork Con and Leinster scrum-half Brian O'Meara is to take up player coach duties with Lansdowne for the coming season after signing for the AIB League Division One club today.

The 29-year-old, who boasts nine Ireland caps, is to work alongside fellow player coach Liam Toland, the former Leinster captain, who missed six months of Lansdowne's 2004/05 campaign due to an army assignment in Kosovo.

The duo will replace Andy Doyle and Pat Ward, who stepped down as coaches of the Dublin 4 club in May, having seen off UCC in a top flight relegation/promotion play-off.