The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly talks to the Leinster fly-half Shaun Berne as he prepares to steer his province through a crucial part of the season.
"An early cameo from Shaun Berne's career south of the equator illustrates perfectly just why his forthcoming responsibilities as Leinster's primary place-kicker in the Heineken Cup inflict tranquillity and terror into supporters' hearts in equal measure.
"It is 2003 and the Waratahs are facing down the mighty Crusaders, the New Zealand side that had dished out a 96-19 humiliation to the Sydney side en route to the Super 14 title a year before. With regular kickers Matt Burke and Mat Rogers off injured, Berne has missed four chances to push his side into a commanding position. Seconds remain. 31-31. The Crusaders slip offside.
"That the crime is committed centimetres inside the Australians' half barely registers with Berne. As the Sydney faithful and Crusaders bench join in watching nervously behind their hands, the son of a Belfast man tonks over the three-pointer.
"He is engulfed by team-mates and acclaimed by the crowd. How swiftly his previously errant attempts are forgotten. It is always thus in the lonely life of the place-kicker, for whom the distance between hero and zero can be a matter of mere millimetres."
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