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Exactly four years on from historic All Blacks win, Rob Kearney returns congrats to cousin Joe Biden

Rob Kearney celebrates after Ireland's November 2018 win over New Zealand in Dublin (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Exactly four years after Joe Biden congratulated Rob Kearney on Ireland’s historic first victory over the All Blacks in Chicago, he has returned the gesture, congratulating his cousin on winning election to the office of the President of the United States.

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Biden wrote in 2016 ‘Congrats to cousin Rob Kearney on the Bidens. Irish Rugby’s 1st win over New Zealand in 111 years. History made in Chicago.”

Now four years on –  the span of an election or  Rugby World Cup cycle, depending on your inclination – the former Leinster fullback was finally able to return the congratulations.

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Sexton and Farrell explain that walk-off in Paris:

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Sexton and Farrell explain that walk-off in Paris:

While the election hasn’t yet been officially called, Kearney reached out to cousin Joe on Twitter, posting: “Congrats to you Mr President.”

Biden’s family lineage hails from the Cooley Peninsula in Couth Louth in Ireland, which he visited in 2016. The then vice-president met both Kearney brothers – Rob and Dave – and they broke bread over lunch at Fitzpatricks restaurant on the Carlingford Road.

In an interview with TV3 at the time, Kearney explained the connection: “It started off as quite loose and a weird connection and then Joe came to Ireland on a state visit and myself a Dave met him and then he invited the two of us over to The White House. We went over in the summer and met him there, and the relationship has gone from strength to strength.

“It was pretty cool. I spoke to him after the game and he had watched it. He’s actually a pretty big rugby fan.”

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Kearney hung up his boots last month after a stellar career with Leinster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. The 2012 European Player of the Year lifted the European Rugby Champions Cup four times with Leinster, as well six PRO14 titles and the European Challenge Cup, and has recently signed a one year deal to play for the Western Force in Australia.

 

 

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J
JW 1 hour ago
'Let's not sugarcoat it': Former All Black's urgent call to protect eligibility rules

Yep, no one knows what will happen. Thing is I think (this is me arguing a point here not a random debate with this one) they're better off trialing it now in a controlled environment than waiting to open it up in a knee jerk style reaction to a crumbling organtization and team. They can always stop it again.


The principle idea is that why would players leave just because the door is ajar?


BBBR decides to go but is not good enough to retain the jersey after doing it. NZ no longer need to do what I suggest by paying him to get back upto speed. That is solely a concept of a body that needs to do what I call pick and stick wth players. NZR can't hold onto everyone so they have to choose their BBBRs and if that player comes back from a sabbatical under par it's a priority to get him upto speed as fast as possible because half of his competition has been let go overseas because they can't hold onto them all. Changing eligibility removes that dilemma, if a BBBR isn't playing well you can be assured that someone else is (well the idea is that you can be more assured than if you only selected from domestic players).


So if someone decides they want to go overseas, they better do it with an org than is going to help improve them, otherwise theyre still basically as ineligible as if they would have been scorning a NZ Super side that would have given them the best chance to be an All Black.

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