MAGNERS LEAGUE: JOHN O'SULLIVANtalks to Leinster's summer signing Shaun Berne on his hopes for the future and his time at Bath
LEINSTER’S SUMMER signing Shaun Berne smiles when he recalls extended family gatherings growing up in Australia, where the lubricant of alcohol exposed accents that slipped into a broader Belfast burr as the night wore on. He’d always considered his father, John, to have an Australian twang but when his four uncles were thrown together with their youngest brother there was no denying their birthplace.
“I am an Australian boy but dad always had an Irish accent. I think about the age of eight, he left Belfast; and his four brothers and his mum and dad. Being a Catholic family (from) near Belfast; it wasn’t a good time 40 odd years ago.”
Berne explains his grandparents weren’t willing to take a chance that their five boys could get drawn into the conflict on the streets, however unwilling, that had become an all too common occurrence in the late 1960s. The family would emigrate, eventually, settling on two options.
Berne continues: “I think it was a coin toss between Australia and New York. They packed up the trunk and jumped on the £10 sterling ship, or whatever it was, to Australia. All my uncles have an Irish accent. I grew up in Australia thinking that I was part Irish. Obviously everyone is multi-cultural in Australia. If I wasn’t Australian, I was then Irish because that is where dad is from.”
His dad doesn’t recall much from his days in Belfast but his uncles, being older, do. “When I go to Christmas parties and they (uncles) get together – sure enough, they have developed an Australian accent to an extent – but when four or five of them get together the Irish accent comes out: especially after a few alcoholic beverages.
“That’s when I really notice dad’s accent. It’s also my mates when they come around, they say ‘your dad has a strong Irish accent,’ and I’d say ‘no, he talks Australian to me’. It has always been emphasised that dad had an Irish background.”
Berne is not the first member of his family to play with Leinster – his brother Mick – now back in Australia with wife Pru and son Jack playing social rugby league as an antidote to the day job – enjoyed a couple of seasons at the RDS. There are other connections that suggest Berne’s father may have played with Leinster and Ireland backs’ coach Alan Gaffney at Randwick in the 1970s.
There is a curious symmetry in Shaun Berne arriving in Dublin. “I have just done three years with Bath. At that time, in 2006, when I was looking to leave Australia and play in Europe again or play overseas I was in contract talks with Michael Cheika and Leinster as well as Bath.
“I had previously been at Bath and that’s where I ended up going back to because they were quite keen to get me. I enjoyed my three years there but it was a good time for me to have a change. Leinster were looking for a utility back and it worked out nicely that I came here eventually.”
Mention of the English west country club invariably draws questions about the cocaine scandal that rocked the club not once but twice. Berne admitted: “It is very depressing. They’re my mates. Obviously the whole club is tainted with that brush. It’s easy for me to tell you that I don’t do drugs. Whether you follow me into a toilet cubicle is another thing. We have all been tainted with that brush. They’ve obviously made mistakes; everyone makes mistakes. They now get pushed aside and they are going through hard times. They have affected their own careers and ruined their own bodies by what they have done but they’re not assaulting anyone, not affecting other people.
“They are indirectly in terms of bringing the game of rugby down and lowering its name but those guys have made mistakes and I hope they can recover and get their lives back together.”
Berne can play outhalf or either centre position, his priority is to be on the field rather than stipulating a favoured role.
“I want to play as many games as I can for the first team. I signed before Leinster won the Heineken Cup and that was great.
“I knew Rocky Elsom and Chris Whitaker from back home and the coaching staff but now that I have met all the boys I want to be part of that winning culture that they have built up – I think it has taken a few years of hard graft. Everyone in the club wants to keep that going and I want to be part of that. My ambition is to be part of the team and win more silverware for Leinster rugby.”
The Australian also looks on his role as a facilitator in terms of bringing on the young players rather than blocking their progress. He’s already enthused by what he has seen from the likes of Jonno Sexton, Fergus McFadden and Devin Toner amongst others.
“Leinster will need that next generation. I don’t want to hinder that in any way. After your D’Arcys and O’Driscolls you need that next wave coming through. I think that is what Michael Cheika is trying to get happening and I want to be part of that as well. As well as playing myself, (it’s about) developing a winning team here as well.”
