INTERVIEW WITH ISA NACEWA:IF LEINSTER climb out of the black hole they are supposedly entrenched in later this month by beating London Wasps then Edinburgh and progress to the quarter-finals of the Heineken European Cup the plaudits will be heaped upon Isa Nacewa.

The growing number of critics will also be muted.

Currently the man in possession of the number 10 jersey, Nacewa has been charged with igniting this multi-talented backline, as that's the base requirement to overcome the English champions at Twickenham.

There are two schools of thought on Nacewa's arrival in Dublin last summer. It quickly became apparent that Michael Cheika preferred him at outhalf to both Jonathan Sexton and Felipe Contepomi.

The equally creative Argentine was always going to be switched to inside centre to utilise his place-kicking but the St Mary's man became dispensable.

For the sake of Irish rugby Leinster really should have done without Nacewa and focused on developing Sexton. But that's not Cheika's brief as head coach. His job is to win the European Cup and retain the Magners League by any means available. The three foreign arrivals this season are these means.

Otherwise there would be no CJ van der Linde or Rocky Elsom either, with greater emphasis put on Cian Healy and Stephen Keogh to carry the Leinster pack to their only unachieved goal.

There is, as ever, a positive flip side. These three world-class imports will eventually depart and the home-grown talent should have reaped the benefits from the ultra-competitive environment being created at present.

Cheika spoke this week of building his team around certain players as they enter the defining moments of the season and Nacewa is his playmaker-in-chief. He is also a proven second five eighth with the pace to play wing and the guile of a fullback.

"It is a different sort of mindset being at 10. You are the main decision maker and the team does look at you to make crucial decisions and crucial times," says Nacewa.

"You either like that responsibility or you don't. I don't mind that, especially when you are in front of a dominant forward pack."

An accomplished Super 14 outhalf for the Auckland Blues - ably filling the shoes of the great Carlos Spencer - Nacewa would probably be still plying his trade in New Zealand if not for an impulse decision back in 2003 when still just a kid.

Fiji included him in their World Cup squad and a two-minute cameo against Scotland ruled him out of attaining a childhood dream of becoming an All Black.

Every legal channel was exhausted to nullify the Fijian cap but the long drawn-out court case ended in failure. The IRB have been forced to tighten up their rules in recent times and Nacewa, much like Lifeimi Mafi or Paul Warwick seeking Irish status, is an individual victim in the pursuit of a balanced rulebook.

"I had such good support and they didn't bother me too much," says Nacewa of the experience.

"They wanted to go ahead and do it so the only way I let them was if it didn't affect my rugby. If it had affected my rugby I would have stopped straight away."

Playing for Fiji again also appears to be a closed door as a result. Nacewa is no Dan Carter (nobody is) but he would surely have progressed to an All Black trial after being named New Zealand NPC player of the year in 2007 when helping Auckland capture the national title. His progress also allowed Luke McAlister evolve into a great number 12.

For now, at least, his personal loss is Leinster's gain. A broken arm against the Ospreys in September denied him the chance to shine in Europe but along with Gordon D'Arcy, a victim of a similar if more troublesome fracture, he is back in harness and, from fleeting glimpses in Belfast last week, it could be a bright 2009 for Leinster.

Nacewa hs the ability to create space where none seemingly exists, he possesses raw strength and a couple of drop goals have been thrown in already.

He is also adapting to the nuances of Northern Hemisphere rugby. "I think one of the most attractive things about coming to Leinster is there are really quality backs here and guys who want to run the ball, so it's not dissimilar from home," he says.

"The biggest sort of change that's happened in my game is you've got to really take it to the line at times but then pull back and play a bit of a territory game. It is a bit different, but I like it," he adds.

Life in Dublin has become easier for a foreign player in recent times with the support structures in place because of other Southern Hemisphere arrivals helping Nacewa and his fiancee, Simone, fit in quickly.

"I've always been excited about coming over. My fiancee hadn't left New Zealand many times so it was a huge change for her, but through rugby you get to travel a lot and see a bit of the world, so after talking to a lot of the guys that played here in Europe I got more excited about it.

"She's really good. There is a good core of overseas-based players' wives and partners here so they have just helped out. She feels right at home now."

Nacewa may be built in the Eddie Hekenui mould but over the coming weeks he is expected to show just how far the Leinster recruitment process has evolved since the unstable move into professionalism 13 years ago.

It certainly won't be boring rugby and, in time, room will be made for Sexton to continue his development. For now, though, it is about a team settling and ensuring their full potential is finally attained. For Connacht, the timing couldn't be worse.