Sitting in front of a 31-inch plasma screen TV on Sunday night, beer in hand, Mike Kane's mind wandered on to thoughts of "it could have been me".

New England Patriots' kicker Adam Vinatieri stepped up to the plate in the Super Bowl's dying seconds and stroked over a 41-yard field goal to seal a memorable 32-29 win in one of the event's closest games.

But five years earlier, Vinatieri was wishing Bermudian rugby player Kane luck as he tried out with the NFL side for the self-same job.

Kane, who plays for the Police rugby side, was at Bryant College in Rhode Island, a venue for the Patriots' spring camps, where his kicking skills became a subject of discussion for a number of college coaches.

A recommendation earned the then 25-year-old a trip to Foxboro and a shot at the big time.

Over a period of a few weeks, Kane had two try-outs with the side's special teams, although ultimately his rugby background was to hold him back.

"We worked on punts, field goals and kick-offs," said Kane, who was a happy man at the weekend as his side scraped home for a dramatic win.

"It was a pretty cool experience. It is not like I had my heart set on it, so I coped when I didn't get in. It is a different style of kicking, particularly the punts ? in rugby you never really kick the ball dead straight down the field.

"It was fun and I have thought about putting in the practice and maybe giving it a go again at some stage for another team, maybe in one of the lower leagues."