LEINSTER HEAD COACH Leo Cullen moved to defend Rob Kearney’s defensive performance during Friday’s Pro14 win over Scarlets and backed him to step up for the Six Nations opener against England.
Like Jack McGrath, Kearney was left out of Ireland’s visit to a Portugal training camp in order to get game-time under his belt after injury. The veteran fullback played 60 minutes in a nervy 22-17 win at the RDS, but missed tackles on scrum-half Kieran Hardy and flanker Dan Davis made the run-out appear far from ideal preparation.
“From our point of view, we are more worried why we are exposing Rob to make those tackles in the first place,” Cullen said post-match in the RDS.
“Why is our front line being breached anyway? Or why is Rob having to plug on the edges?
There are so many different components to it. There are tackles and tackle technique, the work we do there as individual skills… from the performance point of view, the team is what we’re more worried about.”
As Ireland’s most decorated player, Kearney has often shown himself able to shake off patchy form in time to deliver on big occasions for Ireland. Cullen expects this week’s Championship opener at the Aviva Stadium to be another instance of Kearney’s big game temperament.
“Rob has so much experience at the top level. He will come back in.
“He had been out for a period even leading into the All Blacks, hadn’t played a huge amount.
“He took that bang on his sternum at the time in the Treviso game where he went off quite early that day. He turned it around: three weeks later, he was playing against the All Blacks without having done any real training and puts in a performance where he was outstanding.
“He has so much experience Rob, I wouldn’t won’t worry about that. I think he will be better for having come through game minutes because he’s just been a little bit shy in that.
“He will be well able to step up.”
Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:
When leo is acknowledging that Rob is not a good tackler the Leinster fans who see no wrong with rob are going to have to change their tune. It’s been a flaw of his for a long time and plenty of clips back it up.
@Bungee Aky: https://youtu.be/guecs1gwzC4
@Bungee Aky: where did Leo say that?
@John Molloy: he didnt. Its just Bungee spoofing again
@Ger: he didn’t outright say it, he defended robs poor defensive performance by saying he shouldn’t be in a position here he has to make a last line of defense tackle. He is hardly going to acknowledge the biggest weakness of one of his most senior players
@Bungee Aky: And you got from that that Leo thinks he is a poor tackler… Absolute rubbish
@Luke walkee: not I got it first from watching him miss most one on one tackles over the years. Then Leo deflected the question about his defense by questioning why we were put in that position.
@Bungee Aky: go to 3:40 on this for a really special effort. https://youtu.be/K2jh7__LAto
@Bungee Aky: I think he was talking about Kearney having to make a tackle in 40 metres of space on his own at one stage of the game.
@EK: so
@Bungee Aky: his brutal effort for teddy tomas… https://youtu.be/QHfKmfeTR0w
He shouldn’t start vs England. His performances don’t warrant a starting place and it sends out a bad message to players performing well who are passed over.
@OFFSZN: I don’t agree, because I don’t see who is ahead of him and available.
@OFFSZN: he’s come in from lengthy layoffs before and played brilliantly. Don’t see why it would be any different this time. England at Landsowne, he’ll be pushing hard to be ready you’d imagine
@OFFSZN: his performances, leadership and organisation for Ireland over the last year or two warrant him being selected. How he plays during the 6N will be interesting though. Granted, Ireland don’t concede many line breaks in the manner Leinster did, which helps his case, but if he has a slip up or two like he did against Scarletts then we might see Larmour/Conway/Addison starting in the WC. I’d personally like to see Conway. One thing was apparent, he’s lost his agility. He looked stuck in the mud against Scarletts. Maybe I’m wrong, but he’d be made bits of in a one on one against NZ or SA.
I’m a big fan of kearney, think what he brings to the Irish team is the same as what Girvan did, solidity and dependability. Ireland has plenty of free scoring wingers to choose from in stockdale, earls, Conway and larmour and having a fullback who Marshalls the defense is very important however I’d have my doubts about picking kearney on Saturday. He played last weekend because he needed to find fitness and form and he had a stinker, probably the worst game I’ve ever seen from him. I don’t think it’s the wisest thing to start him this weekend when there are question marks over him. It’d be better to give him the extra week and let conway or larmour have the 15 shirt. I wouldn’t back him this weekend because if it goes badly then it could be a big set back for him and Ireland.
@Jim Demps: Kearney as a last man defender in open field after a line break was never really something he’s was good at. As Cullen said allowing him get put in that position was also an issue. The Irish defence never really puts him in that position so for Ireland it’s not that big a deal. If the English plan is create a clean line break and then take on Kearney well good luck with that.
What he does bring is that he marshals the back 3 like no one else we have.
His form is not great but he has been here before and never let us down.
@Chris Mc: he’s lucky our defense is so organised, aided by him of course. Scary thought him getting caught one on one in the WC. I’d like to see someone else getting a shot and add a bit of experience to their bow.
@Jim Demps: it’s his game reading ability and how good he is at covering space with a 13 man defensive line that’s most important to Ireland.
@Chris Mc: he looked like a guy who was struggling with fitness and was trying too hard. I’d prefer to see him sit out this weekend and come back ready rather than him having a bad game and have everyone getting on his back afterwards.
@Chris Mc: I don’t understand why people are making such a big deal about this now, his last man one-on-one tackling has always been a weakness in his game, even at his prime. He doesn’t get exposed to that situation too often, particularly as most teams try to break us out wide. But there are numerous examples over the years of him getting burned just like against Scarlets.
@Jim Demps: I think that if he is dropped for this weekend and Ireland do win, then it is hard to see him being recalled for the next game – or indeed the rest of the 6 Nations unless his replacement is shown to be a weakness in the team. And then if Ireland don’t need him in the 6N his international career may be over as he can’t play multiple positions so, unless he is the number 1 full back he is unlikely to be picked for the RWC
@Kevin Ryan: it’s not thunderdome, we have the strength and quality in depth to allow a guy come back to peak fitness.
@Johnny 5: it’s always been a problem, he organizes the line so well that it’s not something that happens to him often, I don’t care what 15/23 joe picks this weekend those players will go out and give 100% for Ireland either way joe knows more than I do re the squad.
I think he plays this weekend and the rest is up to him
Perform and stay in the team
Fullback is the biggest depth issue for Ireland ahead of the world with an ageing Kearney, the departure of Zebo and Larmour looking vulnerable under the high ball all leaving things looking far from rosy. We could do much worse than using this six nations to give time in the position to Conway or Addison.
@Rochelle: you forgot to mention Tom Kiernan!
@Rochelle: larmour is not suspect under the high ball. He had one game where he missed a couple. In the same game both Earls and Stockdale both dropped or misread kicks but yet it’s only larmour who got singled out.
If Sexton or Murray had a stinker last weekend would there be calls for them to be dropped? Not a chance. Kearney is up there with them in terms of his importance. He’s crucial to how Ireland defend, and how we set up our attack from opposition kicks. He’s Ireland’s most decorated player of all time for a reason.
@Conor Matthews: no he’s not, don’t be stupid. The only players we have that are not replaceable with similiar quality are Furlong, Murray and Sexton, probably stockdale, POM and CJ as well. Their places are never so far anyway, under threat by the person below them.
@Bungee Aky: yeah sure thing..
45 games for club and country now without a try. Pretty shocking statistic
@PScald: of course, all that’s going to Happen now is a hat trick against England
Hope Eddie Jones is as fooled as the rest of ye that that was the real RK? Do u seriously think that Joe wanted his 1st choice world class fb risking injury tackling meanlingness Pro14?
@Ger Eckermann: if you think joe ever sent a player on the pitch and told him not to tackle just Incase he get hurt you know nothing about our coach.
@Ger Eckermann: so the negation always team coach dictates the performance of club players in club games now. Good to know.
@Chris Mc: why do you think Cullen is so confident so – he knows the remit. Kearney was sent out there to prove his fitness not get injured and Joe relies on him completely for big matches so would have told him not to take any unnecessary risks.
@Bungee Aky: since the IRFU pay all the players especially those on a CC they can dictate anything they want. We are the envy of the world for our player management and players like Kearney are way too valuable to be risked in meanlingness Pro14 except in terms of proving fitness.
@Ger Eckermann: so then he didn’t prove his fitness….
Kearney should have been dropped by Ireland three-plus years ago too old, too slow, complete lack of regard for defence thee days. he had one good game in Chicago against the Kiwis, and has been a liability every since. Its good to hear that schmidt is trying Henshaw at 15 in Portugal and hopefully that occurs against England this Saturday too