Rob Kearney was in a dark place earlier this year. Injuries look to have ravaged him, physically and mentally, and there were loud calls for Joe Schmidt to cut him loose.
Schmidt has known this man for the past six years though. He knows what he is capable of.
Kearney was an absolute sensation for Ireland at Soldier Field, as 111 years of hurt was turned on its head. He took flight on so many occasions and produced moments that got fans out of their seats and drove his teammates on. The All Blacks were finally conquered.
No-one, not a single one, enjoyed that 40-29 victory more than the Cooley native.
In the bowels of Soldier Field, we waited to grab words with the Irish heroes. Kearney emerged from the dressing room with a suit draped over one arm, and holding a pizza with the other.
He spoke with us for the next 10 minutes and his words were so raw, heartfelt and honest that it only feels right to produce the interview as a whole.
Enjoy.
You showed people?
“Yeah, ish… like. There were still a few mistakes out there. It’s been a tough enough 18 months. Just, first and foremost, the body has not been where it was been [in the past].
“Then on the back of that, you’re not playing to your potential and people get on your case, then you get on your own case. Inside my head has been a dark enough place in the last few months.
“I wasn’t sure if I was going to be selected this week, and I’m just glad I was able to repay Joe and my fellow players the trust that has been shown. But there’s still lots of stuff to work on, it wasn’t a perfect performance by any means.”
How did you get your confidence back?
“You don’t… it’s been tough.
“I tell you how I got my confidence back – it was one high ball and one line-break. I’ve been waiting for a spark, something like that, for so long and this week I just said, ‘Don’t wait, just go try and make something happen with the shackles free.’
“I’ve been in those moments before and things haven’t gone [my] way. So I won’t get carried away by any means, but it’s nice to be back on the horse a little bit, for how long I don’t know.”
Joe kept faith in you?
“He did, a huge amount of faith. I was glad to be able to repay it a little bit. I’m sure he’ll have lots of things for me throughout the week – a few missed tackles and some coverage in the backfield, might have got caught out once or twice.
“He did show a lot of faith.”
Did he pull you aside during the week?
“He pulled me aside before the game and he said, ‘You need a big one today.’
“It wasn’t ideal, but it was good.”
Maybe he knows how to motivate you?
“Yeah, maybe he did. We’ve been together a long time now from when he first came to Leinster. So maybe that was the one-liner that I need to put the fear of God into me.”
You’re a survivor of the 2013 defeat. How satisfying was that?
“It was unbelievable. When they got their few tries and they had their purple patch, we came back under the sticks and… we were right back in the Aviva in 2013 when we were under our sticks after losing the game.
“You learn from those experiences and I think we played and went to the edge once, and Zeebs [Simon Zebo] kicked that ball down the line. That was a huge play, whereas maybe back in 2013 we would have just kicked off first phase and let them come back at us.
“It’s little intricacies likes that that you can’t see them from the spectator watching, but to us it was a big moment in how far we’ve come maybe.”
Sean O’Brien, Paul O’Connell, Brian O’Driscoll, Peter O’Mahony all [retired or] missing. This team is a new team…
“Yeah, but we’ve always seen that with this team. We’ve got defence an attack systems and if you’ve got a number from 25 to 30 guys who can fit in and do the things that are expected of you, it’s less about the individual and more about the collective.
“If you work hard and do the things that you’ve been working on. The preparation time that we’ve had has been minimal but I haven’t felt as prepared for a game in a long, long time.
“Everyone just fronted up and did what was expected.”
Johnny Sexton off, Joey Carbery on. Can you put his rapid rise into context?
“I probably can’t, for how it’s been for Joey. To come on and he looked so comfortable when he kicked one really important ball down into the left corner and one kick at goal.
“It’s fairytale stuff for him, isn’t it?”
Say anything to him?
“I said a few things to him after the game, but not when he came on.”
Was your brother onto you?
“Yeah, I was on to Dave. It’s moments like these it’s tough for him, he’s obviously really proud of my performance and the team’s performance but he’s really disappointed to be missing out as well, given the contribution he had back in 2013.
“I’m sure he’s not the only one, there are loads of guys.”
Louth for the All-Ireland?
“Who knows – Cubs, Ireland, Louth.”
JOEY CARBERY
Turned 21 on Tuesday
11 senior games
1 Test cap
1 victory over New Zealand
1 unforgettable weekPic: @Inphosports pic.twitter.com/a290c18JB6
— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) November 6, 2016
Joey Carbery is just a kid?
“Exactly, he probably doesn’t even appreciate it.”
What did you say to him?
“I just told him he has balls of steel!”
Got them again in two weeks?
“They’ll be back, they’ll be wounded. They’re a class side. Their lineout was not functioning really today and they had a fair few handling errors. We’re under no illusions what’s coming back.”
******
Some interview. Some performance.
Same again on November 19 please.
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