It was bad!
By the autumn of 2016, Rob Kearney was a bonafide great of Irish rugby; a shoo-in for our greatest XV, and one of the most decorated players in our history.
However, there was a serious problem at hand. Despite only turning 30 in March, he was out of form, and his body and mind were letting him down, as Ireland prepared to face the All Blacks in Chicago.
The former fullback spoke about the situation in an interview with the Irish Times today, describing the pressure from fans, and the competition other, more popular options at 15.
He said: “Personally, I was under an awful lot of pressure just before Chicago. My body was in a bad way. It was breaking down an awful lot. And there were spikes out for my head.
“Listen, there might have been reasons for it. My form wasn’t there. Tiernan O’Halloran was playing very well for Connacht, Zeebs (Simon Zebo) was playing well for Munster, Jared Payne was playing well for Ulster and Isa (Nacewa) was playing well for Leinster. So, everyone had their corner they were fighting. And it felt at the time there wasn’t too many people fighting my corner!”
“Then the team announcement on Monday morning and I was in. Delighted. But at the same time, I was not overly delighted that I was going to have to play the All Blacks in Chicago when physically I wasn’t great. And mentally I wasn’t in a good position. I just felt that everything was going against me personally, and the team a little bit.”
Indeed, even head coach Joe Schmidt, who went against the calls of supporters by selecting Kearney, knew his trusty stalwart was out of sorts.
As Kearney explained after the match: “Joe pulled me aside before the game and said, ‘you need a big one today.”
Whether Joe wanted the performance more for his own reputation more than the player’s, is up for scrutiny.
But thankfully his man delivered in spades with one of his greatest showings in green, and did it in the face of serious slating on social media.
Looking back at Twitter during the days leading up to the game is a stark reminder of just how vilified one of the most renowned fullbacks of the era was.
Today’s interview was not the first instance in which Kearney had spoken about the trauma he experienced.
At the time, he admitted: “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 [Schmidt, Ireland coach] and my fellow players the trust that has been shown.”
And Twitter wasn’t the only space where the Kearney hate was seen.
In the build-up to the match, Boards.ie was flooded with selection talk, and it was the Louth man who took the burnt of the criticism.
