“It’s like [he’s] the Mike Brown of Ireland.”
Even when Ireland win Test matches, Rob Kearney gets flak. When Ireland snatch it in France or blow England away, we hear that Peter O’Mahony has not done enough.
So you can only imagine what follows when Ireland get outgunned by the Wallabies in Brisbane.
12 wins and 16 months after they last gave up a game, Ireland fell to a fiercely competitive Australian side in the First Test. O’Mahony and Kearney started off well, on Saturday, but neither looked good in comparison to the Herculean efforts of opposite numbers David Pocock and Israel Folau.
The bar-room talk, message boards and online comments have flowed after Ireland’s 18-9 defeat Down Under and the two experienced heads have taken most of the flak. It does not take much searching to see both O’Mahony and Kearney pilloried but they deserve better than that.
Former Ireland players Kevin McLaughlin and James Downey joined Andy McGeady on The Hard Yards and [from 56:00 below] possible fullback options for the Second Test and that harsh criticism was discussed.
“It was a weird performance from Kearney on Saturday,” McGeady noted.
“First half hour, he was a superman. He was phenomenal; smooth as silk. And it all changed in that 10 minutes before half-time.”
The aberrations arrived, like buses, quickly together after the half hour mark. He got to a clearing Wallabies kick just too late and David Pocock pounced on the loose ball. Within 60 seconds, Australia had scored out wide through Bernard Foley [Robbie Henshaw did not cover himself in defensive glory during the build-up].
He then failed to find touch after claiming a mark on his 22, and he then shelled a Will Genia kick over the line to give the Aussies a handy lineout.
Credit: Rugby Pass“I think he misjudged a kick and he was a little out of sorts,” Downey conceded, “but you can’t take away from what a great year he had. You are allowed to have a little bit of a bad day.”
McGeady then put a listener question to the former Munster centre about switching Henshaw to fullback for the Second Test. He began:
Andy: “Joe has mentioned that before… [but] if he hasn’t done it by now, he’s not doing it.”
James: “I don’t know because, physically, Robbie has changed. Not to say that he was light, but he has bulked up to play in the centre.”
Andy: “He was a lovely, running fullback when he first came in.”
James: “But that’s what he was. He was a fullback. Then he was a 13 and now he has been pushed into being a 12. But you look at the physical shape of Robbie and he has bulked up. He has put on an extra, at least, 5 kilos… if not more.”
Downey believes out-an-out fullbacks, such as squad member Andrew Conway, would have every right to be ‘pretty pissed off’ if Schmidt rested Kearney and opted for someone like Henshaw, Joey Carbery or Jordan Larmour in his place. He would like to see Conway and No.15 for Melbourne, with Kearney returning for the final Test.
“We know what Rob does. Nothing against his performance. As you say, it was a small lapse and that was it.
“I know some people go after that. It’s like [he is] the Mike Brown of Ireland. No… he’s perfect and I’m happy with what he has done.”
O’Mahony would certainly be keen to have another rattle at the Aussies. His first half performance was a plus but both he and Jordi Murphy were overshadowed by the sheer brilliance and aggression of Pocock and Wallabies openside Michael Hooper.
Some Irish fans, and pundits, are now calling on Joe Schmidt to start turnover machine Tadhg Beirne this weekend.
Schmidt may have been planning on going easy on both O’Mahony and Kearney as he formulated plans for the tour but the Brisbane loss may see them asked to step up again. Get this series back level and they could be allowed to put their feet up in Sydney.
