Former Ireland full-back Rob Kearney has issued a rallying call to the nation's emerging rugby talents, declaring the upcoming European fixtures as their final chance to force their way into Andy Farrell's Six Nations plans.
A Final Audition Before the Six Nations
Kearney, a 95-cap veteran and four-time Champions Cup winner with Leinster, believes the next two weeks of Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup action represent a critical window. With Ireland securing two wins from four games in their November internationals, players have one last opportunity to catch the head coach's eye before the squad for the Guinness Six Nations is selected.
The ex-full-back expressed concern that a lack of in-form alternatives is becoming apparent, partly due to some established internationals struggling for peak performance following last summer's British & Irish Lions tour. "I know from being a player myself, the season post the Lions tour is very difficult," Kearney explained. "Mentally it is hard to get up for it, you're carrying niggles. It takes an extra effort."
Time to Blood New Talent?
While stressing it is not "panic stations," Kearney suggested the upcoming championship could be the ideal moment to introduce fresh faces. He pointed to Ireland's opening Six Nations fixtures against Italy and Wales as potential opportunities for experimentation. "They are probably the two games that a head coach might say that those are the games where I can throw someone in," he said.
However, Kearney admitted a significant hurdle: few players are currently presenting an irresistible case for selection. "I don't think there have been too many players across the country who have been beating Andy Farrell's door down saying, you have to pick me," he stated. This, he argues, leads selectors to fall back on "the tried and tested," even if some of those players are not at their brilliant best.
O'Gara to Leinster? Kearney Not Convinced
The conversation also turned to club matters, specifically the high-profile European clash this weekend where Leinster host Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle at the Aviva Stadium. This follows a recent opinion piece suggesting the Munster legend should be brought back to Irish coaching, with Leinster a potential destination.
Kearney, who had many legendary battles with O'Gara in green, was sceptical. "I can very much get on board with Ronan O'Gara coming back to Ireland but coming back to Leinster, I'm not so sure about that," he said. "I do feel that the DNA of a club and a coach and history all matters. Putting one of our fiercest rivals at the helm, I'd sleep a little less soundly."
He believes O'Gara is currently content and successful in France, but acknowledged the former fly-half likely harbours ambitions to coach in Ireland one day. "I would say ambitions to come back to Ireland and coach Leinster, maybe a little bit limited," Kearney concluded.
Rob Kearney will be part of the Premier Sports punditry team covering 15 live European matches this weekend, including the blockbuster Leinster versus La Rochelle encounter on Saturday.
