Kearney vows to work his way back to best form

ROB KEARNEY’S season to date has been a salutary lesson in the fleeting nature of fame — and form.

Last year, the Clongowes Wood graduate was the new golden boy of Leinster rugby, plucked from obscurity at the tender age of 19 by new coach Michael Cheika and thrust into the unforgiving surrounds of the senior team.

Kearney took to the big stage like a duck to water. Magners League duties were handled with such aplomb that he was soon introduced to the Heineken Cup.

Eddie O’Sullivan took note, inviting him into the Irish camp for some training sessions before blooding him in the summer’s Churchill Cup in California with games against England, the USA and New Zealand Maoris.

This season saw him start at full-back for the first three Magners League games before his progress was brought to a halt with a hamstring injury in the defeat to Llanelli last month.

He returned to start in the defeat to Borders in Netherdale a fortnight later but his form had dipped during the off-season.

When Cheika named his Heineken Cup squad for the opener against Gloucester last week, Kearney’s name was a notable omission.

‘‘Since I got the contract last year, it’s definitely been the hardest week I’ve had to take,” he admitted after being drafted back into the squad to face Edinburgh in Murrayfield this Sunday.

‘‘These weeks do come in everyone’s career at some stage. I’d be first to admit that there’s a slump in form there. I would never expect someone to make a team or squad if they’re not performing to the best of their ability.”

While Kearney has been struggling, another teenage wunderkind has arrived to hog the headlines in the shape of Luke Fitzgerald who succeeded him as Irish Examiner National Junior Sports Star for rugby earlier this year.

Like Kearney, the Blackrock boy has been parachuted onto the wing but both have their eyes on Girvan Dempsey’s number 15 jersey further down the line. Having a younger contender in the mix has been a new experience.

‘‘Last year I was always looking ahead of me. Now with Luke coming in you’re looking over your shoulder. He’s a fantastic player and has contributed hugely to the squad. The more competition there the better.”

Cheika admits that a few minutes silence passed between them when he informed the Louthman of his demotion before the Gloucester fixture last week but Kearney’s attitude since that initial shock has been impressive.

Competition for places in Leinster is increasing at a brisk pace and Cheika is delighted with the way players like Kearney and Stephen Keogh have responded to being dropped from the team or squad in recent weeks.

‘‘The main reason Rob has been added to the squad this week is that everybody has disappointments but Rob didn’t go away sulking or hiding in a corner. He’s a top quality player and I liked his style, the way he came back for it. It’s something that augurs well for him.”

Matching last season’s fireworks was always going to be a feat in itself for Kearney and his task has been made that bit more difficult by being utilised exclusively at full-back this term as opposed to the wing where he operated for most of last year.

One theory he shoots down by way of explanation for his dip in form is the hoary old cliché that is ‘second season syndrome’.

‘‘It certainly wasn’t second season syndrome. That’s just a mental thing. Full-back is a position I’ve only played a few times this season. It’s a difficult one to play and different from being on the wing.

‘‘We’ve spoken about it a bit. My biggest problem at the moment would be positional play. It does vary a lot from wing. To put my finger on it, that’s probably the biggest thing I have to work on,”