Why bulked up Kelleher’s still growing

BYRON Terence Kelleher; reverse a couple of letters in the first name and Brian Terence Kelleher could be half-back on any football team still standing in the Cork football championship this weekend.

In other circumstances that might well have been the case; the original, however, Byron Kelleher, will instead be lining out at half-back (the Kiwi term for scrum-half) in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against France in Cardiff for his native New Zealand.

And make no mistake about it, though Byron would certainly qualify as Irish, native New Zealand he is, and demonstrably proud of it. His father, Kurt, is from Cork, but the son suffers absolutely no confusion of identity. “I’m from Dunedin in Otago in New Zealand, a New Zealander,” he says, emphatically, rejecting any suggestion that he might be half-Irish.

Any cousins left in Cork? “No,” he says, “Apparently not.” Finally, however, he does relent, a little. “I’ve certainly got an understanding of where I’m from, but I’ve only been to Dublin, haven’t had the opportunity to go down to Cork yet.”

Before the RWC, Byron signed a contract with French club Agen, who were subsequently demoted, leaving him again in search of a top European club. Even then, was he tempted to go to Munster, go back to his paternal roots, join several New Zealand team-mates, including Dougie Howlett?

“No, I felt that what was best for me was to go a different country, tasting and drinking and experiencing something that was completely different to what I was used to in New Zealand.” And in that sense, by all accounts, we don’t qualify – Byron chose Toulouse.

So, what have we missed? Without question, Byron Kelleher is one of the top scrum-halves in world rugby. Most often described as like a ninth forward, he’s a load, a real load. Only 5’9”, he weighs in at a heavyweight 14st 13lbs and every ounce of that is power.

“I’ve been working on certain areas of my game — my distribution, the speed of the pass for the first-five (out-half), that’s a critical area. Also I have to keep the opposition honest by running. It’s always a work in progress; I’m sure if you ask any player he’s never completely happy with his game.”

A lot of evolution then, in the half-back/scrum-half position? “Half-backs need to become a lot bulkier, more explosive, but also need to be able to do the core skills very well. It’s not just half-back either, there’s been a technical change in a lot of positions in a lot of the teams, the requirements are high, very demanding.”

A particular area he’s worked on is his box-kicking. On every captain’s run-out, where the team gets a taste of the park they’re about to play in, Byron is to be seen hoisting garryowen after garryowen down the line from a simulated maul position; take ball in hand then instantly, with either left foot or right, very little back-swing but picture-perfect follow-through, a huge kick high and long, the kind of kick about which any winger worth his salt would be salivating.

“I’ve worked very hard on my kicking game, I can adapt, use both feet, predominantly right foot but I can adapt if necessary. It’s about reading your kicking options from scrum-half, that’s pretty important, that you can accomplish three or four kicks, make sure I’m creating those opportunities for myself.”

And that impressive hang time, so beloved of kicking coaches? “I think the box kick is still quite a well used weapon of the game these days, a lot of teams are still using it quite effectively.”

Along with Anton Oliver, he’s the longest-serving member of this All-Black outfit, one of only two survivors from RWC 1999, a veteran also of 2003. Along with so many of his compatriots he could have cashed in then, gone to pastures greener and more lucrative than exists in New Zealand; his decision, however, was to stay, to back himself again. It’s a country where there is a constant flow of emerging talent, it was a risk but it has paid off.

“To me this is the pinnacle of my career, of competition; I’ve been to two World Cups now, I understand the balance required off the field, make sure you relax off the field but when it’s training time or game time, flicking the switch.”

The bond is there too. “The camaraderie, the aura we have in this team, that we’ve been building since 2004, has developed quite nicely. Now there’s an understanding from both sides, from all the players in the team, of where they need to be, how they need to treat one another. I’ve changed, definitely, changed, but developed, grown what was already inside me but for a certain period of time in my rugby career, was in a shell. I always believed in myself, that’s why I hung around New Zealand, decided to stay there. I knew I still hadn’t seen the best of myself yet, I wanted to win a World Cup; I’ve had that opportunity presented to me, I’ve created it myself, worked hard at my game. I feel at my pinnacle now, I can just go out and play what’s in front of me.”

Kelleher is one of only three survivors from the nightmare 1999 World Cup semi-final defeat to France, and admits he had been left scarred by the experience.

“It left a deep scar in the back of my mind. I was pretty young at that stage. I certainly carried some scarring from the game. Heading back there and seeing the whole country in mourning, that is not a very nice feeling at all.

“That is why I have hung around rugby and I think that we have the strategies right this time and we believe in our systems. The team is a different team to 1999.”