Confident Kearney keen to grasp ‘huge opportunity’

Rob Kearney is upbeat about Ireland’s prospects of a Six Nations Championship sealing victory on Saturday despite decades of heartbreak against France in Paris.

Kearney feels this Irish side are a changed outfit under new coach Joe Schmidt as they head to the French capital with an air of confidence.

“I think we’ve come a long way, certainly since November,” reasoned the full back. “We’ve brushed up on a lot of areas that maybe we were poor on in the last couple of years. I think the brand of rugby we’re playing is far more exciting. We’re scoring more tries and I think our discipline and defence has been as good as it has been for a long time. For once, we’re probably the right side of the points difference. It’s a nice place to be, knowing we just have to win the game.”

Motivation wouldn’t be in short supply either as the manner of the 17-17 draw against the same opposition two years ago — after leading 17-6 at the interval — still sticks in the craw.

“We were on top of our game for 40 minutes and then let it slip,” he recalls. “It’s a final and the times you play in a final are exciting. We’re very lucky that after four games we’re in that situation where we can win some silverware. With that comes a huge opportunity but a huge disappointment if you let it slip.”

But Kearney is keen to accentuate the positives as much as possible.

“I think you have to try to bring out all those positives, the fact you’re in a position to win silverware and there are very few teams who get that opportunity both provincially and as a country.

“As an Irish team, 2009 was the last bit we won, you want to win every single year, that’s a given, but as time goes on you realise it’s harder and harder to get yourself in those situations.”

Kearney hopes to lead from the front, admitting that all those who participated in the 2009 victory would have huge responsibility this weekend.

“One of my regrets as a player is that I was probably a little bit of a passenger in the Grand Slam winning game in 2009. I just let the 80 minutes (against Wales) drift by a little bit whereas this week I’ve a really brilliant opportunity... not to be a match-winner but to go after much more and that’s certainly my intention.”