Dave Kearney’s summer work pays deserved dividends

Dave Kearney has credited his pre-, pre-season workouts with brother Rob for getting him in the best possible shape to storm into Ireland’s World Cup starting line-up.

Dave, three years his brother’s junior at age 26, came through perhaps the toughest selection battle of them all in the contest to win a wing berth in Joe Schmidt’s squad and went from being considered an outsider to earning a place in the starting line-up for last Saturday’s Pool D opener against Canada, capping the journey with a try that earned his side the bonus point in the 50-7 victory at the Millennium Stadium.

It was the reward for a summer of relentless hard work as the brothers spurred each other on, even during a family holiday to Portugal, in order to enter Ireland camp in optimum shape for what was in effect an eight-week audition process to make the 31-man squad.