Rob Kearney: 'Inside my head has been a dark enough place the last few months'

For Rob Kearney, this was the sweetest of victories.

Out of the Ireland side since February, the 30-year-old full-back, once a mainstay of the national side, had been through a challenging 18 months beset by injury and poor form that he admitted left him in a dark place.

It also left a number of critics wondering what he done to earn his 70th Test start for Ireland against the All Blacks at Soldier Field last Saturday, with Jared Payne and Simon Zebo both more than eligible candidates to pull on the green number 15 jersey.