Rob Kearney writes off Wales, believes Six Nations between Ireland and French
Rob Kearney has been announced as Virgin Media Televisions newest rugby pundit ahead of the 2022 Six Nations. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Rob Kearney has declared the upcoming Guinness Six Nations to be a two-horse race between France and Ireland with the latter’s trip to Paris in round two already emerging as the game that could be key.
“Both teams are playing so well at the moment and are unlikely to have too many slip-ups,” said the former full-back who will be offering his insights as a pundit on Virgin Media’s coverage of the tournament over the coming weeks.
The Scots, he said “are always running high a little bit in terms of what they can achieve”, England are in transition and he claimed that Wales are not “the force that they were over the last number of years”.
Wales are first up for Ireland in Dublin next Saturday and the former Leinster and Ireland back went as far as to say that he would be surprised to see Wayne Pivac’s team up near the summit of the table when all is said and done.
“I'd expect a relatively comfortable win for Ireland in that first game and that first game is always really important because it can just springboard your confidence into the rest of the tournament,” he added.
So confident did he sound about Ireland’s task in the first fixture that he suggested it as a suitable moment to draft in someone inexperienced, like Robert Baloucoune who has been capped just twice but approaches the game in superb form.
If that’s the sort of confidence that will meet with distaste in the Valleys then it is based not just on perceived Welsh weaknesses but o also on an Ireland side whose November performances were so good as to catch him somewhat off-guard.
"That New Zealand (game) was as complete a performance as we've seen from an Irish team in a number of years. They just looked so comfortable keeping the ball in hand for a consistent amount of phases, 15, 20, and when they didn't have the ball, their primary objective is just to go back and get it as quickly as possible.
“There was real aggression in the line speed. The system defensively caused them a little bit of trouble in the Six Nations over the last couple of years. They were sometimes getting a little bit narrow in defence and weren't overly sure of the make-up of the back field but they've made huge strides in that now.”
Kearney has been equally taken by the difference Paul O’Connell has made to the breakdown area. It is this, he believes, that has been the most crucial component in a run of eight successive wins going back almost a full year now.
For the 35-year old this will be his first time taking it all in as a retired player. He hung up the boots officially last November, his curtain call being cancelled when the Barbarians’ game against Samoa in London fell foul of the pandemic.
An unfortunate ending to what was a hugely successful career with club, country and the British and Irish Lions but if he misses the rugby then it isn’t too much and he’s filling the competitive void with some five-a-side and games of squash.
“It takes a bit of time as well to find out what you enjoy and you wake up some mornings realising that you don’t have to do something and it’s just as easy not to do it. I’m definitely enjoying it. There’s parts of the day where you’re a bit bored but I find the busier you keep yourself the easier it is to stay active and busy.”
Patience, he finds, is key.
This is the first time in his life where his schedule hasn’t been dictated for him but the Six Nations will at least provide a familiar set of markers in the diary as he settles into the role of parsing what we see over the five rounds.
He is an interesting addition to the roll call of analysts.
It’s only a few months since he was training with Leinster for a few days to get sharp in the run-up to the nixed Baa Baas game and he has played alongside the vast majority of the 37-man Ireland squad chosen by Andy Farrell for the games to come.
So, while his recency as a top player ensures a thoroughly up-to-date insight into the mind and practises of the modern player, there is a familiarity, and even friendships, that could potentially cause some awkwardness for those involved.
“Balance is definitely the word for it. You have to remember that you are doing a job so you have to do that to the best of your ability. It’s also important that you are fair without being too malicious.
“That is the hardest tone and the biggest challenge I will have over the next few weeks. But if you do it in a way that is fair it’s very hard to dispute it at times. There will definitely be cases where you have to choose your words a bit more carefully.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
