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ronk wrote:It could happen but there's no specific reason to think that Rob Kearney won't be around next season.
He is as effective and as needed as ever. In fact he probably has less pressure from competition now at fullback than at any stage in his career: for Leinster and Ireland.
ronk wrote:It could happen but there's no specific reason to think that Rob Kearney won't be around next season.
He is as effective and as needed as ever. In fact he probably has less pressure from competition now at fullback than at any stage in his career: for Leinster and Ireland.
hugonaut wrote:ronk wrote:It could happen but there's no specific reason to think that Rob Kearney won't be around next season.
He is as effective and as needed as ever. In fact he probably has less pressure from competition now at fullback than at any stage in his career: for Leinster and Ireland.
Definitely no specific reason, and he has said that he wants to continue [source: https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... -1.3718791 ].
But his place will come under an awful lot more pressure because there's practically no chance that he will be able to play another four years as an international and make the next RWC as a first choice 37 year old fullback. So it's not a case of if he goes [as it has been between the last RWC and the coming one], rather a case of when he goes.
The coaching change at international level will have a destabilising effect on his position in the national team, as will pressure from media and fanbase to start building a side for the next world cup.
He's an extremely high quality player though, and as has been said above, there's not a huge amount of genuine competition for his place at the moment - O'Halloran, Haley, Ludik and Larmour leading contenders.
ronk wrote:
I think it makes sense to keep him on a central contract.
I'd imagine we will see Kelleher somewhere around the 400min mark at this stage next season.mildlyinterested wrote:Back Three minutes this season
Jordan Larmour(11+0) = 866
James Lowe(11+0) = 820
Adam Byrne(10+0) = 800
Rob Kearney(8+0) = 544
Dave Kearney(7+1) = 542
Fergus McFadden(3+1) = 306
Hugo Keenan(3+0) = 199
Barry Daly(3+0) = 169
Jack Kelly(0+1) = 12
neiliog93 wrote:He'll be pushing 34 after the RWC, has a lot of mileage on the clock after coming through young, and has consistently struggled with injuries. Giving him another central contract post-RWC would be absolute madness.
Ruckedtobits wrote:neiliog93 wrote:He'll be pushing 34 after the RWC, has a lot of mileage on the clock after coming through young, and has consistently struggled with injuries. Giving him another central contract post-RWC would be absolute madness.
Certainly don't think that will happen. If I was trying to assess who we'ed use at Full-back for a RWC19 q/f, if RK got injured, it would come down to what team we were facing. If it was NZ, I'd probably opt for Addison. If it was S Africa, I'd play Stockdale - who played the majority of his under-age rep rugby in the position.
Larmour scares me at full-back thus far. He doesn't seem to take the position seriously enough. He is constantly looking for increased involvement. That is not a problem, if he understands that his primary role is organising the back three of the team. When he brings the ball up in a counter-attack, don't stay around for the next four breakdowns, get back in position and mind the house. Work on your kick and chase, so that opponents can't automatically assume you'll run the ball back.
Conway & Larmour (and even Addison) offer different dimensions to the full-back role than RK. But none of them are essentially defensively minded. Some people like that, I don't, my full-backs first responsibility is to mind our backs.
riocard911 wrote:Lots of talk in the Irish Rugby Shed on FB - based admittedly on one supposedly, according to themselves well-informed source - that Joe is going to start Henshaw at 15 vs the Charioteers. What would Leo, Stuart and Felipe think of that, were it to happen, I wonder...
fourthirtythree wrote:Henshaw was a temporary fullback filling in for injuries and retirement for a single season. He had one international game, for the wolfhounds, at fullback, where he was average.
Two talking points from down south are fairly constant: Kearney is no good and hasn't been since 2009, and Aki is better than Henshaw and he's really a fullback. He really isn't and that would be a huge gamble with actual fullbacks in the squad.
I wouldn't have a problem with Aki starting or Kearney not. But Henshaw at 15 would be a wild, wild selection.
riocard911 wrote:Lots of talk in the Irish Rugby Shed on FB - based admittedly on one supposedly, according to themselves well-informed source - that Joe is going to start Henshaw at 15 vs the Charioteers. What would Leo, Stuart and Felipe think of that, were it to happen, I wonder...
Probably move him TPFKM if he got a run of games thereriocard911 wrote:Lots of talk in the Irish Rugby Shed on FB - based admittedly on one supposedly, according to themselves well-informed source - that Joe is going to start Henshaw at 15 vs the Charioteers. What would Leo, Stuart and Felipe think of that, were it to happen, I wonder...
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