THE BODY OF EVIDENCE
Kearney: Owen’s insight into his injuries struck a chord with me
ROB KEARNEY was glued to Michael Owen’s searingly honest TV interview last Saturday – and struck by how much he related to it.
Owen – the boy wonder who lit up the 1998 World Cup – spoke of how hamstring injuries essentially destroyed his world-class game.
But while Kearney suffered his own setbacks, he overcame them.
So on the back of his best-ever season, the Leinster and Ireland full-back is well placed to assess the importance of a clean bill of health.
“It’s the key. It’s not important – it’s everything,” he said.
“The two years before season were really difficult.
“When the body’s not good, the mind’s not good – and your desire to play and enjoy rugby is massively diminished.
“Last year was one of, if not the most, enjoyable years that I’ve had playing rugby.”
When he heard Owen admit there were times he found himself hiding on the pitch due to doubts last over his body’s ability to cope, Kearney took notice.
“It was a brilliant interview, unbelievably insightful. There was a huge amount I could relate to.
“Sometimes you get the ball in space and have to go full blast for it and, like him, there were times I didn’t want the ball. Or if I got an intercept, instead of running the length you’d be looking for someone else.
“You can’t come clean because if you say, ‘I’m not overly confident in my body at the moment,’ you’re out the door.
“Now, thankfully I’ve come out the other end of that.
“I’ve done a huge amount of speed work, just getting used to opening up at 100 per cent again.
“The most pleasing thing is that we have data for speed times over the last six years – and two or three weeks ago I hit my best time in six years.
“It’s encouraging to know that at 32 you still have that in you.
“I still absolutely love the game. Two years ago, not so much.” Going further back in his career, Kearney revealed how a chat with Brian O’driscoll once brought him slap back down to earth.
In 2009 – like now – Kearney was on top of the rugby world as part of hugely successful Leinster and Ireland set-ups. But O’driscoll (inset) warned only hard work would see him to stay on top. Kearney recalled: “I won a Grand Slam in my second Six Nations, it was my third Heineken Cup season (and second win). Then I went on a Lions tour.
“So you’re 22 years of age and you think, ‘This is easy, what’s everyone going on about?’.
“Then I remember having chats with some of the older lads – one in particular with Brian. He said, ‘Listen, this is not how it flies – these opportunities don’t come around too often, you have to work hard for them’.
“Now it’s up to me and some of the older lads to make sure that the younger boys know it doesn’t happen every year.”