Rob Kearney facts for kids
Kearney playing for Ireland during the 2015 Rugby World Cup
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| Date of birth | 26 March 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Cooley Peninsula, County Louth, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg (14.8 st; 207 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Clongowes Wood College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University College Dublin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Dave Kearney (brother) Joe Biden (fifth cousin) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Robert Kearney (born on March 26, 1986) is a famous Irish former rugby union player. He played for Leinster for 15 years. After that, he spent six months playing for Western Force in Perth, Australia.
Rob also played for the Ireland national rugby union team for over ten years. He played in 95 matches for Ireland. He also went on two special tours with the British & Irish Lions team in 2009 and 2013. When he was younger, he played rugby for Clongowes Wood College. He also played Gaelic football for Louth in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship.
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Rob Kearney's Early Life and School
Rob Kearney grew up on a dairy farm in the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland. Like many kids in his area, he started playing sports when he was young. The most popular sport there was Gaelic football.
As a child, Rob played Gaelic football for local teams like Naomh Mhuire and Cooley Kickhams. He later joined the senior Cooley football team when he was 17 in 2004. He also played for Louth at a younger level.
Rob went to Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare for his high school education. After finishing school, he went to University College Dublin. There, he studied arts and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in April 2010.
Rob Kearney's Rugby Club Career
Rob Kearney played for different rugby clubs during his career. He started playing at university before joining professional teams.
Playing for University College Dublin
Rob attended University College Dublin with a sports scholarship. He played for the university's rugby team. In 2005, he helped the Under-20s team win the McCorry Cup. They beat Dublin University Football Club in the final match.
In 2018, Rob was given the UCD Alumni Award in Sport. This award recognized his achievements in sports.
Playing for Leinster Rugby
Rob played for Leinster when he was in school and at the Under-19 level. Later, he joined their senior team. In his very first game for Leinster, a friendly match against Parma, he scored three tries!
He played his first game in the Celtic League for Leinster in 2005. This was a close game that Leinster lost 22–20 to the Ospreys. He played in 32 games in this league and scored eight tries.
Rob also played in his first Heineken Cup game in October 2005. He was part of the Leinster team that won the Heineken Cup in 2009. He missed the 2011 final because of an injury.
In May 2012, Rob was named the ERC Player of the Year for 2012. This was after Leinster won their second straight Heineken Cup. During the 2011–12 season, he played in all nine European matches and scored six tries. He was also named Leinster player of the year for that season.
Rob announced that he was leaving Leinster on September 24, 2020.
Playing for Western Force
In late September 2020, it was confirmed that Rob Kearney had signed a one-year contract. He joined an Australian team called Western Force. Rob played his first game for Western Force in February 2021.
After playing one season with Western Force, Rob announced he was retiring from rugby. This was after playing in the Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competitions. After he retired, Rob went back to his old Gaelic football club, Cooley Kickhams. He started training with them again in August 2021, which was his first time since 2005.
Rob Kearney's International Career
Rob Kearney also played for his country, Ireland, and for the British & Irish Lions.
Playing for Ireland
Rob played for Ireland at schoolboy and Under-19 levels. He also toured with the Ireland A team in 2006.
He was first asked to join the Irish training squad in 2005. However, he didn't play in any games then. He was later chosen for the Irish team that toured Argentina in 2007. He played his first game for Ireland against Argentina on June 2, 2007.
During the 2008 Six Nations Championship, Rob scored two tries. One was against Scotland and the other against England. He was part of the winning Ireland team that won the 2009 Six Nations Championship. They also won the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam that year.
Rob missed almost a year of playing from November 2010 to August 2011. This was due to a knee injury that needed surgery.
In the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Rob was chosen for the Ireland team. He was injured for the first game against the United States. However, he played in all the other matches. Ireland reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to Wales.
Rob was also part of the first Irish rugby team in 39 years to beat Australia in Australia. This happened during the 2018 summer series. He was chosen for the Ireland team for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. He started three of Ireland's five matches, sharing the fullback position with Jordan Larmour.
Playing for the British & Irish Lions
Rob Kearney was chosen for the British & Irish Lions team for their 2009 tour to South Africa. He played his first test match for the Lions as a substitute. This was in a 26–21 loss in Durban.
Because another player, Lee Byrne, was injured, Rob was chosen to play in the second test match. He scored the only try for the Lions in that game, which they lost 28–25. He then played in the final test in Johannesburg, which the Lions won 28–9.
On April 30, 2013, Rob was named in the British & Irish Lions squad for the second time.
Rob Kearney's Achievements and Awards
Rob Kearney won many awards and championships during his rugby career.
Leinster
- European Rugby Champions Cup (4 times): 2009, 2011, 2012, 2018
- Pro14 (6 times): 2008, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020
- European Challenge Cup (1 time): 2013
Ireland
- Six Nations Championship (4 times): 2009, 2014, 2015, 2018
- Grand Slam (2 times): 2009, 2018
British & Irish Lions
- Lions tours (2 times): 2009, 2013
- Series Wins (1 time): 2013
Individual Awards
- European Player of the Year (1 time): 2012
- Leinster Rugby Player of the Year (1 time): 2012
- IRUPA Players' Player of the Year (1 time): 2012
Rob Kearney's Family Life
Rob Kearney is the third of five children in his family. He has an older brother named Richard. His younger brother, Dave Kearney, also played rugby for Leinster. He also has a sister named Sara. Tragically, his older brother Ross passed away in an accident in 1988 when he was six years old.
Rob married Jess Redden in 2021. Their son was born in 2023.
In February 2015, Rob became a brand ambassador for Newbridge Silverware. This means he helped promote their products.
Did you know? Rob Kearney is a distant cousin of former U.S. President Joe Biden. They are seventh cousins!
