Rob Kearney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rob Kearney

Kearney playing for Ireland during the 2015 Rugby World Cup
Date of birth	(1986-03-26) 26 March 1986 (age 39)
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)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fullback Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2005–2020 Leinster 219 (238) 2020–2021 Western Force 8 (5) Correct as of 11 August 2021 National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2006–2007 Ireland Wolfhounds 5 (13) 2007–2019 Ireland 95 (82) 2009, 2013 British & Irish Lions 3 (5) Correct as of 19 October 2019

Robert Kearney (born 26 March 1986) is a famous Irish former rugby union player. He played for Leinster for 15 years. Later, he spent six months playing for Western Force in Australia. Rob also played for the Ireland national rugby union team for over ten years. He earned 95 caps, which means he played in 95 international matches. He also went on two tours with the British & Irish Lions in 2009 and 2013. When he was younger, Rob played rugby for Clongowes Wood College. He also played Gaelic football for Louth in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship.

Early Life and School Days

Rob Kearney grew up on a dairy farm in the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland. Like many kids there, he started playing sports early. The most popular sport in his area was Gaelic football. As a young boy, Rob played Gaelic football for local teams. He played for Naomh Mhuire and then for Cooley Kickhams. By age 17 in 2004, he was playing for the senior Cooley football team. 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 graduated in April 2010.

Playing for Clubs

University College Dublin (UCD) Rugby

Rob Kearney attended University College Dublin with a sports scholarship. He played for the university's rugby team. In 2005, he helped the U-20s team win the McCorry Cup. They beat Dublin University Football Club in the final. In 2018, UCD gave Rob an award for his achievements in sport.

Leinster Rugby Career

Rob played for Leinster when he was in school and as a teenager. He then joined their senior team. In his very first game for Leinster, a friendly match against Parma, he scored three tries!

He made his first professional league appearance for Leinster in 2005. This was in a game against the Ospreys. He played 32 times in that league, scoring eight tries. He also kicked three penalties in 2006 when the team's usual kicker was injured. Rob played his first Heineken Cup game in October 2005. He played in 10 Heineken Cup games, scoring ten tries.

Rob was part of the Leinster team that won the Heineken Cup in 2009. He missed the 2011 final because of an injury. On May 21, 2012, Leinster won their second straight Heineken Cup. The next day, Rob was named the best player in Europe for 2012. During the 2011–12 season, he played in all nine European matches and scored six tries. He was also named Leinster's best player for that season.

Rob announced he was leaving Leinster on September 24, 2020.

Western Force Experience

In late September 2020, it was confirmed that Rob Kearney signed a one-year contract. He joined the Australian team Western Force. Rob played his first game for Force on February 19, 2021. He announced his retirement from professional rugby after playing one season with Western Force. After retiring, Rob went back to his old Louth GAA club, Cooley Kickhams. He started training with them in August 2021, which was his first time playing Gaelic football since 2005.

Playing for His Country

Ireland National Team

Rob Kearney played for Ireland at schoolboy and U-19 levels. He also toured with the Ireland A team in 2006.

He was first called to train with the Irish team in 2005. However, he did not play in any games then. He was chosen for the Irish team's tour to Argentina in 2007. He earned his first international cap against Argentina on June 2, 2007.

During the 2008 Six Nations Championship, he scored two tries. One was against Scotland and another against England. He was a key player in the Irish 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 Irish squad. He was injured for the first game against the United States. But 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 selected for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. He started three of Ireland's five matches, sharing the fullback position with Jordan Larmour.

British & Irish Lions Tours

Rob Kearney was chosen for the British & Irish Lions team in 2009. They toured South Africa. He played his first Lions test match as a substitute. He scored the only try for the Lions in the second test match. He then played in the final test, which the Lions won.

On April 30, 2013, Rob was named in the British & Irish Lions squad for a second time.

Awards and Achievements

Leinster

• European Rugby Champions Cup (4 wins): 2009, 2011, 2012, 2018
• Pro14 (6 wins): 2008, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020
• European Challenge Cup (1 win): 2013

Ireland

• Six Nations Championship (4 wins): 2009, 2014, 2015, 2018
• Grand Slam (2 wins): 2009, 2018

Lions

• Lions tours (2 tours): 2009, 2013
• Series Wins (1 win): 2013

Individual Awards

• European Player of the Year (1 win): 2012
• Leinster Rugby Player of the Year (1 win): 2012
• IRUPA Players' Player of the Year (1 win): 2012

About Rob's Family

Rob Kearney is one of five children. He has an older brother, Richard, and a younger brother, Dave, who also played rugby for Leinster. He also has a sister named Sara. His older brother Ross sadly passed away in 1988 when he was 6 years old. Rob married Jess Redden in 2021, and they welcomed their son in 2023.

In February 2015, Rob became a brand ambassador for Newbridge Silverware.

Interestingly, Rob Kearney is a seventh cousin of former U.S. President Joe Biden.

See also

In Spanish: Rob Kearney para niños