‘Ah no thanks’ - Hugo Keenan eager to keep the 15 jersey on his back

"He's some player isn't he?" says Hugo Keenan. The Irish fullback is talking about a player Ulster would dearly want to have in his shirt, Michael Lowry.

Keenan is in a good place. But if you wanted to take a satellite view of the Irish team and look down on the match against Italy next week, an argument could be made for seeing just how steely the fleet-footed dancer is in the broil of a Six Nations match.

Lowry’s statistics from the pool stages of last season’s European Champions Cup cheered Ulster hearts. He made eight clean breaks, 23 defenders beaten and 562 metres made. That’s typical of what he does.

“His footwork and his speed are incredible,” added Keenan. “I’ve been getting on great with him. Again in the autumn he was in and in the summer for a bit as well so I’ve got to know him. He’s playing super stuff for Ulster.”

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Keenan, speaking as an Energia ambassador, is being diplomatic, although Lowry is a ‘super’ player. But there’s a shifty look when he is asked the question of whether now is the time for Andy Farrell to parachute in one of his potential competitors for the position. His view is, it’s a nice idea but ‘ah no thanks.’

“If he (Farrell) was to come to me and say something I suppose you’d still naturally be disappointed,” says Keenan. “You always want to play, you always want to keep your hand in the team, want to keep playing for your country.

“There is always going to be competition. There are always going to be people knocking on your door. Listen, if that happens it is what it is. I’m hoping to go again, so I’m looking forward to it. We’ll get a review going, there is plenty to learn and lessons to take from it so yeah looking forward to it now.”

Last week in Stade de France was the first time in his 18 caps that Keenan had played an away international match in front of a full home stadium. His starts in an Irish shirt have been unique and unlikely to be repeated again after two years of Covid-19 affected seasons.

Chasing pack

There is a side to him now that just wants to beat on ahead, get matches played, improve on what he thinks are weak points and develop his game to such a pitch that Lowry and the others looking in will always be chasing.

There is even an eagerness now to have the short break end and get back into harness to put France to bed and clear the focus for Italy.

“It is nice to get a bit of a break now,” he says. “They were two physical games and I’m pretty sore after the weekend, so it’s nice to rest up, get a few of the niggles right, get a chance and then after Italy we have another break again.

“Sometimes you don’t want the break. You just want to get straight into camp so you can take the feedback and move on so I watched the game back twice. That’s the exciting part. We were only three points away from beating the French. They are the form side and I don’t think we played to our potential. Personally I feel I have more in me as well.

“So I’m sure we’ll be sore after that again leading into another big game against England. All focus on Italy now because we know we have to get maximum points.”

Ireland currently sit third on the Six Nations table with three points, the same as England who have a better points difference, 30 to Ireland's 16. Ireland have scored more than England, 53 points to 50 but have conceded more too, 37 points to England's 20 points.

“I think how we finished . . . I suppose we feel we didn’t play to our potential,” he says of the game in France. “It is tough, I am not going to lie. We got so close so it was frustrating. It’s been a tough couple of days.

“If you don’t take these experiences, how are you going to get better, how are you going to beat them the next time?”