Turns out Hugo Keenan has been injured for a while. Close to 18 months in fact, before he decided to sort the issue out once and for all. Shortly after starting all three Tests of the Lions 2-1 series win over Australia, under the knife he went, a hip issue causing trouble.
The Leinster and Ireland fullback remains on course to be fit at some point in January. That we already knew. What was not common knowledge was that Keenan had been dealing with the troublesome joint on and off since the 2024 Six Nations.
“It was the second last game, in the England match over in Twickenham,” explains Keenan. “And then I pulled out in the warm-up for the Scotland game, which was the finale trying to win the Six Nations.
“It’s sort of been at me since then and it’s been a busy period going from the end of that season, finals rugby, into the Olympics, back into the 24/25 season always with the goal of getting to the Lions.
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“It’s not like I got injured in the last game of the Lions. It was a bit more pre-planned than that, and if there’s ever a good time to get an injury, so people have said, after the Lions tour isn’t a bad time. You’ll be probably rested for two months anyway.”
That Keenan remains on course for a January return will be a comfort to Andy Farrell. The November pretenders to Keenan’s throne suffered from the fullback injury bug. Jamie Osborne will be sidelined for four months with a dislocated shoulder, while Mack Hansen has gone for a scan after reaggravating the foot injury which saw him miss the All Blacks clash in Chicago.
Inevitable questions follow on what Keenan thought of his understudies. Especially as Hansen returned so emphatically with a three-try, man-of-the-match display against Australia. “I felt for Mack, being on the Lions tour, playing so well, being one of the standout back threes. He was a man on a mission over there,” says Keenan of his now-injured colleague.
“I met him for a few beers when he didn’t make that initial Autumn squad, for him to flip it around and get two good performances in is thoroughly deserved. Hopefully it’s not a bad injury, I don’t think it is.
“Jamie [Osborne] has played well in that period. He’s been good whether it’s in the centre or back three. It’s good to have that competition but I think if the three of us are all back fit and healthy, there’s space for us all in that backline if we’re all playing well.”
Comparing the three players is always going to be an interesting exercise. Given his height advantage, Osborne appears to be well-placed as Ireland transition to a more high-volume kicking game. We’ve all heard enough about the relatively new laws incentivising aerial contests which have led most international teams to kick more and more. Then Hansen went and excelled in the aerial department against Australia.
As the man likely to be occupying air space at 15 come the Six Nations, what did Keenan make of it all?
“It’s similar to bringing in the 50/22 rule, it’s good for us wingers and fullbacks who like the aerial side of the game, who like the backfield coverage because it places more emphasis on it,” he says. “I can only see it as a positive. There’s more awareness around how we can impact a game, both your kicking, 50/22s and the aerial challenge.
“It suits me. I would like to think it’s one of my strengths, the aerial side of the game. It suits the lads as well and it suits the Irish back three.”
Defeat to South Africa was headlined by cards and scrum carnage. Lost in the maelstrom was any sort of analysis of how Ireland’s new focus fared against one of the game’s better aerial exponents. It was not as disastrous as other facets of the game. Nor did Ireland get the same joy as they did out of the Wallabies.
Regardless, they seem set on going down this path. Fullbacks are always going to be busy in the air in any team but by the time he returns to a green shirt, it sounds like Keenan will be happy stacking up even more air miles.
