He won a series for the Lions. But Hugo Keenan is hooked on State of Origin
Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan is happy to be back on familiar territory in Australia less than 12 months after scoring the series-winning try in the second Lions Test in Melbourne.
The Leinster star missed the Six Nations with hip and thumb injuries and has not played Test rugby since last year’s British and Irish Lions tour. Memories of the MCG are fading, but Keenan is focused on creating new ones and will play for Ireland this Saturday against the Wallabies at the Allianz Stadium in their opening match of the Nations Championship.
“There are still some good memories of Australia and that second [Lions] Testing, trials and things like that,” Keenan said.
“It’s nice to look back but I think there’s no point in dwelling on it anymore. There are many more memories to be had. It’s a big challenge for us again this week and the next few weeks.”
The 30-year-old’s path to becoming one of Ireland’s most important players has not been a conventional one. In his youth, he played for Dublin High School’s under-14 C team. However, this did not deter him and he eventually went on to sign a contract with Leinster.
For the last two seasons, Leinster have partnered with NRL club Melbourne Storm to run a unique exchange program in which two young players from each team swap countries and codes for a month.
Keenan and his Leinster teammates have become diehard fans of the NRL and the Irishman enjoyed visiting 4 Pines Park to watch Manly take on the Storm last Saturday night.
“State of Origin over the last few years is what you watch at home,” Keenan said. “The intensity level, everyone loves it and it’s always on Wednesdays and we watch it in Leinster and there’s a good buzz about it.
“I’m trying to get into the real NRL a bit more and Leinster now have a link with the Melbourne Storm too so we brought two of our mates from the academy on in November. So if I had to pick a team it would probably be the Storm because of that link.”
“The Manly game was good too because the atmosphere was class when we got in. We had about 45 minutes to kick off and the stadium was almost full. There was a good buzz around. The top was packed so it was nice to see that it had a proper club feel and everyone who got into the seats early had a can of beer or something and there was a good buzz about the place.”
Leinster have sent one of their brightest stars, 20-year-old five-eighth Caspar Gabriel, to experience life at the Storm alongside back-rower Josh Ericson. Keenan believes the partnership between the clubs will only help the development of young talent.
“I think this is a great partnership,” he said. “I would absolutely love to do that. I think pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is one of the reasons why I came back to Sevens.
“It’s like challenging yourself in different environments, different codes of the game, learning new skills and improving yourself.”
Stan Sports The only place where you can watch every match Nations Championship live and on demand. Wallabies matches can also be watched live on Nine and 9Now.
