THE MAKING OF HUGO KEENAN
GIVEN HIS path to international rugby, it’s fair to say that Hugo Keenan is something of a slow-burner. In his mid-teens, he could only make the C and D teams at Blackrock College; now he is one of Leinster and Ireland’s most consistent performers.
“From 18 to the Ireland jersey, he has excelled and achieved at every single level,” says Peter Smyth, who coached the Blackrock College team that beat Clongowes in the 2014 Leinster Senior Schools Cup final, a final in which Keenan scored a try. “My abiding memories of him in that last year are of him never making mistakes. I don’t remember him dropping one ball for a whole year, whether a pass or a high ball. He was extremely comfortable in all areas of the game.”
We talk to other coaches and team-mates who have worked with Keenan to find out more about the full-back…
THE CAPTAIN
Ulster back-rower Nick Timoney led a Blackrock College side featuring
