Ireland legend Kearney on his Joe Biden connection, Leinster’s cup hopes and why Farrell is special

Rob Kearney is used to lofty company and grand surroundings. Having played in four European Cup finals for Leinster, the former Irish full-back is now forging closer ties with his powerful cousin… Joe Biden.

The 37-year-old has exchanged the oval ball for the Oval Office. He embraces a “surreal” shift from sporting cheers to being congratulated by the President of the United States and welcomed into his high-security inner sanctum.

Ahead of Saturday’s Champions Cup final at Aviva Stadium between Leinster and La Rochelle, Kearney – who will be acting as an expert – explains to Mail Sport how he found out he was so well connected.

“It was 2016, he was Vice President of America and came to Ireland for a five-day trip,” he says. “The Taoiseach – the Prime Minister of Ireland – called me and said ‘Joe Biden is coming’ and I thought ‘I think he’s the Vice President of America’, but I wasn’t too fond of American politics on the time.

“But then Enda Kenny said to me, ‘We went through his family history and realized you’re second cousins ​​to him. We’ll have lunch for him next week and would you like to come?” So myself and (brother) Dave went along. We met him and he was a gentleman.

Ireland’s former fullback greets US President Joe Biden (right) at the White House in March

‘He said to us, ‘Our Irish family has been great to us, why don’t you come to America and we’ll repay the favor? So Dave and I got on a plane a few weeks later and we were in the White House.”

After getting acquainted, the distant family ties are cherished and strengthened. Kearney and his parents have been to the White House for the past two years to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with Biden – whose ancestors are from Co Louth. “He met us at the front door and we spent an hour and a half touring each room with him,” says Kearney. “Then we went back to the Oval Office for a 90-minute interview. He wanted to talk about Ireland.

“He feels insanely connected to Ireland. Irish people kind of pull Americans out when we meet them and they say, “Yes, I’m Irish,” but they crave that idealistic idea of ​​where their people come from. It invariably comes from Ireland, so they have a deep connection to the country and he (Biden) is no different. Ireland is very lucky to be President of America, we get so many huge benefits from it.”

At this year’s St. Patrick’s Day party at the White House, Niall Horan – of One Direction – provided the musical entertainment. Last year they had Irish dancers and a violinist. “There are lots of greens and clovers everywhere,” says Kearney. “The White House is an incredible place, steeped in history and heritage. You have to go through four Secret Service rounds to get into the building. It’s a bit weird that I now know where the toilets are!

“But it wasn’t until his trip to Ireland this year that the access I received became surreal. I thought, “I only met this man six years ago and now I’m in the motorcade following his big car from one place to another – the most protected man in the world”. I was asked if I wanted to take one of the Air Force helicopters from Dublin to Dundalk, where he was going. It’s crazy, but I’m unashamed on the bandwagon!’

Biden played a little rugby in his youth and has fervently supported the country of his descent, especially when they have claimed the most prized scalp in the lot.

“When we beat the All Blacks in Chicago in 2016, he called me that night,” says Kearney. “When we beat them in 2018, I also got a call from him. He seems particularly involved when Ireland beat the All Blacks.’

He is confident that Leinster can earn a fifth star on their shirt with a win over La Rochelle

He also knows the name of New Zealand’s marquee team, despite a slip of the tongue during his recent Irish state visit, when Biden was pilloried for referring to them as the Black and Tans at an event.

Kearney defended himself strongly saying, ‘I spoke to him about 10 minutes before and he said All Blacks a few times. Everyone in the room clearly knew what he meant.’

The fascination in Ireland with Kearney’s connection to the president is so great that he has even had to brush off questions about following Biden into politics. The answer is a firm ‘no’. He’s busy enough with TV and business. He and his wife Jess are also having a baby this summer.

He will be on the pitch today and is confident that Leinster can earn a fifth star on their shirt by winning the Champions Cup again, on the basis that home field advantage should give them a slight advantage.

The hosts have a starting XI with the majority of Ireland’s Grand Slam winning team, but Kearney also paid tribute to the Englishman who has been a key figure in their recent golden era.

“Stuart Lancaster has been fantastic,” he says. “He’s developed players at a pace I’m not sure many others can match.

When he joined, the senior Leinster players were very aware of how good a coach he was and it was very clear that he had been somewhat taken aback (when he was sacked as England head coach, after the 2015 World Cup). We felt like we’d struck gold.’

Andy Farrell’s Ireland is number 1 in the rugby world rankings ahead of this year’s World Cup

Lancaster is determined to collect the ultimate club prize before leaving for Racing 92 this summer. He is not the only former England coach who is at the root of Ireland’s success. The test team is number 1 in the rankings ahead of this year’s World Cup, following their Slam this year and series victory in New Zealand last year under Andy Farrell.

Kearney knows Farrell’s “gift” for motivating players. “In 2018, our Grand Slam match against England was the first time I heard him talk about Owen (his son and England captain),” he says. “He was with us for a number of years, he was our defensive coach and Owen was obviously the star of the opposing team, but he never named or picked him.

“But a few hours before kick-off that day, he picked him and everyone was like, ‘Okay, this guy is serious today. He’s on”. That was just one example, but to be honest there were countless moments where you thought, ‘I’d run through a wall for this guy.’

For Kearney himself, after a decorated career full of titles, medals and awards, the days of running through walls are over. He is now a paid observer and a busy businessman.

And given his remarkable family bond, there’s no need to run through walls. The doors of some of the most protected places on earth are open to him.