Ireland legend Rob Kearney has described Rob Baloucoune as Ireland’s X-Factor ahead of their final Nations Championship summer test against the All Blacks this Saturday.
The Ulster winger returns to the starting 15 after missing Ireland’s first two games this summer against the Wallabies and Japan. A good performance at Eden Park will hopefully cap off a sensational season for the Enniskillen man, who won breakout player of the Six Nations.
As well as the return of the man known as ‘The Cat’, Ireland can also be hopeful of a result in Auckland as they are facing the All Blacks off the back of two wins (as unconvincing as they were) as opposed to coming in cold the last couple of times they’ve faced New Zealand.
Robert Baloucoune during Ireland Rugby squad training at King’s College in Auckland, New Zealand. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Since the 2023 World Cup, Ireland hosted their rivals in their first game of the November tests in 2024 as well as playing them in Chicago in their first game of the 2025 November window, with over a dozen players coming into that contest off the back of only one club game since the Lions tour that previous summer.
Legendary fullback and Virgin Media pundit Rob Kearney believes the scheduling, as well as the full bill of health in the 36-man squad, has given Andy Farrell’s side a decent shot of putting in a stellar performance and potentially making history.
‘It’s far more beneficial to play them in the third week of the tour as opposed to the first week,’ Kearney explained. ‘In saying that, they’ll still have to improve on an awful lot of areas and in the performances we’ve seen over the past few weeks, if they want to be in with a chance.
Former Ireland and Leinster player Rob Kearney is pictured as Virgin Media Television announce that Irish rugby icon and Munster legend Conor Murray he will join its expert rugby panel as an analyst for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations Championship, kicking off on 5 February 2026. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
‘But I just feel as if, not that there’s something necessarily different about this team, but I do believe that we’ll see the very best of them this week than over the past few weeks and even towards the end of the Six Nations.’
Ireland are going to need to be at their best if they are to become the first team to beat the All Blacks at Eden Park since 1994, and in the returning Baloucoune, Kearney explained why he thinks the winger can make the difference on Saturday.
‘Really good to see Rob Baloucoune back on. I think he’s the one true bit of X-Factor in the backline, and it’s really important to have a player in your backline who can change the game.
Robert Baloucoune of Ireland on his way to scoring. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
‘We see how important it is to the likes of France, South Africa, New Zealand; they have those players in abundance, and they can be match winners, so it’s important that he’s back on the field.’
On the other flank, Farrell has the in-form Jimmy O’Brien, who has been an unsung hero on this tour thus far. Kearney thinks his reliability is his best ability for Saturday.
‘I think Jimmy is a great player, and we see so much of him in both the Leinster and the Ireland teams because he is a great player. There’s a lot of teams in the world where he’d be getting an awful lot more opportunities than he does. Jimmy has never let any side down that he’s played in.
Jimmy O’Brien evades the tackle of Warner Dearns of Japan. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
‘There aren’t many weaknesses to his game; he’s got a very good kicking game, left-footed, which obviously is a strong point… he’s good in the air, he’s fast, and he’s hungry to get on the ball, all those things that Andy Farrell really likes.’
One aspect that has somewhat left Ireland’s game over the past season is the fast starts. In the 2023 Grand Slam-winning heyday of the Faz-era, Ireland swept teams aside in the first 15-20 minutes, getting out to an early lead then holding on for victory.
However, those beginnings have become less and less frequent. Kearney thinks getting points on the board early, or at least not allowing New Zealand to get out to an early lead, will be crucial.
Former Ireland and Leinster player Rob Kearney is pictured as Virgin Media Television announce that Irish rugby icon and Munster legend Conor Murray he will join its expert rugby panel as an analyst for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations Championship, kicking off on 5 February 2026. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
‘Andy Farrell’s teams back in ’21, ’22, ’23, their starts were electrifying; they were coming out of the blocks, and they were blowing teams away so early on. And now, over the last 12 to 18 months, we’ve become a team that’s actually a little bit slower at starting.
‘And that’s all well and good when you face Australia or Japan… you literally cannot get away with it against the All Blacks at Eden Park. I remember in some of the press interviews from the coaches over the past couple of weeks, they’ve been focusing heavily on this fast start, and it hasn’t quite happened for them.
‘So, hopefully they will be able to put that into practice this week because it will be really important, and if they go 7 or 10 points down, it just makes things more difficult.’
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