11 months ago, you could have made a decent argument that Ian Keatley’s days at Munster were numbered.
He’d fallen behind Tyler Bleyendaal in the provincial pecking order, his contract was up for renewal in the summer, he’d be passing Junction 30 in April, and Bill Johnston was believed to be the future.
And then it was announced that JJ was coming home, the prodigal son back from England. It was only natural to wonder what would be next for Keatley. It wasn’t disrespectful to think he’d move on.
That was January 2017. Fast-forward to December, and he’s made us look like mugs. Like complete and utter fools.
His form since Tyler Bleyendaal suffered a neck injury against Castres in October has been outstanding, a major reason for Munster now being in pole position for a Champions Cup quarter final.
He came in against Racing 92 in October, and owned the jersey, capping off the performance with a moment of pure rugby intelligence and instinct which opened the door for Andrew Conway’s try, a score that proved to be the winning of the game. His two conversions that day, one from the left touchline, the other from the right, both split the posts. It looked far removed from the player who had previously struggled with his confidence off the tee.
Speaking around that time, he credited his mental freshness to the recent birth of his first daughter. It’s something which countless of athletes have experienced and spoken about, that burst in form shortly after becoming a parent. It allowed him to put his work on the pitch into perspective.
Form wears off, but not yet for Keatley. You’d be forgiven if you even forgot Bleyendaal was injured right now. He was back in the Irish camp in November, and Joey Carbery’s broken arm now means Keatley is probably Johnny Sexton’s Six Nations back-up, at least for the first two games.
It felt appropriate last night that it was Keatley’s boot which dug Munster out of a hole. It was this round of Champions Cup games two years ago - against the same opposition - that marked the lowest point of his six-and-a-half years with the province.
In the midst of a losing streak, and stumbling to a rare home defeat at Thomond Park to the Tigers, Keatley was subbed in the second half, and booed from the pitch by a section of Munster fans. It was a small section, but strong enough to warrant a statement from the province, reminding supporters of the respect required for the players.
His performances in the last two games against Leicester have firmly put that chapter to bed. Last week at Thomond Park he showed the flair, his delicate chip through falling perfectly into the lap of Simon Zebo for their second try of the game.
Last night, he showed the steeliness. Seven kicks from eight, the last two nudging Munster home after a period when it looked like Leicester were going to repeat their 2016 dramatics and deny them at the death.
Is this the best we've seen Ian Keatley with his boot? https://t.co/thdX0BkXh2+
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) December 18, 2017
On days when the tryline looked like Everest, the pressure on a kicker increases ten-fold. Every shot at goal counts, and his mental strength as they game reached its most crucial stage allowed Munster play out the final minutes safe in the knowledge they would be four clear at the top of the pool.
Of course, some of his doubters will never be silenced. More fool them.
