Ireland fullback Hugo Keenan uses the national team's tour of Australia to catch up with his younger brother Andrew, who lives in Sydney. Keenan discusses his family, his extended injury absence from Ireland, and his renewed hunger to represent his country again.
Hugo Keenan, the Ireland fullback, has found a personal silver lining during the team's tour of Australia for the Nations Championship: the chance to reconnect with his younger brother, Andrew, who has been living and working in Sydney for the past two years.
While Hugo's rugby career has taken him to the heights of a Lions tour and 46 Ireland caps, his brother Andrew carved out a different path, excelling in basketball and becoming an Irish Open champion in spikeball. Andrew is described as a 'larger than life character' and is part of a close-knit group of friends from Dublin now based in Sydney, a social circle that includes Ireland teammate Tommy O'Brien.
Keenan expressed sympathy for O'Brien, who suffered an injury, noting it was an extra blow for both the player and his brother's friend group. The Keenan family is a tight unit of high achievers. Hugo's older brother, Robert, resides in London working in private equity and attended the Lions series last summer, having previously been a promising rugby player himself with U20s and sprinting accolades before injuries curtailed his career.
Their sister, Naomi, a paediatric doctor at Temple Street in Dublin, couldn't join the Australian trip last year due to her vocation, a career Hugo deeply respects. Although the entire family wasn't together this time-with only Hugo and Andrew meeting up-the rest are proudly following Hugo's return from injury.
Keenan has not played for Ireland since the 2025 Six Nations, missing this season's November Tests and the entire Six Nations due to hip surgery following the Lions tour and a subsequent thumb fracture in training. The prolonged absence sparked moments of doubt about his international future, but it has also heightened his hunger to pull on the green jersey again.
'There's nothing like representing your country,' he stated, reflecting on his 46 caps and the emotional journey of overcoming setbacks. His recent touring experience has been markedly healthier than the Lions trip, where a severe virus laid him low for 12 days, causing significant weight loss and isolation. This time, he reports 'no hiccups.
' Keenan also touched on the unforgettable climax of the Lions series, where he finished a last-gasp try to secure a historic series win in Melbourne-an epic moment he prefers to appreciate rather than dwell upon as he focuses on the present challenge with Ireland
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