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Friday, November 20, 2009
JUST over a year since he made an international debut against Canada, things could hardly be better for Limerick’s latest rugby star Keith Earls, as he prepares for another Test game against Fiji at the RDS, Dublin, tomorrow.
A stunning performance that night in Thomond Park, allied to some power-house Magners League and Heineken Cup appearances for Munster, contributed to his sensational wild-card call up to the 2009 British and Irish Lions touring party to South Africa.
In the old days, many players would nearly have been satisfied with that, step down, call it a day and reflect on the accompanying glory.
Happily, Earls was very young and only at the cusp of what should be a long and rewarding career; he saw the tour merely as a stepping stone, and used it as a learning process to embellish his status within a game he has been part of since he was a toddler.
Earls was brought up in a rugby household and supported every step of the way by his father Ger, who happened to pick up an All-Ireland League medal with Young Munster and helped Munster plot the downfall of Bob Dwyer’s 1992 Wallabies.
Tomorrow’s game marks Keith’s fourth cap for Ireland; he followed up on the first with an appearance against New Zealand last winter and a 30-minute opportunity against Australia on Sunday.
Delighted with the chance of playing again, Earls still feels guilty that it was at the expense of injured winger Luke Fitzgerald, who has now been ruled out for up to six months after sustaining a serious knee injury.
Earls admitted: "I feel sorry for Luke, it’s not the perfect scenario to come on the pitch on foot of an injury but of course it is an opportunity for me; beyond wishing Luke a speedy recovery and sending him my best wishes, I’ll just have to get on with my rugby."
Clearly, Earls takes his profession seriously and he tends to analyse just about every part of his game these days. On a positive note, he was happy with the 30 minutes window of opportunity against Australia. "Yeah, I was delighted to get a chance to play against one of the best teams in the world to see how I would match up; I felt I did ok, I was pleased enough."
Those watching the youngster might not have known it, but he admits to having been held back by lack of personal belief. "Last year was a good year but if I came up against a good team or if I came up against a good player opposite me, I’d kind of be thinking, ‘Jesus, I’m not good enough to be there’; maybe it was because I had grown up watching him, maybe he was a legend of the game or something.
"I did a lot of work with Gerry Murphy. He’s our sports psychologist. He works with the Irish boxers as well and he’s been brilliant. He helped me to relax, how to just go out and play the game of rugby I’ve been playing for years. Happily, it is not an issue for me any more.
"Now, I’m feeling more relaxed before games. I’m sleeping before games. I don’t think about it as much. I don’t waste energy for hours before thinking about the game; I just switch on when I get to the dressing room."
If Murphy came in for praise on one level, colleagues such as Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara, Brian O’Driscoll and Rob Kearney were all involved as well. "The senior guys were brilliant on the Lions tour, for instance, but so was Rob – it was good hearing such positive things from him; he is only my own age but very confident as well as being a smashing player."
Much of the talk for tomorrow’s game has centred around the ability of this visiting Fijian team to play a magical style of rugby, but Earls is certainly one that Irish fans believe can produce some kind of island-type magic for the men in green.
He is not about to tear up Declan Kidney’s game plan, but will clearly be given a licence to thrill if the opportunity arises.
He hopes, at least, to make a contribution to an Irish victory and take the Grand Slam champions further unbeaten along the road en-route to an eagerly awaited game against South Africa a week on.
It might be that he gets a chance to match his skills and wits against the world champions although he would never assume that will happen. "I’ve got more experience and I’m more confident. In the last Six Nations I was the 23rd or 24th man; I hope to take it a step further now and get on the starting 15 or, if not, at least in the match-day 22."
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