JOE caught up with Munster and Ireland winger Keith Earls for a chat about a tough pre-season, why Ireland can win the World Cup and what exactly is his best position.
Maybe it’s because he is free from the mental scars of 2007 that still haunt many within the current Ireland squad, but Keith Earls has no problem in declaring that Ireland can win the World Cup that kicks off in New Zealand in September.
With less than two months to go until the tournament gets underway, the extent of Ireland’s ambitions is a touchy topic. Four years ago, the Ireland squad to a man were vocal that they were going to France to win the competition and would be disappointed at anything less than that.
Having returned with tails firmly between legs after a group stage exit on that occasion, there are a number of senior players understandably reluctant about shouting from the rooftops this time around.
Not Earls, however. For the man from Moyross, the sky’s the limit.
“Obviously there’s a couple of games to be played and a few decisions to be made in regard to selection, but if I’m on the plane to New Zealand, I realistically think we can go and surprise a lot of people and even win the World Cup,” he told JOE.
“We wouldn’t be going over if we thought otherwise and I don’t think Declan (Kidney) would be coaching us if he didn’t think we could win the World Cup.”
If Earls and Ireland’s wildest dreams came true and Brian O’Driscoll got to lift the Webb Ellis trophy it would be vastly exceeding expectations, but it’s probably no surprise that Earls is so ambitious because exceeding expectations is something he’s done time and again during his rugby career to date.
Square peg in a round hole
On his Irish debut against Canada in 2008, he scored with his first touch of the ball. In 2009, he made the cut for the Lions tour to South Africa having failed to feature during Ireland’s run to the Grand Slam that year. For Munster, he has excelled at full back, outside centre and on the wing, where he played most of his rugby during the Six Nations.
People have said I played better when I was on the wing, but I wasn’t fit when I was playing in the centre for Munster earlier in the season
As is the case with Luke Fitzgerald, Earls’ best position remains a massive talking point in rugby circles in this country. Is his finishing ability best put to use on the wing? Should he be groomed as O’Driscoll’s successor at outside centre or would he be best counter-attacking in the number 15 jersey?
We asked Keith where he feels most at home and although he didn’t exactly commit to an answer, you get the feeling that he is filling a hole on the wing and would rather be elsewhere.
“A lot of people have asked me that question (his best position) and have said I played better when I was on the wing, but I’m telling them I wasn’t fit when I was playing in the centre for Munster earlier in the season,” he said.
Keith in full flight against England in the Six Nations earlier this season
“I didn’t have much of a pre-season and didn’t have much time to work on my fitness. I was overweight because of a lack of exercise and I was struggling through games.
“When I came into the Six Nations, I was eating proper food and I got my diet right, lost a shitload of weight and started getting my confidence back. Playing on the wing for Ireland, Deccie has given me a bit of a free role to go wherever I want and to get in and around the centre close to Johnny or Rog, whichever of them is playing, and run off them.”
Earls is feeling fitter and healthier than he has compared to any pre-season since he started, a result of the “very tough” fitness sessions with Ireland at Carton House and with Munster whenever the national squad players are released back to their provinces.
Raising the bar
It is that peak fitness level that he believes Ireland will need to operate at come September when going up against the southern hemisphere sides. Like many rugby fans in this country, Earls tuned into the Super Rugby final between the Queensland Reds and Canterbury Crusaders recently, and was impressed by what he saw.
Always the game’s standard bearers, he believes that New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have raised the bar even higher of late.
“I think it (southern hemisphere rugby) is different, obviously,” he said. “I think the northern hemisphere teams are starting to throw the ball around a bit more now than they used to, but the lads below in the southern hemisphere are doing some crazy stuff.
“The ball is staying in play for a long time, their fitness is extremely good and they seem to be able to break defences a bit easier. We’ll have to get up to their rhythm and to do that, we’re going to have to be a lot fitter and faster than in years before.”
Answering the critics
Beyond the World Cup, Earls looks likely to play a massive role for Munster as they look to get back on track following a premature exit from the Heineken Cup at the start of the year.
Plenty of obituaries were penned in the aftermath of their defeat to Toulon, a little early it turns out, considering they put the cap on a terrific Magners League campaign with a victory over great rivals Leinster in the final at Thomond Park.
Young tyros like Conor Murray, Danny Barnes and Felix Jones have added some spark to an ageing squad and the pundits who were so quick to write them off earlier this year have been made to eat at least some of their words.
Earls admits that it was satisfying to end the season on a positive note and puts their resurgence down to a restoration of confidence and belief in their ability.
“I think we went through a bad patch at the start of the season when we weren’t playing well and fellas weren’t playing well and then we went through a patch of something like six weeks playing outstanding rugby and we were beating teams well.
“Then we dipped again, but thankfully for the last couple of games of the season we performed as we know we can, we got our confidence back and our belief in what we could do.”
Similar confidence levels and faith in their ability could push Ireland a long way in New Zealand in the autumn and although the thought of Ireland achieving the unthinkable remains an unlikely prospect, it can’t be discounted with the likes of the flying Earls around.
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