Keith Earls may lack the natural grunt and the proportions of a Monye or Cueto, but he does have the fizz and attitude, writes JOHNNY WATTERSON
THE COMMENTATOR notes on Keith Earls tells us that he weighs 90kg. In a crowded room full of 90kg-plus middle-aged men, he looks lighter. Maybe it’s the fresh face, the healthy glow of the 22-year-old Irish left wing and muscle, we conclude, is heavier than fat.
But in the modern game and especially against the traditional beef of England, Earls cannot spare to be any more sparing than 90kg. His opposing two wingers in the England line-up, Mark Cueto and Ugo Monye, are both 95kg and are taller than Earls, Cueto 1.83m to Earls’s 1.81m and Monye coming in at 1.88m. Tommy Bowe on the Irish right wing is heavier and taller than all three at 96kg and 1.91m. Size isn’t everything but in rugby it counts for something and a physicist can prove that the momentum of a big man is greater than that of a smaller unit.
But where Earls may not have the natural grunt and the proportions of a Monye or Cueto, he does have the fizz and the attitude. He also has a lighter pair of feet and on the two flanks Ireland are offering a different set of strengths.
Earls also travels to Twickenham clear headed about a positive outcome as he has never lost to an English side at any of the national levels in which he has played. For the Munster fullback, centre and winger, this match will be one of firsts; his first time to play against the England senior team and his first time to play with fullback Geordan Murphy.
“It’s going to be massive,” he says. “It’s going to be my first time playing against England at a senior level. I’ve never lost to them underage, from schools to 19s and 20s I’ve never lost. Hopefully we can keep it going this week.
“I played in Twickenham with Ireland ‘A’ in the Churchill Cup a couple of years ago. Yeah, it’s a nice stadium. I suppose the rivalry that has been going on from years ago means this is one of the biggest games; for even boasting rights. We’re so close to each other in the squad and some fellas play in England too.
“Geordi coming in there at fullback will do just as good a job as Rob (Kearney). He’s a confident player. He’s good under a high ball. He’s a good counter attacker as well and it’s going to be my first time playing with him. It’s a massive game.”
Paris was the biggest disappointment of Earls’s seven-cap career. Soaring expectation perforated so comprehensively by the French and Ireland struggling to a weary defeat was not part of anyone’s set of outcomes.
But he has bounced back and the disappointment of falling flat has been replaced by a stoic belief that the creases have been ironed out. “As Deccie said to me it’s only a speed bump in our path,” he explains.
“We’re going to have some ups and we’re going to have some downs. Ireland not losing in the last year and then losing to France the way we did, was tough going. It was the worst feeling I had after any rugby game.”
That aspect and the fact that he is back on the wing and not switched to a different position has eased his mind. Fullback was a possibility and surely Kidney took on board Earls’s considerations.
“Yeah it (fullback) went through my head alright,” he says. “Because, I went in at 15 when Rob went off (against France). But I’m happy that I’m on the wing again this week. Playing 13 with Munster and then having to go on the wing and then I’ve got to go to fullback . . . it’s head wrecking really, getting confused with positions on the field and that so I’m just happy to have the wing and the continuity.” Never one to underestimate, Earls continues to grow into his position.
