Earls back to provide Irish fillip

Keith Earls will rejoin the Ireland squad at Carton House today to give head coach Declan Kidney a much-needed boost ahead of the RBS 6 Nations trip to face France in Paris on Saturday night.

Earls had been selected at outside centre to start last Sunday’s championship opener against Wales, only to be withdrawn on Thursday following the hospitalisation of his week-old daughter.

Earls missed the 23-21 defeat at home to Warren Gatland’s men, a last-gasp loss that denies the Irish the momentum they craved going into this weekend’s Stade de France clash but the return of the Munster back to the fold at their Kildare training base will help to lift the mood.