Earls keen to take flight after absence

Having gone 35 days without a game, and almost five months since he pulled on a green jersey, Ireland centre Keith Earls is possibly the last person you will find complaining about four games in as many weeks.

Tomorrow’s Aviva Stadium duel with Italy will mark his return from parental leave following the birth of his daughter. He is keen to finally putbehind him a World Cup quarter-final defeat to Wales last October he describes as “probably my worst game” for Ireland. So any reservations about playing four Tests in succession have been cast aside by tomorrow’s number 13.

“I suppose you can take some bad things and some good things out of it, playing four physical games in-a-row, your body, it is all about keeping the injury list low, but hopefully get a win this weekend and keep our momentum going, it could be a good thing for us,” said Earls, in a videointerview due to be posted on theIRFU website this morning.

The interview was conducted without reference to the big coaching story back in Munster, for whom Earls last saw action in the Heineken Cup pool stages against Northampton on January 21. Still, he is raring to go this weekend after a five-week absence.

“It’s not like my fitness is down, I still have been training and I feel sharp. I can’t wait to get out there.”

Much has changed since he last played for his country last October, not least the surgery captain Brian O’Driscoll underwent. “It feels a bit strange not having Drico around. He kind of runs the show with the two out-halves.”

Yet Earls gets to fill the breach at outside centre and is determined to make the most of his opportunity.

“I’ve played a lot of different positions for Ireland now, sometimes it doesn’t go good for me when I’m switching positions. My last game for Ireland was probably my worst game, in the quarter-final but I just want to get back out there and show the Irish fans that I’m capable of taking over the number 13 jersey.

“Defensively, it is probably the hardest place on the pitch to defend and it is obviously a lot tighter when you are attacking as well, you are creating spaces for fellas.”

Earls is also settling in to his role as a first-time parent.

“It is good, being a father. It is best feeling in the world. Different experience though, obviously, everything revolves around her now and myself and my partner have to suffer but it’s great, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Playing against Italy has a little more familiarity about it, Earls having scored two of his four World Cup tries last autumn in the final pool game, a 36-6 victory over the Azzurri in Dunedin. While he will go looking to repeat his feat, going off his feet will not be on the agenda after the ribbing from fans following an outlandish dive.

“I can assure you if I get the chance to score a try I won’t be doing the big dive again, my father will be tearing strips out of me.”