Earls: Ireland have the belief to beat Blacks
The Munster flyer missed out on last weekend’s Test with a pectoral muscle injury and for all intents and purposes should have been heading home with the usual recovery time stretching out to four weeks for that particular ailment.
On advice from his head coach, Earls decided to stick it out and see how the injury healed, and was miraculously declared fit on Thursday for the third and final test with the All Blacks.
After finding himself in the unfamiliar role of watching proceedings from the stands the last time out, Earls admitted he was straining at the leash for this weekend’s clash.
“I suppose it was my first time ever being a spectator,” said Earls. “It was a massive game. My heart was pounding, I was gutted for the lads, they put a lot in, but this week’s another chance.
“It was tough going and the lads are really buzzing for this week — they don’t want that feeling again.”
Earls, capped at centre, wing and full-back at international level, will occupy the left-wing spot after featuring in at outside centre in the opening test in Auckland. On a difficult night for Ireland, Earls earned plaudits for his attacking display alongside Brian O’Driscoll in an experimental centre combination.
Kidney, however, resisted temptation to revert back to his Eden Park centre pairing, instead opting to pair the Irish captain with the experienced Paddy Wallace.
“Declan (Kidney) came over and spoke to me, he knows I want to play 13,” said Earls. “He said I’m pushing him really hard and giving him a lot of headaches for that spot, but he feels this week he needs me to play on the wing, so as you already know, I’ll do whatever for the team.”
After getting comprehensively stuffed in the first test, Ireland took the game to the All Blacks in Christchurch and should have taken home the spoils, only for a few costly errors and some questionable referring decisions.
A repeat of that ferocity and determination will be paramount on Saturday night, and an old mentor of Earls had some sage words for the 24-year-old to take into the forthcoming test.
“I was speaking to Rua Tipoki in Auckland during the first week here and he said ‘play the men, not the jersey’… which is quite right,” he said. “Just because they’re playing in the All Black jersey, it doesn’t mean they’re any better than us.
“Even though they have achieved a lot internationally, but I think that’s us, typical Irish, putting ourselves down — but I think we’ve good belief from last week.”
Ireland have pushed New Zealand desperately close on several occasions only to be undone in the final stages. It seems that mental barrier, a psychological element, comes into focus when the finishing line is in sight.
Earls’ province Munster had to banish many demons before the coveted Heineken Cup was finally claimed after years of hurt.
So what will it take to get that elusive win over the men in black?
“Belief,” Earls stated. “The same as we had going into last week’s game, we had massive belief. Even from the Eden Park game, we looked back at the video… we left a lot behind us. I think we just need to get our own things right and we’ll put them under serious pressure.”
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