Earls no longer on a wing and a prayer

Older, wiser and more relaxed, Keith Earls at the grand old age of 25 has even left his rosary beads at home.

Like closing the door on the first chapter of his career, the Munster and Ireland centre kicked a myriad of superstitions to touch at the start of this season and while all his best years as a player remain in front of him, the appearance of even younger stars on the Irish rugby scene such as Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall and Paddy Jackson, Earls has had to shuffle along the bench a little in terms of seniority within the camp.

“They’re making me look like a senior player now,” Earls joked yesterday when asked about the impact of Gilroy and co. against Fiji last Saturday but 33 caps into a senior Ireland career that began at the age of 21, the man from Moyross is in an ideal position to see the pitfalls of getting one’s chance so young.