Fitzgerald and Earls hoping for more of the same

Their time together in the Ireland team may have been limited to just 15 prior appearances but Keith Earls and Luke Fitzgerald will be delighted if tomorrow’s meeting with Canada goes as well as their first joint-venture against the Canucks.

It was seven years ago in Limerick that two of Ireland’s most exciting underage talents first came together in a Test match and the long-time friends from schoolboy rugby days made their mark, the more experienced Fitzgerald, playing inside centre, supplying the pass for Ireland debutant wing Earls to mark his first cap with a try as Canada were thumped 55-0.

A series of painfully well documented injuries for both of the 27-year-olds has restricted the exciting backs to a combined 71 caps and just 15 Tests on the field in tandem.