Versatile Keith Earls is happy to cover novice midfield against England

Can Ireland’s new boys survive in Twickenham tomorrow?

Keith Earls, as good-natured and polite an interviewee as you could hope to encounter, could only respond to that question with a chuckle, his response to a bruising month or so in camp alongside Stuart McCloskey, Josh van der Flier and Ultan Dillane.

“Look at the size of Stu, he’s 17 stone,” said Earls who, at 5’ 11”, is the smallest among a back line that will be monstrous by previous Irish standards. “Josh is the kind of guy who’ll rip a ball off you all day and I was doing a couple of tackling bags with Ultan there and it was like hitting a bull.