Keith Earls on Munster's back three competition: ‘It’s professional rugby, you take it on the chin’

Keith Earls has understood for a while that becoming a family man has helped to relegate rugby down the pecking order of priorities. 

It has been the key to allowing the father of two to play the best rugby of his career on the wing for Munster and Ireland and now it will help him step back into the fray after a near two-month injury lay-off confident he can return quickly to the peak of his powers.

Earls is set to get his comeback in the St Stephen’s Day derby with Guinness PRO14 rivals Leinster at Thomond Park, his first bit of gametime since pulling up with a hamstring injury during the first week of Ireland camp at the beginning of November.

The 30-year-old might have returned last Sunday night at Leicester having been named on the bench by new boss Johann van Graan but found himself in the unusual position of being an unused replacement, watching from the sidelines as the minutes ticked by and young wings Darren Sweetnam and Alex Wootton finished the job they had started in helping to defeat the Tigers and put Munster in the box seat for qualification from Champions Cup Pool 4.

“I think it’s the first time it’s happened to me with Munster. It was unusual,” Earls admitted. “Johann apologised to me. I don’t know why I didn’t get on but I do know as well, like, the lads were doing well, the back three was clicking and the two boys in the centre, it was just all working.

“It’s professional rugby, you take it on the chin and I’m just happy the team won.”

The persistence with the fast-improving Wootton and newly-minted Ireland cap Sweetnam as well as the form of Andrew Conway and Simon Zebo underlines the deepening of competition among Munster’s outside backs but that does not trouble Earls as he returns from injury.

“I suppose it’s not catch up but it is in the back of my head. I’m just concentrating on myself, which I have been doing the last couple of years, looking after my body and looking after my own game .

“I know when I do, when all that stuff does click, that it works, and I start playing well. Obviously the lads have been playing brilliantly with Sweets and Conway as well in Irish camp; Zeebs and Ronan O’Mahony’s due back in the next couple of weeks as well, so there’s massive competition in the back three.”

Three interprovincial derbies in quick succession over the Christmas and New Year period seems the ideal platform for Earls to remind his selection rivals of what Munster and Ireland missed in the past seven weeks.

“They’re great, if I can get my game with the lads, but three massive games, you know, Leinster on St Stephen’s Day is going to be huge. It’s my second time this year coming back from injury having to player Leinster. You feel it after it.

“It’s the closest thing you can get to a European game and sometimes even closer to an international so that’s going to be a massive challenge and I’ll just focus on that and focus on myself and hopefully then the weeks coming will lead to good things.” It is all gravy for the former British & Irish Lion right now and his enjoyment of the game stems from his ability to put rugby in proper perspective.

“I suppose I used to think it was everything, rugby, but when you really think about it, it doesn’t really mean that much to you. Why would you get worked up about it?

“Obviously you’re passionate about it and you want to go out and achieve things and give your best every time but at the end of the day it’s only a small thing in life.” Happiness translates into good form, it seems, and Earls can detect in those around him as well.

“I think so and even Keats at the moment as well. Since he’s had a child he’s been relaxed, like ‘what have I been worrying about all along?’

“The lads in the squad who’ve had kids now as well, I think that’s why we’re playing so well, we’ve so many kids around that fellas (laughs) don’t care anymore.

“I think that’s it, we’re all enjoying it and it’s easier when you’re enjoying it.”