Keith Earls savouring win in Paris as ‘proudest moment’ in green jersey

Keith Earls wouldn’t be stuck for cuttings if he ever had the idea of cataloguing his Ireland career in a scrapbook.

He scored a try on his debut against Canada, the dreamlike feel to it all embellished by the fact that he could have opted to take his shower and eat his post-match meal just a 20-minute walk down the road from Thomond Park in his home place of Moyross.

Another 62 caps have been bundled into his kitbag since. He has scored another 25 five-pointers in that decade or so, played in two World Cups and finished the 2011 tournament as his country’s top try scorer.

Yet, for a winger, he has found himself in the wrong place far too often.

He had yet to establish himself in Declan Kidney’s thoughts when Ireland claimed the Grand Slam in 2009. The 2014 and 2015 Six Nations Championship titles were secured without him and you won’t find his fingerprints on the defeat of New Zealand in Chicago.

Such are the vagaries of life for a professional rugby player for whom the spectres of poor form and injury are accentuated by the whims of whatever coach happens to hold your fortunes in his hand. So, it’s fair to say, then, that Paris was pretty special.

“I haven’t won a championship or anything like that,” he said of his career in a green jersey. “That was my first win in Paris and the way the game went, the last kick of the game, it was definitely my proudest moment. My biggest moment.”

Ireland’s performance through the first 77 minutes has been rightly criticised, given the fact they faced a team with a five-week-old coaching staff and one whose miserable run of form up until the Six Nations opener had ended with a draw at home to Japan.

Yet, the manner of the escape deserves all the plaudits. Earls, stationed on the fringes for most of those 41 phases, was central to the winning of it. His take from Johnny Sexton’s inch-perfect cross-kick was textbook stuff.

“It was actually a perfect kick, because it made me come in off the touchline. If it was any closer to the touchline, it probably could have been easier to knock me into touch. It wasn’t over my head, I was able to come at it at an angle.”

He knew it was coming. To Earls, the kick was the only viable option at that point. He could have kept his counsel and let someone else stick their neck out, but that wouldn’t be him. He had his hand up, declaring himself an option long before the ball found him.

His only thought was a simple one — ‘just catch it’ — but it was his ducking and diving through and under the French tackles that manoeuvred Ireland into kicking distance and, at the same time, bought him the time for the cavalry’s arrival.

“Felix [Jones] has a good saying in Munster for the lads out wide: ‘If you’re stuck out wide on your own, you have to fight like a rat in a corner.’ That stuck out in my head as I was waiting for support.”

Its true worth will only become apparent in the weeks to come. Earls knows the sheen will disappear from Ireland’s escape to victory if they fail to go on and win a championship, but it does at the very least feed into the narrative of a player who has discovered maybe the richest vein of form in his long international career.

He has been open in the past about how he has loosened up. About how the passing of Anthony Foley and becoming a father have afforded him some perspective. Ditching the Sunday night Chinese hasn’t hurt either.

“I probably took it for granted. I probably thought my talent would get me there alone. I found out from harsh lessons you need to keep working every day. That’s what I do now, constantly looking for an extra 1%. That’s a 24/7 pursuit.”

Age tends to deliver that maturity, but so does the appearance of young pretenders, such as Jacob Stockdale and Jordan Larmour onto the scene. The latter may well be given his bow in Test rugby against Italy this weekend.

Earls has been as impressed with the Leinster prospect as everyone else, not just from his exploits on the field, but by his demeanour away from the paddock, with the pair sharing decks of cards and a dartboard in recent weeks.

As for similarities?

“We’ve the same colour hair maybe. For me, being compared to players when I was younger is probably the worst thing that could happen. He is a unique talent, he should be just compared to himself in every game. He should just keep doing what he is doing.

“He seems to be doing it well. He’s got great confidence.”