Sarries again loom large for Earls

Saracens have loomed large on Keith Earls’s horizon since he first broke into Munster’s professional ranks more than a decade ago. In that time he has witnessed the shift in power across those years that now makes him recognise his team as underdogs ahead of the next instalment of their rivalry.

It is 11 years since a 20-year-old Earls sat with dad, Ger, at home in Limerick as Munster saw off Sarries in the 2008 semi-final at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena on their way to a second Heineken Cup title in three seasons.