Keith Earls: Ireland will have to be defensively switched on against Tonga

He was a team-mate of Tongan centre Malakai Fekitoa last season and he acknowledged the lift the integration of him and other internationals has given all the Pacific Island nations

SWITCHED ON: Keith Earls during an Ireland rugby media conference at Complexe de la Chambrerie in Tours, France. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Keith Earls has endorsed the Cranberries’ “Zombie” as a new anthem for the Ireland rugby team, and with good reason he explained on Wednesday.

The Limerick band’s music was initially adopted by the county’s hurlers on their march to becoming serial All-Ireland winners, with Munster Rugby playing Zombie at half-time in their Champions Cup knockout clash with Toulouse at a sold-out Aviva Stadium in May 2022 and then subsequently at home games.