RUGBY: JOHNNY WATTERSONtalks to Ireland's Keith Earls who is looking to be more involved in the game against Scotland.
“I CAN’T remember now. The game flies by,” says Keith Earls. Diplomacy on his part perhaps. Could Cian Healy have delivered to him in space against France. Maybe. Maybe not. For Earls it doesn’t matter. The impression at the team hotel in south Dublin is that the squad have beaten themselves up enough over France already. There is a time to move on.
Moving on for the winger is touching the ball a little bit more than he did almost two weeks ago. If the game breaks the same way on Sunday in Murrayfield as it did against the French then expect Earls to go hunting. “Yeah, definitely,” he says with somewhat more certainty. “I think I touched the ball two or three times against France, it was very frustrating. When I came off my wing to look for the ball it was gone out to the wing. When it was coming wide, I was stuck to the touchline. It was a very frustrating game. It was a hard game to get into. It’s up to myself. I have to go looking for ball as well. Hopefully Darce (D’Arcy) and Drico (O’Driscoll) will get the ball to me this weekend and I can have a good run at it.”
Earls radiates willingness. His dancing feet and natural disposition is to have a go and with players like him such as the equally mercurial Luke Fitzgerald at fullback, getting the ball to them in space would seem like more than a good idea if Ireland are going to unpick the traditionally doughty Scots. In recent games Earls and Fitzgerald have largely been getting half breaks and challenged to wriggle through in limited space. But Earls has also been looking and learning. The England style in particular has caught his eye and that of Chris Ashton, who has been showing the Union boys how to score tries League-style. The swallow dive aside, Ashton’s nose for position and exploiting the work of other players has been illuminating.
“Yeah, you’d be watching himself and Cueto, the two of them aren’t actually playing like wingers,” he says. “They’re always in or around the rucks. We’ve seen Chris last week scoring from a kick and go and stuff, or against Italy. He’s been interesting to watch as a specialised winger. It’s always good to get tips. He’s always running off Flood and the likes of Mike Tindall so you’d learn a bit off them.”
With Ronan O’Gara at 10 and Eoin Reddan at scrumhalf, there should be a change of tempo and maybe emphasis to this week’s performance. Either way Earls is happy enough. O’Gara can just as easily kick it to him, although the taller Tommy Bowe on the right wing might be the preferred option for a high ball. O’Gara has different qualities to Sexton but as Earls sees it the competition for the shirt is making both of them bigger players for the team. But he is clearly more tuned into Munster team-mate O’Gara’s nuances on the pitch. “The two of them chat very well, read the game very well. Jonny is more physical but the two of them are great ball players,” he says. “Rog (O’Gara) puts in his tackles. If you look at the last year or two, he’s put his body on the line. It’s great, the competition with both of them, they’re bringing out the best in each other. I’m obviously very used to playing with Ronan. It’s good to see him back. I think he deserves . . . you know when he came on in the last couple of games, he’s changed it up a bit. Himself and Jonny are two different players, two great players but it’s good. I understand Ronan a bit more, I’ll get used to Jonny in time to come.
“Redser (Eoin Reddan) is a running threat, he’s a good passer. He’s very vocal. It’s a pity, Tomás with his back, he’s been struggling. I don’t think you’ve seen the real Tomás. He’s been struggling in the last two games but Redser is a fantastic player. He’s exciting, quick ball from the ruck and it’s really good.” Like all modern winger Earls has a catholic appetite for work. These days it’s a prerequisite to rip balls from second rows as much as it is to run away from them. Scotland will be no different.
“I’d say most of the lads would say it doesn’t matter what number is on your back so you just go in and do the work,” he says. Still a little space would be nice.
