Ireland are now deep into their World Cup preparations after arriving in France to take on Samoa in Bayonne next weekend.
It will be the last chance for a number of guys to stake their claim for a place in the squad. One of those will be Keith Earls and it would be remiss of me not to take time out from the squad predictions and analysis of the game strategy to focus on the man himself.
Keith is a coaches' player, a players' player and immensely popular with supporters and even opposition players.
There were widespread tributes to him last week, despite there not being full certainty that he'd make it onto the pitch for his 100th Irish test cap. After replacing James Lowe for the final 20 minutes in the win over England, there was a queue from the opposition to congratulate him. It’s a testament to the kind of person that Earlsy is.
His early highlight reel - for instance, his chip up for one of his three tries in Musgrave Park against the Dragons - is the reason why he was originally capped. His relentless work ethic is the reason why he’s still being capped.
He was always extremely talented and had the raw ingredients to become a top professional player. His speed and power allow him to do things that others can only watch and admire.
However, that doesn’t tell the full story. His try-saving tackles against Italy in the Six Nations and Japan in the 2019 World Cup are standout moments, revealing the character of one of Limerick’s rugby heroes.
I was lucky to call Keith a teammate for the middle part of his career. He was a well-established Irish international at this stage, with the aura that comes with that, yet he’s the most ordinary and down to earth guy you will come across.
Any time we did some speed work, the standard was always Keith Earls. I’d always check to see how close I could get to someone as fast as that, only ever challenging him if he was taking it handy for a day.
I remember training in UL during pre-season and being swapped to full back on the opposition side. It was a midfield scrum in a non-contact session.
As the defending full-back, it was my job to cover the last attacker, meaning I would be closing hard to attempt to stop Keith Earls. Knowing the pace he possesses, I got up to full speed scampering across the pitch to stop him at the touchline. With barely any effort, Earlsy changed direction and attacked my inside shoulder, knowing how hard I was working to get across to stop him.
It was non-contact so I got a hand or two on him as he flew past, but it was a moment of realisation for me.
The pace and power of Keith changing direction and how effortless it was to breeze past my half tackle, if it was full contact I'd have been smoked.
It made me think long and hard about the levels players have to reach to attain full international status.
Little did I know, that was actually the standard that gets a guy to 100 international caps. Not that I’d ever have doubted it but it takes more than the raw materials to keep someone on the right path to make it that far. Many talented and deserving players have fallen short.
It takes a lot of management, obsession and commitment from a person and their family to get to 100 caps.
Keith Earls is a guy that leaves no stone unturned in his preparation and his approach with his body. He was brought through the Munster and Ireland ranks as a young fella under the wing of some of the most hard-working people in Paul O'Connell, Ronan O’Gara and Donncha O’Callaghan.
His talent was grounded with a hard-working foundation and a humble opinion of his strengths, which has driven him on to further success. He is always looking to make improvements, whether that’s with his game or an edge to help his recovery.
It's not enough to put all that effort into himself, he is a huge help to other squad members and is very generous with his time. Maybe the support he was given in his younger years has influenced him in that regard but it's not something that you can take for granted.
Now one of the longest-serving members in the Irish squad, he’s not yet guaranteed a place in Andy Farrell’s World Cup squad. If he is to miss out on the final squad, it won’t be down to a poor relationship with the head coach. Farrell jumped around as much as the supporters did in the stands at the Aviva when Earls acrobatically touched down in the left-hand corner.
Earls will be battling with bigger decisions around squad cover and who else can provide the flexibility that he offers. Ireland may need another centre and choose to bring Stuart McCloskey, although both Bundee Aki and Henshaw can cover inside centre and both Earls and Jimmy O’Brien can cover outside centre, depending on the level of physicality of the opposition.
O'Brien’s ability to cover the back three with a left-footed kicking option as well as his previous last-minute cover at outside centre may trump Earls in terms of versatility. Yet, Keith has the experience, ability and work ethic that will be invaluable when the squad settles in France.
Whether this is the end of Keith Earls as an international or not will be revealed next Monday. He stayed true to himself even in a week when you could get carried away by the furore around how special you are. He was as uncomfortable as ever with the spotlight, but tried to soak in the occasion nonetheless.
Keith Earls is a special talent and a better person. Hopefully his career has a few more big moments ahead.
