Kearney to miss out on Azzurri showdown
His future was uncertain up until very recently but after his double against Romania last Sunday...
ROB KEARNEY looks set to miss Ireland’s World Cup game against Italy on Sunday — even though the results of a scan on his injured glute weren’t as bad as initially feared. The full-back pulled up lame after scoring last Sunday against Romania and while the damage is described as a ‘mild strain’, Kearney isn’t expected to return to training until later in the week. That leaves Simon Zebo primed to wear the No 15 shirt for a second successive match unless Joe Schmidt suddenly decides to give under-fire outside centre Jared Payne a run in the full-back position he fills with Ulster. ‘Rob has a mild strain in his glute but we’re hopeful he will be taking part in training this week at some stage,’ said forwards coach Simon Easterby. ‘At this stage, when there is a lot of miles on the clock for a lot of players in terms of the last 12-15 weeks being together and the games we have built up, it’s coming down to the business end of the group and we will be trying to select the best team available. ‘Training during the week is very important to us but we’d look to give players the best opportunity to make themselves available at some stage in the week and then you have to make your call at some point as well.’ That will happen today in private before Friday’s public
REJUVENATED Keith Earls is lapping up t hi s World Cup. Fifty-seven days ago, when seated in a room at Carton House filling in the details of where he had been the past two-anda-half years without a cap in the Ireland wilderness, the impression was of a low-confidence winger who could be just making up the numbers in Joe Schmidt’s extended training squad.
Eight weeks later, his face most certainly fits. Two tries last Sunday, a truckload of carries for a huge amount of metres in two World Cup appearances, four starts in six games this season… it has made a world of difference and he’s starting to enjoy the experience.
Take last Sunday. The lobby of the Wembley Hilton was packed with Irish supporters wanting a glimpse of their heroes. Some players were uncomfortable, but not Earls, his face lighting up as soon as he heard some Young Munster kids asking him to pose for a picture.
Mention of Limerick is guaranteed to make him smile, Paul O’Connell is a kindred spirit. It’s usually a perk of the captaincy that the Ireland skipper rooms on his own but O’Connell had no qualms sharing during the opening week at England 2015 with the son of an All-Ireland League-winning flanker he used to adore. They get on great.
‘The TV doesn’t go on in our room. He [O’Connell] might do a bit of reading, I do a bit of reading. He has a lot of books. He’s an intelligent fella but he would kill me to name one.
‘We chat about the old days. He played with my father (Ger). I’ve been around Paul when he was playing with Young Munster and I travelled on buses as a young lad. We’d talk about the characters that were in Munsters.’
Earls’ dad would have been proud of his kid packing down in an emergency at a scrum against Canada. ‘It was funny, I haven’t been in the scrum since I was in school... I was a seven for a couple of years,’ said Earls. ‘But I wasn’t lost in there, which was a good thing. Some wingers don’t have a clue. It was good but hopefully I don’t have to do that again.’
O’Connell and Earls have gone their separate ways this week, as the team hotel in Guildford is designed so that everyone is rooming alone. But such is his replenished confidence, the winger’s positive outlook has him hoping to rekindle memories of four years ago when, on the day of his 24th birthday, he blitzed Italy at the World Cup in Dunedin with two flying tries.
Now he’s set to face Italy again just two days after his 28th birthday on Friday with the same target in mind, knocking out the Azzurri.
Four years ago Earls was a kid living the dream but maturity now surrounds how he goes about his business. Everything from family to getting himself prepped to play.
‘It’s been a busy four years,’ he says. ‘I’ve had two kids in the time being as well. I’ve grown up, got engaged and everything. It’s very tough (being away from them) but it’s also motivating.
‘It’s probably something that motivates me the most; this is my job — I’m out here keeping the wolf from the door. You have FaceTime and stuff too, it makes it a bit easier. You do miss the hugs and that but when you have a good woman at home it makes it a lot easier.’
His brace last Sunday against Romania leaves him level with Brian O’Driscoll as Ireland’s joint all-time record try scorer at the finals on seven, quite a feat as it’s only his second tournament while the legendary centre played in four. It’s not an accolade he is crowing about, though. There is too much training to be done in the next few days to keep his place in the team.
‘I’m just focusing on myself and on my strengths, not focusing on trying to be like other players,’ said Earls. ‘A big focus is my body, looking after it 24/7. I get my work done early regarding moves and game plan and then I’m relaxed come the weekend.
‘It’s about recovery, rehab in the gym, looking after my knees, getting massages, working with the physios when there is nothing sore even, keeping on top of stuff.
‘I haven’t bulked up; I don’t lift as heavy as I did in the gym. I was lifting big years ago in trying to go up to 94/95kgs and kept breaking down (he’s now 92kgs), but we found a programme that is good for me. It might be just doing one weights session a week and then the rest is rehab and looking after myself.
‘I’m happy with my speed, some of the scores are up there. They have been consistent… some fellas taper off, they might lose a bit of acceleration but I thank my genes that I’m still holding on to it.’