Earls & Ireland Ready To Play Their Part In Massive Sporting Weekend

Back in the starting XV for this weekend’s Series decider against South Africa, Munsterman Keith Earls says Ireland will take inspiration from their U20 and soccer counterparts as they bid to play their part in what could be a momentous weekend for Irish sport.

Should Ireland defeat the Springboks on Saturday, it will mark their first ever away Series win over one of the southern hemisphere’s ‘big three’ and provide the perfect start to an eagerly anticipated weekend of international action. 

On Saturday at 7pm, Ireland U20s face England in the World Rugby U20s Championship final, while on Sunday at 2pm, Martin O’Neill’s Boys in Green go toe-to-toe with hosts France in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016.  Plus, across the weekend, the Ireland Women’s 7s side will compete for Olympic qualification at the Dublin 7s.
 
Cheering on from afar, Earls and his teammates have followed closely and passionately Ireland’s progress in both France and Manchester and are fully aware of the buzz and excitement surrounding the national sides this weekend.
 
“I’ve a pain in my throat from shouting at the TV when (Robbie) Brady scored his goal.  We’re getting videos from family and friends and people who were in Paris and just the Irish people in general.

“The U-20s, they’re flying out with massive a win against New Zealand and now they’re going onto the final against England so for a small country, we’re a really proud country and you know it doesn’t matter what we’re playing, everybody gets behind us.

“You can feel that from home, the messages you can feel it everywhere, you can see it on the TV with the soccer and the U20s support. It’s been great.”
  
Getting the country off to a winning start on Saturday is far easier said than done, something the Munsterman knows only too well having witnessed the Springboks eventually hit their stride in the final 20 minutes of last weekend’s second Test, nullifying Ireland’s 16 point lead.  That said, Earls believes destiny is firmly in their own hands.
 
“A lot of last week was our own stuff that we didn’t look after but if we look after it like we did in the first test then please God we’ll get a result on Saturday.
 
“It’s been a long season but lads know there’s only 80 more minutes of pure hell and battle and then we’ve a couple of weeks off. And that 80 minutes of hell has a great chance of us creating something special together.

“Our fitness and our bounce, our feeding off each other, probably dropped a small bit last week and that’s something we’ve got to keep going for the 80 minutes.”
 
The winger will start alongside his Munster colleagues CJ Stander and Conor Murray, who wins his 50^th Irish cap, in tomorrow’s game.  Click here to see the full Irish side.
 
The game kicks off at 4pm (Irish) and will be televised live on Sky Sports.