RUGBY:KEITH EARLS has been anointed to fill Brian O'Driscoll's semi-mystical number 13 jersey for Ireland's campaign-defining opener against Wales on Sunday. The shirt has been worn for the last dozen Six Nations by the tournament's record-breaking, leading try scorer and Grand Slam-winning captain. No pressure there then.
As if he hasn’t enough on his mind, Earls became a father last week when his partner, Edel, gave birth to their first child, Ella May, due to which he was unable to take part in training this week. However, his excellent performance in Munster’s 50-pointer away to Northampton and his training in Limerick last week prompted Declan Kidney’s decision.
This being a Sunday game helps as, all going well, Earls could rejoin the squad for their final session tomorrow and Saturday’s captain’s run. Otherwise, Fergus McFadden will start at number 13, with the uncapped Dave Kearney promoted to the bench alongside the match-day squad’s other potential debutant, Peter O’Mahony.
Paul O’Connell, who is facing into his first Six Nations campaign as captain a decade after making a try-scoring debut at home to Wales (a game he can scarcely remember given he departed with concussion after barely half an hour), has spoken to Earls and agreed that fatherhood may even be a helpful distraction.
“It gives you a different perspective on life and rugby. We all take it very seriously and we’re all a bit selfish at times, but it certainly gives you a great bit of perspective about your training and preparation, and how you treat games.”
The starting team have 581 caps between them, with an average of almost 39 per man, and an average age of 27. In light of losing O’Driscoll, the scope for further change was possibly reduced and so it is that Earls (or McFadden) will have the experience of Gordon D’Arcy on his inside and Tommy Bowe on his outside, both of whom will have to assume a more vocal leadership on the pitch.
Thus, the only changes in personnel from the starting team in the World Cup quarter-final against Wales are the return of Jonathan Sexton at outhalf and the blindingly in-form Andrew Trimble on the left wing, with Kidney once more opting for Donncha O’Callaghan in the secondrow ahead of Donnacha Ryan even though the latter has effectively supplanted O’Callaghan at Munster this season.
It helped O’Callaghan’s cause that Niall Ronan’s knee injury inside 15 minutes at home to Castres prompted his return from the bench for the rest of that game. O’Callaghan then played from the start of Munster’s final pool game against Northampton, with Ryan reverting to the backrow.
Although Kidney declined to say so, the memory of Wales giving Ireland some difficulty at scrum time in that quarter-final may also be a factor, while O’Callaghan’s ox-like strength in his peerless execution of choke tackles would surely have appealed to Les Kiss.
In any event, this means an unchanged pack as well as forward replacements, save for the upwardly mobile O’Mahony usurping Shane Jennings and Rhys Ruddock in the absence of the injured Denis Leamy.
O’Mahony’s selection is one nod to form, demonstrating that the squad is not a closed shop. A product of PBC, Cork Con and the Munster academy, the 22-year-old started only one competitive game last season, his first on a professional contract, but following Alan Quinlan’s retirement he has started 13 times this season, including five of Munster’s Heineken Cup pool games.
Quick enough to be an emergency wing for Con in last season’s AIL semi-final, O’Mahony is also tall enough to be an option at line-outs and restarts, is strong in contact defensively and offensively, and according to his Munster forwards coach, Anthony Foley, is such as innate footballer that he rarely has to be told anything once, much less twice. He also comes up with big plays, looks a captain in the making long-term and, all in all, appears made of the right stuff.
Kidney was particularly impressed by O’Mahony’s versatility, and particularly the way he adapted from blindside to openside when “Northampton did spray the ball about a bit and he was able to adapt to the lines of running that were needed. And he’s in a good vein of form at the moment”.
“I suppose he does all the simple things very well, and he’s his own man and his own player,” said O’Connell.
“He was in to replace Quinny and he didn’t try to be a Quinny-type player and he does his own thing. He works really hard, he knows his role inside out and there’s a bit of leadership about him as well which is great. That’s what you want from a guy. I remember when I was picked Declan would always say you’re picked for yourself, and just be yourself and don’t be anyone else, and that’s what [O’Mahony’s] been all year. He’s been brilliant for us so hopefully he can continue it.”
Kidney pointed out that Wales have had three more games and three more weeks together than Ireland since the Wellington clash of 12 weeks ago, and with up to seven changes from that meeting they will be more difficult to analyse.
He expects “a similar type style” from Wales, although he said: “If we have to second-guess what they’re going to do we won’t sleep at all.”
He added: “They’re on a high at the moment; they always play a very high tempo game; they press defence from the outside; they scrummaged well the last day against us; they hit breakdowns well; and that is always a vital area for any time now. They probably won that battle last day, and it’s up to us to see if we can get parity this time.”
(v Wales, Aviva Stadium, Sunday, 3.0pm)
15 Rob Kearney (Leinster)
14 Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 Keith Earls (Munster)
12 Gordon D’Arcy (Leinster)
11 Andrew Trimble (Ulster)
10 Jonathan Sexton (Leinster)
9 Conor Murray (Munster)
1 Cian Healy (Leinster)
2 Rory Best (Ulster)
3 Mike Ross (Leinster)
4 Donncha O’Callaghan (Munster)
5 Paul O’Connell (Munster, capt)
6 Stephen Ferris (Ulster)
7 Seán O’Brien (Leinster)
8 Jamie Heaslip (Leinster)
Replacements: Seán Cronin (Leinster), Tom Court (Ulster), Donnacha Ryan (Munster), Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Eoin Reddan (Leinster), Ronan O’Gara (Munster), Fergus McFadden (Leinster).
