Ireland's head coach, Andy Farrell, has revealed that he had to try to convince veteran Irish winger Keith Earls to postpone his retirement plans.
Earls, aged 35, has been selected for Ireland's Rugby World Cup squad, but for a significant portion of the season, he struggled to make an impact for both his club and country due to injury troubles. The Munster star has managed to overcome his injury struggles and recently won his 100th cap against England.
Farrell gave special praise to the 'outstanding' Earls and added that his experience would be vital in the Ireland camp for the upcoming tournament.
“You go to the other end of the scale, and Keith Earls… I had a conversation 18 months ago to try to stop him from retiring,” said Farrell.
“He’s certainly come through the other side. He’s been outstanding over the last nine weeks, giving his whole self to the squad—his experience, etc. At the same time, he's as fit and excited as I’ve ever seen him. You go from one extreme to the other.”
Earls may be one of the older members of the squad, with past World Cup adventures, but for many, it's their first taste of a World Cup. Young players like Jack Crowley, Joe McCarthy, Tom Stewart, and Calvin Nash will all benefit from the experience, says Farrell.
After naming him in his 33-man Rugby World Cup squad, Andy Farrell has revealed that he needed to convince Keith Earls not to retire last year. https://t.co/rVDYHHmwJL
— Independent Sport (@IndoSport) August 28, 2023
“Go back to the Emerging Ireland tour, the South African tour [last year], and you know everyone knew how hard that was—a challenging time for Irish rugby, leading to a bit of fallout,” said Farrell.
“Look at what’s come from that—the experience of sending a kid over to grasp what it takes to be an international player and seeing how they run with that experience for the rest of the season. Can they make it into the first team in their province, and not just start but thrive under that type of pressure?
“I think that’s been an extraordinary story, if you ask me, regarding Jack Crowley, Joe McCarthy, Nashy [Calvin Nash], who has been with us in camp, Tom Stewart, and more players who are going to benefit.”
Ireland kicks off their World Cup adventure in Bordeaux against Romania on Saturday, September 9th.
Ireland 2023 Rugby World Cup squad
Forwards (18):
Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham,Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, David Kilcoyne, Jeremy Loughman, Joe McCarthy, Peter O'Mahony, Tom O’Toole, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier.
Backs (15):
Bundee Aki, Ross Byrne, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Keith Earls, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Jimmy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jonathan Sexton
Ireland Fixtures, Rugby World Cup 2023 - Pool B:
- Ireland v Romania, Saturday 9 September, Stade de Bordeaux (2.30pm Irish time/3.30pm local time)
- Ireland v Tonga, Saturday 16 September, Stade de la Beaujoire (8pm Irish time/9pm local time)
- Ireland v South Africa, Saturday 23 September, Stade de France (8pm Irish time/9pm local time)
- Ireland v Scotland, Saturday 7 October, Stade de France (8pm Irish time/9pm local time
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