Pints, tattoos and home-made gyms – Keith Earls on one of the best players never to be capped by Ireland

Down at Young Munster, they'll tell you just how good Earls was. How fierce he was. A real talisman.

"That's all I remember as a youngfella, is going to his games." Before Keith Earls ran out in Munster red, his father Ger had the honour. Ger Earls was a Young Munster flanker of ferocious regard in the 1990s, and featured in Munster’s famous win over Australia in 1992. He was called up for an Irish trial, back when The Possibles took on The Probables with Test spots up for grabs. He scored a try for The Possibles, was switched to The Probables for the second half, and scored another. And yet, despite club, provincial and trial game form on his side, that Ireland game never arrived. Keith Earls dropped by The Hard Yards studio to talk about Munster, semi final heartache and helping the next generation of Irish wingers settle into international rugby. He also found time [from 49:00 below] found time to regale us with some proud tales of his father. "I used to do the kicking tee for Young Munster," Earls tells us. "I used to run out to Aidan O'Halloran and Mick Lynch when they were playing in the A.I.L [All Ireland League].

"I used to go to every training session, all the games, the away games. It's all I remember. The A.I.L was huge back then and he was probably a big enough name and was known as a bit of a hard man. I was just delighted and proud to be his son, and be around him."

Ger Earls was at the top of his game when the game was amateur. He worked as a carpet-fitter for Tony Grant, who happened to be Young Munster's coach. The man himself admitted, in a 2009 interview with Vincent Hogan, that he ignored a couple of call-ups from Munster to focus on club and working commitments. That surely went, in some part, against him when Declan Kidney was handing out part-time contracts not long after the game was declared 'open', or professional. Kidney sided with openside Gerry Murray over Earls and he infamously stormed not before the Cork native could finish his first sentence after breaking the bad news. With no way back for Munster, that Ireland cap remained elusive. Earls Sr. kept on lining out for Young Munster with Peter Clohessy & Co. As he got into the latter stages of his playing career, Ger even shared the pitch with Paul O'Connell and his son. Father and son. Both talented rugby players, stand-out games for Munster and Ireland ambitions. Keith got the opportunities his father denied, and occasionally spurned. Keith was always proud, though. His father was his hero. "I've had plenty of chats with him about [his career]," says Earls.

"You hear rumours that it may have been about where he was from [Moyross], he had a lot of tattoos, you know.  "But if you'd ask my father himself, he probably would tell you that he could have worked harder. You know, his friends and where he came from meant a lot to him. Playing rugby and going out for a few pints afterwards was all he wanted. Going to his local pub and drinking, which was a big culture back then. "I do personally think that, yeah... I watched a lot of his games and I do remember some guys getting called up ahead of him and he just couldn't believe it. I don't think we'll ever know why he wasn't capped or why he didn't get more games for Munster. But if you ask him, he'll probably be humble and say he could have worked harder. "From living with him, he did work hard. He built a gym out the back of our house but, as I said, he'll be too humble and say he could've worked harder and probably laid off the drink a bit more."  

16 years after those tries in Ger Earls' trial game for Ireland, he had the honour of attending Thomond Park with his wife Sandra and witnessing his son, Keith, make his Test debut for an Ireland team coached by none other than Declan Kidney. That night, two minutes into the game, Earls the winger scored Ireland's opening try. Earls the flanker, and father, could hardly contain himself. Pride doesn't even start to cover it. Long time coming but an Earls was finally showing what he could do for his country, and doing it well. https://twitter.com/Inphosports/status/988438037486071808 Keith Earls is one of four nominees for the 2018 Zurich Players' Player of the Year Award