The soaring leap for the cross-field kick was good, but Keith Earls did so, so much more in the closing stages.
In our post-match analysis of Ireland’s remarkable 41-phase surge to victory, in Paris, Earls gets a shout-out.
Of course he does, he made that amazing jump and aerial claim above Virimi Vakatawa then stepped around Henry Chavancy as if he wasn’t there. It was the line break and forward momentum Ireland desperately needed.
That was beautiful and gave Ireland a big boost but that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Earls did an insane amount of work for the Irish cause in the final five and a half minutes. He showed an incredible amount of selflessness to put his body on the line, run support lines and clear out rucks as the game ebbed and flowed.
Phases needed to be strung together and Ireland needed to march up the pitch into drop goal range. All 15 Irish players had parts to plat, but three of the big contributors to get Johnny Sexton into drop goal range – CJ Stander, Peter O’Mahony and Earls. It was almost as if their Munster genes kicked in.
His first involvement at the breakdown, during the Ireland drive up-field, was backing up Dan Leavy as he cleared out when Bundee Aki was taken to ground. That was just the start.
Two phases later and he drifted in-field to help screen Conor Murray as he passed from another ruck.
He followed the play as Ireland worked their way left and was into the breakdown again when Rob Kearney was felled. Back on his feet quickly, he was now getting a feel for the fight.
Earls was on hand again, 30 seconds later, and first man into the breakdown when another Aki carry was halted.
He had to fend of Pelissie, the French hooker, but did not shirk the challenge.
Ireland were bashing away, in between their 10-metre line and halfway, when the clock went red. Earls tracked over to his right wing and set himself.
For three or four phases he was waving his right arm and signalling to Sexton that he was open for the cross-field kick. When Sexton made his play, it was on the money. As Kevin McLaughlin declared, “It was a perfect pitching wedge from Johnny.”
20-metre gained and Ireland were well into the French half. Earls scrambled out of that ruck and was back on his feet, hungry for more.
Most of the next phases went up the guts, with little darts to the left and right. What Earls and Fergus McFadden did well here was stay wide to keep the blue lines stretched. That took discipline as, had they drifted in, there may have been too much traffic when Sexton was trying to get his drop goal away.
And when Sexton made his connection, Earls and Iain Henderson were the only two players to hare after the kick just in case a post was struck or a retrieving French player needed to be struck.
The Munster winger had a fine game in attack and defence for Ireland but he kicked into overdrive in the final stages. Such commitment is typical of Earls but it is only right that it is acknowledged.
