Across The Gain Line . . . with Colm Kinsella

JUST 12 months ago a fleet-footed Keith Earls was scampering over for one of Garryowen’s four tries in their All-Ireland League semi-final play-off win over local rivals Shannon at Coonagh. On Tuesday,21-year-old Earls was unveiled as a member of the Lions touring party which will travel to South Africa at the end of May. ‘Meteoric’ doesn’t even come close to doing justice to Earls’ rise through rugby ranks over the past year.
At a time when the Munster phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down, it is easy to lose track of the massive role club rugby plays in the development of today’s elite players.
Earls, who grew up playing his club rugby with Thomond RFC in their highly successful under-age set-up, was a ‘regular’ in the Garryowen side throughout the ‘light blues’ march to the AIL final last season.
A series of eye-catching performances helped him to force his way into the Munster squad and a couple of appearances in the Magners League.
He was named on the bench for last season’s Heineken Cup final.
Earls’ star has continued to rise throughout 2008-09 and while injury deprived him of playing a greater role in Ireland’s Grand Slam-winning campaign, Lions coach Ian McGeechan believes the former Munster Schools Senior Cup medal winner can thrive on South Africa’s firm pitches.
But the examples of Lions lining out for their club sides in the AIL in recent times doesn’t stop with Earls.
Ian McGeechan’s choice as Lions skipper, Paul O’Connel, turned out for Young Munster’s first team in January 2008 when he made his comeback from a back injury which had sidelined him since the 2007 World Cup.
O’Connell had a 35-minute run-out that day at a muddy Greenfields as the Cookies claimed a 12-10 win over Buccaneers. It was a Division 2 tie and the win paved the way for Munsters’ to gain promotion to the top division.
While many rugby supporters may have lost faith with the AIL in recent seasons, the players certainly have not.
Young Munster President, Declan Edwards explained this week how the Lions skipper O’Connell was in constant contact with him on Saturday last, checking in on how ‘the Cookies’ were getting on in their do-or-die relegation battle with UCD at Belfield.
O’Connell had taken time out from his hectic schedule during the season to offer some advice at a number of Munsters’ training sessions.
The 29-year-old hasn’t lost sight of the fact that it was Munsters’ march to the AIL semi-finals eight seasons ago which catapulted him into the Munster set-up.

Amazing drama
Last Saturday’s final series of games in the AILs regular season provided some amazing drama. If Sky Sports were televising the happenings from club grounds around the country, they would be offering a choice of viewing any one of a dozen games.
Saturday afternoon turned into a glorious day for Limerick club rugby when Shannon and Garryowen both secured their passage into the AIL Division 1 semi-finals.
The only shame was that the great rivals will meet at the semi-final stage of the competition this weekend.
Young Munster secured their place in Division 1B of the League with a heart-stopping victory over UCD at Belfield. A drop goal from Mike Prendergast, kicked from the half way line in injury time, glanced against the crossbar, before shooting up into the air and dropping over the bar.
UL Bohemian had already secured their place in Division 1A of the league prior to their defeat by Blackrock College.
In Division 2 Old Crescent booked a semi-final play-off place with UCC this weekend. Although Bruff missed out on making the knock-out stages, the south Limerick club will be pleased with their overall league performance in their first season up following promotion from the Third Division. And Thomond, the great survivors, secured their place in Division 2 with an impressive home win over Bective Rangers at Fitzgerald Park. While Munster continue to enjoy much of the media headlines, the club game remains vibrant in Limerick.

Paul O’Connell’s prank calls
New Lions captain Paul O’Connell revealed he had thought a number of missed calls from head coach Ian McGeechan to his mobile phone might have been pranks from Munster team-mates Frankie Sheahan and Brian Carney.


“I had a few missed calls on Monday night (of last week),” O’Connell told reporters.
“They were from an English number, but for the last few weeks I’d had a guy phoning me on an English number trying to sell me shares.
“I was avoiding the call, but saw the number again at 8.55 on the Tuesday morning. I rang it back and it was Geech, but I still wasn’t certain - Brian Carney and Frankie Sheahan are always making crank calls.
“Once I was sure of the accent, we had a chat and he asked me to be captain. The accent was too good to be a hoax - I’ve sat in with the lads on one of their crank calls and their accents aren’t the best.”

Selectors not convinced
ARMCHAIR viewers of the Guinness Premiership are continually being bombarded with Sky Sports’ insistence on what an excellent product England’s top league provides.
Well, judging by the make-up of the Lions squad to tour South Africa this summer, the selectors were not overly convinced. No fewer than 27 of the 37-man squad who will travel to South Africa next month ply their trade in the Magners League. This represents 73% of the touring party, a far higher proportion than the 48% selected by Sir Clive Woodward when he named 21 Celtic players in his 44 man squad that toured to New Zealand in 2005.
It is also the best ever selection of players who currently play their rugby in one of the Celtic nations beating the 24 that were named for the 1977 tour, also to New Zealand. Of the individual Magners League teams Munster provide eight players, the highest representation ever by a single province, Leinster four and Ulster one, the first Ulster Lion since 1989. The Welsh Regions Cardiff Blues and Ospreys supply six players apiece, the Blues best total since their forerunners Cardiff had six players named in the original touring party in 1968.