Keith Earls believes the relaxed attitude that Andy Farrell has brought to the Ireland camp has been a major factor in his side’s impressive start to the 2020 Guinness Six Nations.
Farrell has overseen victories against Scotland and Wales in his first two matches in charge of the international side, with the former Saracens man taking over from Joe Schmidt after the 2019 World Cup.
And Earls, who has played under both Schmidt and Declan Kidney at Test level, admits the new boss’s approach has helped the team to go into games with a more relaxed attitude.
“It’s been a lot more chilled,” Earls said. “We’re barely in the classroom – we see our classroom as being on the field.
“Faz brings down a TV to the side of the field, we’ll look at a play, then go out and rep it. It’s just coaches are different. Andy backs our qualities to be able to deliver what he shows us.
“We’re trying to enjoy ourselves but once you walk out in the four lines you have to be switched on.
“It’s a new philosophy, it’s completely different from the way we’ve been playing and it’s great. We’re only two games into it and we’re two (wins) from two.”
Next up for Ireland is a trip to Twickenham next Sunday to face England, with the visitors looking for a victory to keep hopes of a second Grand Slam victory in three years alive.
In previous years, Earls thinks the occasion may have got the better of Ireland, but he is sure they will travel to London full of self-belief, with attention set more on themselves than the opposition.
“Thinking about Twickenham, it’s an unbelievable place to go, but I’m probably only thinking about it ten minutes a day rather than 24/7,” Earls said.
“Usually you’d have a couple of meetings beforehand. You might have a meeting at 10am and the anxiety starts coming in from there, whereas now it’s completely chilled.
“It’s being able to switch on for the hour or so rather than wasting energy all morning, or a day or two out. It’s definitely a lot more relaxed in Munster and Ireland as well.”
After missing the Championship opener against Scotland with a knee injury, Earls returned as a second-half replacement in the 24-14 victory over Wales at the Aviva Stadium last weekend.
Andrew Conway, who has been preferred to Earls, scored the late try to put the game to bed in Dublin, and Earls knows competition to get in the starting line up is as tough as ever.
“There’s no begrudging of Andrew or anyone else. But I’m going to be backing myself now,” the Munster man said.
“It’s brilliant. No-one can slack off. People might have thought if I wasn’t injured I could’ve been starting, but under Andy it’s a completely different selection.
“You’ve a couple of selections that people were surprised with – but we were starting from zero again”.
