Although publicly Munster are putting a brave face on speculation linking Keith Earls with a prospective move to Saracens at the end of the season and maintaining their hopes that he will stay, privately they are resigned to losing their 28-year-old Irish and Lions winger.
Unlike their dealings with JJ Hanrahan last season prior to him joining Northampton, or indeed their current dealings with Simon Zebo whose contract expires at the end of this season, Munster's hands are largely tied as Earls is on an international contract and therefore dealing with the IRFU.
However, there will be acute frustration and indeed anger within the province were they to lose one of only four players who are currently centrally contracted with the union. The others are Peter O'Mahony, Donnacha Ryan and Conor Murray, who is also in negotiations with the IRFU over a new deal.
Earls is apparently unhappy with both the deal on offer from the IRFU and the protracted negotiations with the union and their performance director David Nucifora.
Debut
Even more so than the Currow-born Hanrahan, a product of Castleisland RFC, Rockwell College, UL Bohemians and the Munster Academy who was shortlisted for the IRB World Junior Player of the Year in 2012, Earls is what Munster supporters call “one of our own”.
A product of St Munchins, Thomond, Garryowen and Young Munster, Earls made his debut for Munster nine seasons ago and has scored 36 tries for his native province in 121 games.
He made a try-scoring debut for Ireland at Thomond Park against Canada in November 2008 and despite an injury-disrupted career, he has gone on to score 16 tries in 46 games, as well as touring with the Lions in 2009. At 28, and having learned how to manage his body, he is looking as sharp as ever, yet is apparently unhappy with some of the conditions included in the IRFU offer as opposed to the three-year deal on offer from Saracens.
In that regard, the financial differences between the two deals are not regarded as a chasm, and heretofore his agent John Baker has invariably been able to conclude deals with the IRFU which are agreeable to all parties. But this case now looks like being an exception, with Earls set to sign a three-year deal with the Premiership leaders which will keep him at Saracens until the end of the 2018-19 season, ie for the remainder of this World Cup cycle.
To lose Earls would be a hugely demoralising blow for the Munster organisation and their fan base. Assistant coach Ian Costello yesterday admitted that to lose Earls, Murray and Zebo “would be a massive dent to our ambitions”.
“Keith is a player we want here, a quality player . . . All his dealings are with the IRFU and we hope that the business gets done positively from our point of view over the next 24 hours. . . ,” he said.
But if, as expected, it doesn’t, then as this falls at the IRFU’s doorstep, it will also infuriate Munster. For there is little doubt that had negotiations been conducted sooner and more positively, Earls’s prospective departure could easily have been avoided.
