In Pictures: Limerick winger Keith Earls' exciting journey to 100 caps for Ireland

LIMERICK winger Keith Earls becomes just the ninth player to reach the 100-cap landmark for Ireland when hosting England in a World Cup warm-up fixture at Dublin's Aviva Stadium this Saturday evening, 5.30pm.

Earls Earls has scored 35 tries for Ireland to date to go with his 64 tries for Munster, and two for the British & Irish Lions.

The Moyross native was a try-scorer on his Ireland debut against Canada in Thomond Park in November 2008 and won a Magners League title in April 2009 with Munster before becoming a British & Irish Lion that summer at the age of just 21.

He was a member of the 2011 Ireland World Cup squad that reached the quarter-final in New Zealand and his total of five tries made him Ireland’s top try-scorer at the tournament.

Earls played in the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England and showed top class form and started every game of the World Cup campaign, alternating between the left wing and outside centre.

The Limerick man also eclipsed Brian O’Driscoll’s Ireland try-scoring record at Rugby World Cup level, making it eight tries across eight tournament appearances, one more than his former team-mate.

In June 2016 he started on the wing for Ireland in their first ever win over the Springboks on South African soil.

The standout performer in Ireland’s 2017 Summer Tour of the USA and Japan, he set a new Irish record for tries scored in a season. His tally of nine tries overtook Denis Hickie’s record of eight from 2002/03.

He started all five games as Ireland won the Grand Slam in 2018 and made his sixth Champions Cup semi-final appearance for Munster against Racing 92 in Bordeaux.

Earls starred in Ireland’s 2-1 Test Series victory over Australia in June 2018 and started Ireland’s win over New Zealand in November 2018.

Earls travelled to his third Rugby World Cup with Ireland in 2019 and featured in four games.

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