The one percent.

Keith Earls’ is having a hell of a season and has come on leaps and bounds in recent months. The Munster winger is playing some of the best rugby of his career, and has played a huge role for both club and country.

But what has changed for the Moyross man? Well it’s simple really. He’s been putting in extra effort, trying to improve his game however and whenever he can. Earls has adopted an approach where he’s constantly looking for that extra “one percent.”

A couple of weeks back he detailed some special eye-training he’s been doing.

“I have been doing a lot of eye training as well so I can see the ball running at high speed. It’s a massive part of the game and thankfully from the work we’ve put in, some of the results have come through in games.”

“Putting an ‘x’ on the window and moving your head back and forward, getting your eyes balanced with the gel in your ears so that when you’re running at high speed that the ball isn’t…you’re trying to look for it. I think I said it last week, that it is quite hard to see a ball running at high speed so look, I’m at an age now where every one percent counts!”

Today at Carton House, Earls has revealed that he has also been working with mentalist Keith Barry, as he continues his search for that “one percent.”

“As I am getting older I am trying to find the one-per-cents between diet and stuff, the psychology and the visualisation,” Earls said.

“I have been working a bit with Keith Barry as well, just trying to get them one-per-cents, which seems to be working.

“I don’t want to get into the detail, but he knows the brain better than anyone and just in terms of visualisation and stuff like that.”

“It’s down to everything, diet, looking after myself, having the balance of family life and work and then working on the mental side with him. Enda (McNulty) is here as well and working with him, combining it all together (is beneficial).”

Earls added he’s enjoying his rugby now more than he ever has as a professional.

 “I’m enjoying rugby. The last 18 months is probably the most I have enjoyed rugby since I was about 13 years of age.

“When you’re enjoying something and it doesn’t seem like work you enjoy it a lot more. It’s what a lot of us do. It is our job, but we think it is everything, which it isn’t.”