Sooner rather than later.

Munster look set to have Keith Earls back fit sooner than expected after the winger revealed that his hamstring injury is healing quicker than originally expected.

Earls picked up the injury while on Ireland duty at the beginning of November and missed the entire Autumn International Series. He won’t feature for Munster in their European double-header against Leicester, but looks set to be back not long after it.

Speaking to TV3’s Sinead Kissane, Earls says he hopes to be back by Christmas/New Year.

“I think its gonna be a bit shorter (his recovery) than expected as well which is great.” Earls said.

“I got scanned twice and the second scan showed that there wasn’t that much damage, like not as serious as first thought.”

“So hopefully the next couple of weeks, it al depends. I’ve been running now for the last two weeks so hopefully over the Christmas or the New Year.”

With Munster’s current injury list, getting Earls back sooner than expected is a huge boost for new boss Johann van Graan. Having Earls back in time for the next European window could be crucial, with Munster facing Castres at home and travelling to Paris to take on Racing 92.