Ireland plan to put Scotland under their spell as rugby immortality awaits
THERE will be magic in the air, magic in the stands and magic in the feet of the miracle man from Moyross, the flying Irish winger Keith Earls.
Excitement is at fever pitch as Ireland take on Scotland at the Aviva Stadium this afternoon in the Six Nations championship. With naggins of Glenfiddich clinking in their sporrans, the kilted hordes of Scottish fans swept into Dublin full of hope and expectation yesterday, and thronged the pubs of Temple Bar.
From the genteel suburbs of Edinburgh to the craggy highlands above Loch Lomond, they feel they can conquer the Irish today, having vanquished the Sassanach a fortnight ago at Murrayfield.
But news this week that the twinkle-toed Munster maestro
Earls has been working with the brain hacker and hypnotist Keith Barry should strike fear into Scottish hearts.
Mr Barry has performed some remarkable feats over the years, including being tied up and escaping from an exploding shed.
So, it was gratifying to learn that he has been working with our rugby stars. It is just what we need if we are five points down in the final minutes: the talents of Houdini.
“I have worked with a number of the rugby players over the years,” Mr Barry said last night.
“I have been helping Keith for over a year now with his mindset – how to programme his mind for optimum performance. “Sometimes I use hypnotism with players and sometimes other methods. I work on their subconscious mind.”
The work of a hypnotist to penetrate the try line could spook the Scots and send them
Highland reeling.
The Flower of Scotland normally echoes across the Aviva, but today it could buckle and wilt like a tulip in a March blizzard.
Normally, it is the breeze coming in off Dublin Bay at the Havelock Square end at the Aviva that puts the wind up the Scots’ kilts, creating the potential for an horrendous spectacle.
But this year it could be the hypnotic powers bestowed on Earls.
Once stalwarts of the Scottish defence see that the flight of the Earls is powered by magic, we could see the swiftest Scottish retreat since the forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie did a runner at the Battle of Culloden.
“I teach people how to take control of their subconscious mind so that they visualise their optimum performance,” Mr Barry said.
Truly, observers of the oval ball game have noticed the change in Earls in recent months.
He ghosted through the Italian defence for a try like a supernatural Harry Potter out for a game of Quidditch – and made some Welsh wizards look like mere muggles.
To borrow a phrase from the legendary Scottish commentator Bill McLaren, Scottish defenders will find our magic winger as slippery as a wet trout in a border burn.
“I don’t want to take all the credit for it, but Keith is playing out of his skin,” said Mr Barry.