ALL EYES TURN to the Champion Chase today, the feature race on Day Two of the Cheltenham Festival.
The focus is on Shishkin and Energumene after the brilliant contest that unfolded when that pair raced in January at Ascot for the Clarence House Chase. On that occasion Nicky Henderson saw Shishkin just prevail against the Willie Mullins challenger Energumene.
Shishin is the favourite here after also triumphing at Cheltenham in the 2020 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the 2021 Arkle Challenge Trophy. Can Energumene reverse that last result?
What of Chacun Pour Soi, third-placed last year and a multiple Grade 1 winner? There is also the 2021 runner-up Nube Negra, 2021 winner Put The Kettle On and 2020 victor Politologue.
And yet this seems to boil down to a race for supremacy between Shishkin and Energumene.
Let us know what you think.
Poll Results:
Ireland internationals Devin Toner and Lindsay Peat were our guests for The Front Row’s special live event, in partnership with Guinness, this week. The panel chats through Ireland’s championship chances ahead of the final round of Guinness Six Nations matches, and members of the Emerald Warriors – Ireland’s first LGBT+ inclusive rugby team – also join us to talk about breaking down barriers in rugby. Click here to subscribe or listen below:
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Nice article, Murray,
I don’t think any of us who believe crowley is #1 for now, would say crowley is the finished product. He’s got a long way to go yet in his career. And being a poor defensive set off lineout away for winning a grand slam on his first attempt is really promising even though he had ups and down during the tournament.
Wanna be careful saying things like crowley being ahead of sexton at this age.
@Patrick O’Sullivan: I don’t think Murray has to be careful about anything he says. It is rarely controversial, always balanced and very well researched.
@Paul Ennis: it has been said in the comments section of an article previously that crowley is ahead of where sexton was at this stage. Unsurprisingly, it drew negative replies.
@Patrick O’Sullivan: There will always be negative comments. Murray doesn’t need to worry about that & I don’t think he does. Murray’s opinion will carry more weight than some of us mere mortals expressing our tuppence worth.
Great article Murray (as always). I think there is a supreme inner belief and self confidence that Jack has that cannot be taught or learned. He has had it since day one. When I think about Ireland’s other 10s since ROG, maybe the only other with the same trait would have been Paddy Jackson. Johnny had to fight his demons and succeeded despite his early doubts and issues with self esteem. Sam might just have the same trait as Jack and explains why many of us have high expectations of him.
A good balanced and objective article. All three 10′s bring different attributes to the game ( i.e muti position play, better defensive tackles, kicking etc). Perhaps the era of a dominant 10 holding that position for a long number of years as seen in the past is now over…In any event great to have such an abundance of young talent.
@Dolores Scully: Definitely
@Dolores Scully: Exactly, well said! I really don’t buy this perceived anti-Crowley guff that is going around, “he’s not being backed.” He has to fight and earn his place like everyone else. All the other big sides don’t have a really set in stone option at 10. Look at the world champions! You can’t say who is first choice between Libbok, Pollard, Feinberg-Mgomezelu and most recently Hendrikse at the weekend. Ramos has been starting ahead of Ntamack. England have several options there. Why should Ireland be any different. Our 10 has to earn his place, just like every other position.
@Carmine Lorenzo: very good point. Fin will soon be putting pressure on Marcus in England. Mo’unga / Barret t / McKenzie in NZ. It seems to be Ireland where we make a big deal of the OH and the need to have 1 single option. You can see it on this site already, the need to find faults with the other player as an argument for your own favorite. The thing I hate the most is when the TV camera goes to the sub OH on the bench during the game to see what the reaction is to a good / bad bit of play from the guy on the pitch. That really gets on my nerves.
@Carmine Lorenzo: Agree 100% let Harry Byrne, I mean Ciarain Frawley, I mean Sam Pendergast fight and earn his place like Crowley did. Playing the full 160 minutes in a URC South African tour, and on turning 22 start and play the full 80 in France against the team that topped the French Pro 14 the previous year. Never getting near Irish camp until he forced his way into the reckoning. This article from Murray is better balanced than some of his previous attempts. Take for example his analysis of Pendergast Fiji performance. The overcooked penalty, refs fault, the pass to the wing, Casey’s fault, the kick out in the full Osbourne (shock a Leinster players fault), the yellow card etc. etc.
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@Cormac McCarthy: how can someone with an unbalanced perspective recognise a balanced article? I think we’re just going to have to accept that it’s not very likely
@Michael Corkery: Great point. I agree 100%. They did it with Frawley last week. Pure shit.
@Michael Corkery: yeah I don’t get it why it seems that only Ireland have to have a lone option at 10. I don’t understand it personally. And you’re right the cameras planning to Frawley every 2 mins the other week was infuriating. Crowley is the current incumbent. I’d start him at the weekend, and barring a massive dip or injury, I’d probably be starting him in the first 6N game. However if Leinster continue going well and Frawley and Prendergast are playing well at 10, then surely they deserve to be in the reckoning too come the 6N. No player has a divine right to the 10 jersey now.
Regrettably the Munster/Leinster relationship is now so toxic that what used to be seen as entirely conventional – bringing on the 22 for the last 20 minutes of a game – has now become a huge sleight on the starter and which has to treated as an existential threat
@Kevin Ryan: it was always thus – but it just gets acerbated in the social media age. Ward v Campbell, Humphries v ROG, ROG v Sexton. Thé unlucky one is Frawley really, no one is even talking about him as a starter anymore
@Kevin Ryan: Hopefully it will all settle down when 6N comes around. Johnny was only ever taken off with 10 or 15 mins to go if the game was won or if he was injured. It is not the way we want the next 10 years to be. Hopefully these 2 boys can battle it out for the 10 jersey and the head coach can pick the 10 based on the opposition. For example, Jack offers a running threat that might be suited to playing v Scotland or England and Sam offers a kicking threat that will break down France (not saying that is the case, just as an example). Wouldn’t that be wonderful? If we know the replacement can be trusted, the starter can push himself to the limit for 55 / 60 mins and the finisher closes the game out with a bit of variation. What is not to like?
@Michael Corkery: couldn’t agree more – that sort of competition for the starting slot was good for both sets of players keeping them on their toes unfortunately there was a ‘twin’ for Sexton.
@Keno: wasn’t
@Kevin Ryan: Exactly! The same cohort who were crying and moaning about Sexton not being taken off in the WC vs NZ are now moaning that Crowley is being taken off with an hour gone. Is that not what they wanted in the World Cup? What’s the point in having a sub 10 if you’re not going to use it? Competition for places is good. We’re in a different era now, we’re going to get another Sexton who will make the position his own for 15 years.
@Michael Corkery: Frawley is a super replacement option and no problem to start at 10 or 15. His versatility is what keeps him in the 23, which I think he’d prefer than being outside of it. Lots of potential still. S Prendergast and Crowley most likely to back up each other at 10 when the other starts. Frawley for 12-15 realistically.
@Carmine Lorenzo: I agree. But I was/am of the opinion that Sexton should have been replaced in the WC v NZ. It was clear he was out on his feet for the last 10 – 15 mins ( understandably) and felt Crowley was well up for it. Perhaps AF feared a backlash if we lost ( which we did anyway) but at that stage, a drop goal was not gonna win us the match and the imho dubious decisions to kick to the corner earlier rather than take what seemed achievable penalty kicks ( unlike NZ) seemed to be a feature of our game. Anyway, hindsight is a great thing and as Leo says we’ll take the ” learnings”. Having such young quality 10′s should negate that happening in the future.
Interesting stats:
Sam Prendergast had 59 touches in 70 minutes v Fiji
Jack Crowley had just 12 vs New Zealand and 30 vs Argentina
Ireland have played off 9 with JGP, off 10 with Casey
Love to see Crowley get that service
@Adrian Breen: What were the possession stats? How many times did Ireland kick the ball downfield v NZ & Argentina compared to Fiji. Ireland dominated the ball versus Fiji and kicking was more dinks and chips than territorial. Your 9 & 10 will always touch the ball more against Fiji or even Italy than NZ, SA or France.
@Paul Ennis: yeah the Fiji game was much ‘wider’ if I can put it like that. We didn’t see as much of Izzy on the ball as I would have liked as a result
With the Osbourne injury, you would have to expect that Frawley will be picked to back up Crowley on Saturday. He covers outhalf, centre and full back. I think the biggest question about selection is not OH – Crowley will definitely be picked – but who will be left out in the centre.
@PatN: There’s no reason all three cannot be in the match 23. The best cover from 10-15 is Frawley, however, there’s no reason that either Crowley or S Prendergast cannot back each other up. If recent history is anything to go on there’s a higher likelihood that Frawley will be needed across the back three than at 10. So there’s still an option to have all three.
I’ve a feeling Murray knows who has been selected at 10 and is putting out a Crowley article to soften the blow for certain fans when he doesn’t start this weekend …
Hm