PERHAPS THE BEST thing about Jack Crowley as an out-half is that he’s tough.
It’s a trait he shares with his predecessor Johnny Sexton, whose tactical and technical brilliance in attack was always matched by his ferocious combativeness.
Crowley’s strong defensive work is a point of difference. He seems to relish getting stuck in and his tackling is generally very effective. It’s a mental skill as much as anything.
His performance for Munster in the URC semi-final against Leinster is best remembered for his winning drop-goal but there was a moment a few minutes before that which underlined Crowley’s nasty streak. Having fielded a kick, Crowley spotted opposite number Harry Byrne in the chase line, wound up, and ran straight for him, sitting the Leinster man down with a vicious moment of power.
You can bet Andy Farrell liked that moment.
Crowley’s toughness and ambition have been evident throughout his involvement with Ireland and even before he was in the mix. The young Cork man picked up the phone and called former attack coach Mike Catt at one stage when he wasn’t in Ireland’s squad, wondering what he needed to do to impress the coaching staff.
When injuries for Harry Byrne, then Ciarán Frawley, then Joey Carbery, then Sexton opened the door, Crowley stepped up against Australia in November 2022 and did a fine job as the starting out-half despite his lack of experience.
He then passed Ross Byrne to become Sexton’s understudy for the 2023 World Cup, leaving himself in prime position to succeed the longstanding incumbent upon his retirement.
There were huge worries about how Ireland would do without Sexton. Let’s not forget the pessimistic mood among Irish media and fans coming into this year’s Six Nations. There were wild predictions about doom days ahead, starting with a hammering at the hands of France in Marseille.
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Instead, Ireland pulled off a superb win. Crowley was at the heart of it. He showed his toughness but also his class, with some superb touches on the ball like his no-look front-door pass for Tadhg Beirne’s crucial try. His restarts were excellent, he defended well, and generally steered the team with poise.
Andy Farrell with Jack Crowley. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Crowley played every single minute of Ireland’s campaign as they claimed the Six Nations title, nearly securing a Grand Slam but for their late inability to defend from a lineout against England.
Crowley then started both Tests against South Africa last summer and though Frawley understandably grabbed the headlines with his two brilliant late drop goals, Crowley had been playing well in that second Test before Farrell decided to give the Leinster man a shot. Frawley was the man of the moment but Crowley played his part.
There’s no doubt this season has been a challenging one so far, with Crowley part of a Munster team that has struggled. Often in those instances, players make more errors because they’re trying too hard to change the momentum.
And it’s crucial to remember that Crowley doesn’t turn 25 until January. He is not the finished product, nor should he be at this stage. He’s ahead of where Sexton was at a similar age, for example.
Crowley had frustrations about how long it took to break into the Munster team as first-choice out-half. It didn’t happen until after his Ireland debut. The self-assured young playmaker felt he was good enough to take over at number 10 in Munster much earlier.
Perhaps the experiences he had at inside centre and fullback while waiting to be anointed as Munster’s first-choice out-half have made him a better player in the long run, but his development as a number 10 is going very well.
When he stepped up the pecking order with Ireland this year, the expectation was that Crowley would have some tough days along the way. Any out-half getting used to the leading role has those experiences. He has made his fair share of errors along the way but on the whole, it’s been fairly smooth.
It’s obvious that Crowley would have preferred to finish both games against New Zealand and Argentina this month but he’d probably acknowledge that he wasn’t at his best against the Kiwis, while Farrell was understandably keen to give Sam Prendergast a decent stint off the bench on his debut against the Pumas.
Prendergast’s standing with Ireland has grown quickly. He was in camp at the start of the year as a development player, toured South Africa as part of Farrell’s main squad in July, got lots of hands-on coaching on the Emerging Ireland trip, and now has a first Test start under his belt.
Ciarán Frawley and Sam Prendergast playing together against Fiji. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
It’s clear that he is highly talented, with his ability to pick out space and deliver delightful passes catching the eye. He doesn’t have a huge body of work behind him as a professional rugby player but that’s no reason not to give him exposure if Farrell believes he has what it takes. The exciting potential is very clear to see for those willing to look.
It might be that Prendergast comes to be the out-half who commands the next era of Irish rugby or we might still be in the early days of the Crowley chapter. That’s before we even consider the possibility of Frawley finally getting the luck and selection chances he needs to prove once and for all that he is a leading man at number 10.
The battle for starts at number 10 in Leinster is another story which we will undoubtedly be discussing many times this season.
It seems likely that all of the current trio will have important parts to play in this Ireland set-up over the next decade. As we saw last weekend when Prendergast and Frawley dovetailed nicely, it’s quite possible that two of them will combine on the pitch for Ireland at different stages. This is a good place to be after all the post-Sexton fears.
It might not be that one of them ends up being a World Rugby player of the year like Sexton was but that’s the loftiest standard to judge them against, so we really shouldn’t. The fact there is so much promise there to go along with Crowley’s body of work so far this year is a wonderful thing.
And as Ireland’s depth chart at out-half has shown over the past four years, there are no guarantees it will look the same in a year. This has been a volatile position for Ireland even when Sexton was clearly number one. The jostling behind him was constant.
Looking to this weekend, Crowley deserves to return in Ireland’s number 10 shirt but it’s OK for even his most staunch supporters to acknowledge the potential and ability of Prendergast and Frawley.
Crowley has been the man in possession. If he really is the best of the lot, he’ll keep hold of the jersey. If one of the others is better, they’ll push past him. Rugby remains pretty simple in that way.
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Crowley has earned the 10 shirt but competitors have talent too
PERHAPS THE BEST thing about Jack Crowley as an out-half is that he’s tough.
It’s a trait he shares with his predecessor Johnny Sexton, whose tactical and technical brilliance in attack was always matched by his ferocious combativeness.
Crowley’s strong defensive work is a point of difference. He seems to relish getting stuck in and his tackling is generally very effective. It’s a mental skill as much as anything.
His performance for Munster in the URC semi-final against Leinster is best remembered for his winning drop-goal but there was a moment a few minutes before that which underlined Crowley’s nasty streak. Having fielded a kick, Crowley spotted opposite number Harry Byrne in the chase line, wound up, and ran straight for him, sitting the Leinster man down with a vicious moment of power.
You can bet Andy Farrell liked that moment.
Crowley’s toughness and ambition have been evident throughout his involvement with Ireland and even before he was in the mix. The young Cork man picked up the phone and called former attack coach Mike Catt at one stage when he wasn’t in Ireland’s squad, wondering what he needed to do to impress the coaching staff.
When injuries for Harry Byrne, then Ciarán Frawley, then Joey Carbery, then Sexton opened the door, Crowley stepped up against Australia in November 2022 and did a fine job as the starting out-half despite his lack of experience.
He then passed Ross Byrne to become Sexton’s understudy for the 2023 World Cup, leaving himself in prime position to succeed the longstanding incumbent upon his retirement.
There were huge worries about how Ireland would do without Sexton. Let’s not forget the pessimistic mood among Irish media and fans coming into this year’s Six Nations. There were wild predictions about doom days ahead, starting with a hammering at the hands of France in Marseille.
Instead, Ireland pulled off a superb win. Crowley was at the heart of it. He showed his toughness but also his class, with some superb touches on the ball like his no-look front-door pass for Tadhg Beirne’s crucial try. His restarts were excellent, he defended well, and generally steered the team with poise.
Crowley played every single minute of Ireland’s campaign as they claimed the Six Nations title, nearly securing a Grand Slam but for their late inability to defend from a lineout against England.
Crowley then started both Tests against South Africa last summer and though Frawley understandably grabbed the headlines with his two brilliant late drop goals, Crowley had been playing well in that second Test before Farrell decided to give the Leinster man a shot. Frawley was the man of the moment but Crowley played his part.
There’s no doubt this season has been a challenging one so far, with Crowley part of a Munster team that has struggled. Often in those instances, players make more errors because they’re trying too hard to change the momentum.
And it’s crucial to remember that Crowley doesn’t turn 25 until January. He is not the finished product, nor should he be at this stage. He’s ahead of where Sexton was at a similar age, for example.
Crowley had frustrations about how long it took to break into the Munster team as first-choice out-half. It didn’t happen until after his Ireland debut. The self-assured young playmaker felt he was good enough to take over at number 10 in Munster much earlier.
Perhaps the experiences he had at inside centre and fullback while waiting to be anointed as Munster’s first-choice out-half have made him a better player in the long run, but his development as a number 10 is going very well.
When he stepped up the pecking order with Ireland this year, the expectation was that Crowley would have some tough days along the way. Any out-half getting used to the leading role has those experiences. He has made his fair share of errors along the way but on the whole, it’s been fairly smooth.
It’s obvious that Crowley would have preferred to finish both games against New Zealand and Argentina this month but he’d probably acknowledge that he wasn’t at his best against the Kiwis, while Farrell was understandably keen to give Sam Prendergast a decent stint off the bench on his debut against the Pumas.
Prendergast’s standing with Ireland has grown quickly. He was in camp at the start of the year as a development player, toured South Africa as part of Farrell’s main squad in July, got lots of hands-on coaching on the Emerging Ireland trip, and now has a first Test start under his belt.
It’s clear that he is highly talented, with his ability to pick out space and deliver delightful passes catching the eye. He doesn’t have a huge body of work behind him as a professional rugby player but that’s no reason not to give him exposure if Farrell believes he has what it takes. The exciting potential is very clear to see for those willing to look.
It might be that Prendergast comes to be the out-half who commands the next era of Irish rugby or we might still be in the early days of the Crowley chapter. That’s before we even consider the possibility of Frawley finally getting the luck and selection chances he needs to prove once and for all that he is a leading man at number 10.
The battle for starts at number 10 in Leinster is another story which we will undoubtedly be discussing many times this season.
It seems likely that all of the current trio will have important parts to play in this Ireland set-up over the next decade. As we saw last weekend when Prendergast and Frawley dovetailed nicely, it’s quite possible that two of them will combine on the pitch for Ireland at different stages. This is a good place to be after all the post-Sexton fears.
It might not be that one of them ends up being a World Rugby player of the year like Sexton was but that’s the loftiest standard to judge them against, so we really shouldn’t. The fact there is so much promise there to go along with Crowley’s body of work so far this year is a wonderful thing.
And as Ireland’s depth chart at out-half has shown over the past four years, there are no guarantees it will look the same in a year. This has been a volatile position for Ireland even when Sexton was clearly number one. The jostling behind him was constant.
Looking to this weekend, Crowley deserves to return in Ireland’s number 10 shirt but it’s OK for even his most staunch supporters to acknowledge the potential and ability of Prendergast and Frawley.
Crowley has been the man in possession. If he really is the best of the lot, he’ll keep hold of the jersey. If one of the others is better, they’ll push past him. Rugby remains pretty simple in that way.
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