LAST UPDATE | 1 Oct 2022
THE EMERGING IRELAND squad made a positive start to their three-game tour of South Africa with yesterday’s 54-7 hammering of the Griquas in Bloemfontein, a game in which the young half-back pairing of Nathan Doak and Jack Crowley shone for the tourists.
Crowley, 22, and Doak, 20, both look to have big futures ahead of them and this game against admittedly disappointing opposition was another reminder of their potential.
After a slow start, Emerging Ireland soon settled into the contest and after building a strong lead through some good work from the pack, in the second half their backline ignited to punch for a series of well-executed tries. It was impressive stuff from a group who only gathered as a squad one week previously.
“We came together last Friday and within seven days… I think it’s a credit to the coaches, first of all to be able to create that environment to be able to be ourselves and come in and gel that quickly,” says Crowley.
“Without that connection, you can’t go out onto the pitch and perform. Secondly for the players, the effort from all the lads to buy into team culture and environment was the most important thing.”
Crowley was arguably the stand-out performer against a limited Griquas team.
The out-half debuted for Munster in January 2021 and kicked on with the province last season, adding five starts and seven substitute appearances to his CV.
At Toyota Stadium the 22-year-old forced Griquas defenders to commit and open up space in behind, while he also made good use of the boot, producing a lovely grubber to send Shane Daly over while missing just one from seven off the tee.
“To be honest, I recognised last year that my kicking game definitely needed to come on,” Crowley explains.
“I felt I had the element of attacking rugby but there is just that consistency within my kick that I knew I needed to get to if I want to be playing at the top level.
“So, I just tried putting the work in, reached out to people and put the work in. But also, it’s down to the coaches in Munster, the coaches here, giving you that freedom. They back you if it’s the right decision.
As a player, that’s the best thing ever. The ownership is on you to go out and execute and if you don’t, then it’s on you to work on that skill. When you see those things, you just gotta take them. Fortunately that came off today.”
He was helped by the presence of another calm head beside him, with Ulster scrum-half Doak also producing a controlled, assertive display.
“He’s sitting here now so I better say good things about him,” continues Crowley, glancing past the laptop in the direction of his half-back partner in a room somewhere underneath the Toyota Stadium.
“He’s incredibly calm, you can see there in the game. As a 10 having that inside you, you can just give the ownership to him, particularly on exits. And then in attack you trust him and with that connection he knows that when I call for it I want it, and he did that today and found me.”
Doak enjoyed a strong season with Ulster last year, racking up 25 caps for the province. This year, he’ll look to push John Cooney even harder.
It’s a big season for Doak, and the scrum-half explains how he’s looking to grow his game in a bid to take that next step in his development.
“Personally, I always set a target for myself to enjoy my rugby,” Doak explains.
“I feel like when I enjoy my rugby I play my best and that’s my number one target (this season).
Then going off the back of that I want to improve my running game. I haven’t played scrum-half that long and it’s something that maybe some guys have an edge on with me. Being in this environment, I feel I have the opportunity to do that and it’s something I’d like to build on, but it’s just about being myself, doing my basics well and helping the team.”
Against the Griquas he again showed why he is so highly rated by both the Ulster and Ireland coaching teams, keeping a cool head in the face of early Griquas pressure before helping his team grab control of the contest, making smart decisions in possession and keeping the tempo in Ireland’s play.
“It’s frustrating when we don’t have the ball, but it’s about staying calm, staying together and being patient,” he adds.
“I don’t think we did that to the best of our abilities, we seemed to give a bit of discipline away, got a yellow card but we’ll learn from that as a group.
“Coming into next week, hopefully we can build on our attack, hold on to ball a bit more, see a bit more phase shape and score some more tries.”
With one game under their belt, it’s been a promising start to this opinion-splitting tour for the Emerging Ireland squad.
Next up it’s the Pumas on Wednesday, and while they should provide a better challenge, this group will be confident of delivering another strong performance.
And after producing such a connected, cohesive display against the Griquas, Crowley explains how the common goal has taken precedence over any individual ambitions on this tour.
“To be honest, there’s nothing really being said to us personally about what to go out and do, it’s very much about those connections in the team, and we’ve made it very much a thing about us as a team, connecting really quickly within a week and being able to turn around a performance like that.
“I think it was everybody looking after their own role, learn your role to the best of your ability and that will make the player inside and outside of you look good.
“That was my job out there, it wasn’t to try and force anything. Just do my job as a 10, and luckily getting service off Doaky and the pack, the carries they are giving you for go-forward ball allows you as a 10 to just sit in the pocket and pick those options.
“It’s every individual learning their roles to the best of their ability and that allows others to look good. So it’s credit to the boys for learning as quickly as possible, and then also the coaches for giving us that platform.”
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Not entirely surprising that these two guys – stars of the U20 teams in their respective years – played so well in this match. But for Crowley in particular we’re left to muse on whether it has any significance for next year’s World Cup. Is there any realistic way in which the guy who is currently no 3 fly half in Munster will be in the squad as one of the back-ups to Sexton?
(FWIW I’d give Doak at least a 50/50 chance based on his club performances in the URC and Europe, combined with the likelihood that at least one of the 3 SHs who toured NZ will be out of form or injured)
@Kevin Ryan: why not, Frawley probably rated by a lot more people is 3/4 choice out half for Leinster and if he can steer clear of injuries is a good bet to make the world cup squad. Doak in fairness has done nothing wrong and as a Munster supporter I would have no problem if he got in ahead of Casey, he’s done nothing wrong and seems to have a great temperament.
@Kevin Ryan: While its understandable that the coaches are trying to replicate conditions for a RWC. Looking at the number of empty seats in the stadium is more of an opposed training session. Its a very different proposition executing skills under the pressure of full stadiums with something at stake. In the Irish derby at the weekend. Would Ulster have won if Doak, Moore, Stewart etc had been available?
Don’t know why we’re persisting with healy ahead of crowley, this guy is miles ahead psychologically, healy is another keatley when it comes to mental toughness
@Tomas Lyons: 100% agree
@Tomas Lyons: 100% disagree. Whatever criticism you can level at Healy mental weakness isn’t one. Since the moment he came in, got smashed late by Dombrant, and slot over the penalty from inside his own half, everything about him has screamed mental toughness.
Yes he missed some big kicks against Toulouse last year, but ROG and Sexton miss kicks too. The fact that the team turned to him in the big moments while Carberry was still on the field show you the confidence he exudes
@Tomas Lyons: think Carberry is the problem, while away last season the one-for-one between Healy and Crowley was great, last chance for Joey this season, wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t start seeing him more at FB where he’s potentially world-class.
@thesaltyurchin: Joey’s certainly looked very impressive on attack when playing 15. But do we have any reason to believe his defence as a full back would be world class? Or even just competent? I expect he would certainly be targeted.
I am still haunted by the problems Henshaw had there against England in 2019 – which I had thought was a good idea at the time. Not to mention Stockdale and others.
Can’t read a lot into this Griqas were hopeless !
Agreed Kevin. I really don’t think joey is sufficiently sound defensively to be a test F/B. It is a specialist position as there’s so much more to it than just the glamorous attack play. I played FB for years and reading the next play is crucial to avoid being simply a reactive player & that’s either an instinct you do or don’t have. Plus you gotta tackle and that’s not Joey