SEXTON-O’GARA, O’Gara-Humphreys, Ward-Campbell – Irish rugby has had plenty of debates down through the years over who should start at 10. Now the focus is on who ought to be first reserve to Johnny Sexton as the World Cup approaches: Ross Byrne or Jack Crowley? 

That question, among others, was knocked around during the latest episode of Rugby Weekly Extra, the podcast for subscribers to The 42.

Former Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman said Crowley is making ground, but the World Cup might come a couple of months early for the Munster man to get clear of Byrne.   

“Very close for me,” Jackman said. “I think Crowley, every minute he gets is doing more to put that in question. And then Ross doesn’t have a good day goal kicking, but he’s a top end goalkicker. 

“The other parts of his game actually were good. I probably would still start Ross, with Jack on the bench, and obviously the beauty of him on the bench is we know he can play 12, he can play 15 as well but I don’t know . . . if the World Cup was in December and there was another batch of games for Munster or Ireland I think Jack is going to pass out Ross, that’s my gut feeling at the moment.”  

Rugby journalist at The 42 Murray Kinsella said: “That uncertainty is good because Jack Crowley has put it up to him so much, and Ross Byrne is still the same player he was a few months ago and he did well in the Six Nations. He played in all games, in particular the France game where he had a good long stint off the bench, that’s big credit in the bank, but you’re so right – Farrell hasn’t had certainty around this depth chart at all, two years, maybe longer, and now it’s still uncertain but in a really good way. 

“We saw Crowley deliver under pressure at the end of the season with Munster and Byrne has had big moments like that Australia game when he came back from nowhere and Farrell saw, ‘Ok he can actually handle those big moments’. I know people will highlight the Champions Cup final and the lack of a drop goal attempt but that’s not just on the 10, that’s a team effort to get into position for that. 

“So I think it’s a good place to be is that there’s greater belief and confidence in the depth chart and even now ideally Sexton would be back this weekend and he’d get some minutes, any rust off, but one of those guys gets another good long stint and I think it will be really telling who gets to start this weekend.”      

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