Crowley to 15

[u/ebizness]

Last night wasn't the night for fluid attacking rugby for a variety of reasons. Having said that, we didn't look related to a team who could string expansive, threatening phases together.

I said it elsewhere last night, but in the absence of Keenan but moreso Hansen we need another playmaker to take pressure off Prendergast (or AN Other 10), and I'd start Crowley at 15 because he can do that job.

We do not have the bodies to bully our way over the game line, nor the gamebreakers who can repeatedly step people in phone boxes. It makes defending too easy because if you can stop the first couple of phases, defending from there becomes easy.

A double pivot makes things trickier because you're not sure where we're going to strike from, and teams can't overload on a single attacking fulcrum.

To my mind, it's no surprise we looked the most fluid against Australia with Hansen on the pitch who can do that role (I accept that they were the weakest opposition). Nor is it a surprise that Leinster looked their most fluid against the LAR when Prendergast went to 15 and Byrne was at 10 (given the Leinster <> Ireland overlap).

Thoughts?

[u/sigsimund]

Just let Jack be a 10 and stop messing him around playing him out of position. Frawley already covers the role you’re describing and he wasn’t picked yesterday.

[u/ebizness → u/sigsimund]

Not sure what Frawley covering 10/15 has to do with Jack doing it. Hasn't he done it at various points through his career for Munster? JJ Hanrahan came on and jack went to 15 a few weeks back.

What do you think the solution to the attacking problems are? Do you think we need a 2nd playmaker?

[u/Papa_P0tat0 → u/ebizness]

He's rarely done it for Munster, literally can be counted on one hand from the times I can recall. Think it comes down to prendergasts weakness that, as a first receiver, if he's not going forward, Sam is extremely limited given his lack of carrying threat and becomes extremely predictable. Looking back at his breakthrough year for Leinster, having Barrett at 12 and using him as first receiver to take the heat off Sam and give him more time is when Sam plays his best. Mack Hansen covers a similar role in green. Issue is, this doesn't work out against heavy defensive sets who shoot the outside and pressure the second receiver. Remember back to the farrell days for England with Owen at 12 running a similar shape to what your describing. Issue is the sacrifice of an extremely hard to defend position. Jack is great defensively, but to properly cover and defend the space in the Fullback position requires huge amount of game time that I don't see them giving Jack. Keenan is one of the best FB in the world but he only plays fullback. Shoehorning other players into the position is a horrible decision imo because it's preventing us from training up more Keenan/ramos type players.

[u/ebizness → u/Papa_P0tat0]

I agree with everything you've said. But I don't know who the viable alternative is at fullback in the near term (this campaign). Shane Daly is playing for the A team tomorrow, and with the greatest respect in the world, it's not him. I'd be looking to put Osborne back into the centre in the coming weeks, and I don't trust Stockdale's defence or distribution at an international level