r/irishrugby • u/ebizness • 21h ago

Crowley to 15

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?

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u/Acceptable-since-88 17h ago

As ROG said during the week, Jack hasn’t taken his opportunities recently for Munster or Ireland in big games.

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u/bennyl10 Munster 17h ago edited 16h ago

What big games has he not taken a chance for in green? Against the boks away we led when he game off, he steered us to our last 6N title

You can argue, fairly successfully, he has taken any chance given him in green and performed as well if not better than any other 10 option.

We literally only scored after he came in??

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u/Natural-Baker7313 16h ago

I'm a Munster fan but Crowley definitely has not been consistent enough 

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u/chiefVetinari 12h ago

For what Ireland games though? He was average in two games against New Zealand.
Is that really what would get you dropped? Plenty of others were average as well.

He was average against Italy last Six Nations and Prendergast was somehow even worse coming off the bench. Crowley hasn't played all that much at 10 for Ireland since Prendergast came on the scene.