Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

Maybe there would be those calls if McCarthy had got a few opportunities due to others being unavailable the way Crowley has.

I accept that. But it's been 3 years since Crowley was an u20 and he still isn't Munster's starting 10. That would suggest he hasn't yet found his feet.

My point was, if your making the case that a player should get the James Ryan/Brian O'Driscoll/Dan Sheehan fast track treatment, then they better make the kind of impact that they did. And if Crowley makes that sort of impact, brilliant. But personally, having watched him for Munster, I haven't seen it.

Well he needs to show that at Munster then, by getting ahead of Carbery and Healy.

You don't throw a guy in against Australia because you want them to be good. You do it because they are good. And Crowley has yet to show that he's at that level.

I'm not having a go at Crowley. I'm having a go at the people who seem to be overhyping him based on very little evidence.

There's less hype about Osborne because he's way down the depth chart. Out half the depth is Sexton and whoever.

You need to have a 3rd string tried, look at the last world cup against Japan

Crowley could be totally out of his depth and at least you know he's not an option for this world cup

or he could be the best player on the field and turn into the starting 10 for Munster on the back of it

What are you gaining by playing Sexton

I’d agree entirely that with everything there tbh.

But I’d suggest saying he has to start is as silly a point as suggesting his individual performances should be ignored if the team lost.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that there will always be people with sticks, regardless of what happens, alas…

Crowley could be totally out of his depth and at least you know he's not an option for this world cup

And if Crowley started, had a shocker and was then dropped, you'd have a load of people complaining that we don't give guys a fair go, how can you judge him on one game, unfair to blame him for the loss blah blah blah.

Farrell has earned enough credit at this point that people should at least consider the idea that he knows what he's doing. Especially when we see about 10% of what he does. For all we know, Crowley has been stinking the place out in training all week.

Exactly my point.

There's an element of wanting Crowley to be amazing (because of the lack of options) that's contributing the level of hype he's getting. When in reality, how good we want a player to be has absolutely no bearing on how good he will be. And that's what I'm calling out. Just let the guy develop, before demanding he be thrown in against Australia based on one or two ok games.

We've been here before with young 10s. If they're good enough, they'll show it to the point where they demand inclusion and it won't be a case of "let's see if he's good enough".

If we had two world class out halves, there'd be nowhere near as much hype around Crowley.

I think Crowley starting with JGP, McCloskey, Aki etc around him is different to starting him in a mix n match team v tier 2 sides

A reasonably full strength pack in front of him too. There is some merit to those calls IMO

but I don't think there would be. 

Na, I don't buy it; I've little doubt there would be tbh. Indeed, just like there was for Harry Byrne in the past too.

Presumably you think Frawley shouldn't even have been called up for the Maori game tho? That would be consistent with:

Well he needs to show that at Munster Leinster then, by getting ahead of Carbery and Healy Ross Byrne.