Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

They budget to be top two, so we'll be down a million if England get 5 points against Wales.

There was an article on RTE about it this morning. A lot bigger gap between 1st and last than I thought.

"The IRFU, while never budgeting for a grand slam campaign, have become used to top-two finishes – runners-up and back-to-back champions in the last three seasons – and are likely to have budgeted accordingly. " That's form the artilce @hold my beer shared.

The article isn't definitive, but I assume they have a bit more insight than us. I know you're right in that they did make coming fourth part of their KPIs on their financial report a number of years ago (and also included getting past a RWC QF), but I wouldn't be surprised if they'd lifted that target.

I'd be surprised if they abandoned a successful financial strategy in time of serious economic distress, both generally and in rugby specifically

Leicester chasing Crowley according to media reports, £600k per season contract. They obviously smell blood and see an opportunity to pounce after what many feel was poor decision making / disrespect shown by Irish management . Big loss for Munster and Ireland if it happens but I totally understand if he decides to leave Ireland behind him , harder to drop the red jersey than the green I suspect!

The only reason they are going for Crowley is that they can't afford Sam

mod: warned for trolling / baiting.

Mea culpa, I was trying to be funny given the last few days

Wouldn’t begrudge him at all if he opted to go abroad and make bag. He was playing well for Ireland before being cast aside in favour of a guy who did nothing to earn the jersey. And then limited to short cameos out of his favourite position even when the other guy was stinking out the joint. He has every right to feel hard done by. If he does leave these shores I think the apathy that Munster fans currently feel towards team Ireland will turn to distain.

Cast aside? It's been five games, not five years. Good chance he'll start in the Autumn series and maybe even this weekend.

If he's that precious or entitled that the toys are out of the pram after two months, the team is better off without him.

He has a great career ahead of him (with plenty of starts for Ireland) and we need two out-halves who can step up - and he's one of them. But if a 25 year old with 23 caps gets their nose put out of joint that easily, well then see ya later Jack. He's not Dan Carter, Johnny Sexton or Owen Farrell - yet anyway.

You do realise that in any situation where you try or try to develop new players that they displace (temporarily or permanently) players with more caps than them - that's kind of how it works. Yet you expect that if they don't show that they're better within 2 or 3 games, they should be sent back to where they came from and never heard from again.

Do you think Murray should have left Ireland as soon as Casey started being named on the bench? Should Stockdale leave the country because Nash got the call-up ahead of him last weekend? How about Frawley when he kicked us to a win against South Africa and then hasn't really been seen since? Of course not, its a squad game and nobody is entitled to the jersey. You stick with it and come back better.

Munster fans need to stop being so precious about Crowley, its embarrassing. He's still young, he'll get his games and he'll probably smash it and as a Leinster fan, I can't wait to see it.

Should he have been dropped to the bench for all the 6N games so far? Probably not. Personally I'd like to have seen them rotated a bit more with the starts split but its the coaches decision and hindsight is a wonderful thing. Had Ireland beaten France and Italy, Prendergast would have been the starting 10 of a Grand Slam team.

I hope Crowley is pissed off and I hope it drives him to become better than he already is. But if he jumps ship as soon as he's pissed off, then have at it. He hasn't earned the right to demand the jersey, nobody has.

If he doesn't start at 10 this weekend after Sam's sh1tshow I wouldn't blame him for feeling disheartened.

I noticed last night on ATH for France's first try that Nash was put in the 10 channel to defend any break off from the maul with Sam 'hidden' on the wing where he was way too deep. Immediately spotted by Dupont who went that side. If we're setting up defence solely to cover a known frailty, it will be quickly exposed at international level.

Worse, having to do it in the first place means that player is not ready to be in the team yet, and the rest of the players know it.

but SP hasnt really earned it either? he barely played for leinster before he played for ireland and he hasnt exactly shot the lights out since then either (he also hasnt been anywhere near as bad as some are making out either). JC on the other hand, has won a 6N where Ireland were a last-minute drop goal away from a grand slam, won a test in South Africa and at club level has won a URC. he also has generally played really well (arguably much better than SP) when coming on at 10 and yet has been relegated to limited gametime at 12/15 since

so if youre saying JC hasnt 'earned' the right to demand the jersey, i dont really think you can say SP has really 'earned' anything yet either

I literally said that nobody has the right to demand the jersey.

Even if the most cruel version of Crowley's treatment is true, that he was casually cast side for a fortunate son born with a Leinster crest already tattooed over his heart who is not half the player, its still the case that the coaches all decided that the younger guy who has less pro game time is a better bet and they are backing their decision with match time. Move on. The coaches have integrity and are a mixed bag of Munster, Leinster and others and they're all on the same page. Personally I hope Crowley gets more time at ten as I want strong competition between the two of them going forward but the coaches have far more insight and far more invested than I do so Im assuming they know what they are doing. The proof of the pudding with be the next 2 years and whether we make it past a semi in the WC and win more championships.