Has everybody forgotten the Argentina game? Crowley was not dropped after a poor game against NZ. He started the following week.
If anybody was dropped it was Frawley.
Excellent post.
1.
Team as expected, bar McCarthy on the bench. Disappointing to see POM and Aki named. Pointless.
He was given a 3 year central contract just a few weeks ago. There's no sense threatening to drop a player or doing it for a token game when even the dogs on the street know a centrally contracted player will be persisted with regardless of how many silly penalties he gives away.
Ideally we shouldn't be handing out big central deals to players who are still works in progress with significant issues to improve on.
Indeed I don't remember too many of the posters insinuating it would be a slight on his character to leave doing the same to Sexton, indeed I remember an awful lot of digs and whinging about Ireland and the IRFU back then
I can’t argue against what may or may not have been said by unnamed posters 12 years ago, but would point out that at that time players were not giving up their Ireland career by moving abroad. As soon as Sexton was told he would no longer be eligible, he came home. You can tell me how any of that is relevant because I haven’t a clue nor have I any clue why you brought it up.
McCarthy deserves to be dropped. That yellow wasn't an aberration, something like that had been brewing for a while. He'll come back stronger for it.
Equally, Ryan is class and deserves a chance to re-assert himself. If it were me, I'd have been tempted to drop McCarthy from the 23 and include Baird, who was excellent against Wales.
And for 10, I think it's about Crowley deserving a start as much as it is about Prendergast being dropped.
I'm baffled that people think Prendergast's confidence will be wrecked by a benching. He's no shrinking violet. He actually seems exactly the kind of guy who will understand why he's been dropped, will work on his game, and come back stronger for it.
Good selection.
I haven't contributed much on the Prendergast vs. Crowley debate but this is my 2 cents.
The selection so far has been completely backwards. And IMO this weekend Prendergast should have been started again, given what's gone before and given, we are most likely to finish 3rd now even if we hammer Italy.
Everyone needs to remember that Jack Crowley is only 25, not 35. Yes we need 2 quality OH's for RWC 2027, but we have 1 in Crowley, and the other has 2 full seasons to develop. What has been done is a rushed and botched effort to propel Prendergast into the 10 jersey when he's only in his first full senior season. This all seems to be a knee-jerk reaction by the management team to the fact that in the NZ game in RWC 2023 they hadn't blooded Jack Crowley and therefore had to leave a crippled Johnny Sexton on the pitch for the final 10 mins with the game in the melting pot.
What should have been done is start Crowley for the England and Scotland games and have Prendergast come in after 60mins. All going well, the team and Crowley sets up the win both times and Prendergast gets the experience of guiding the ship home. Then we had a rest week, perfect chance to change tack and give Prendergast the start vs. a sub-par Welsh side. You still have Crowley on the bench as cover if it's going awry, but Sam get's the experience of leading the back-line in an away 6N fixture. Then another rest week, switch back to Jack for the big championship game vs. France. Again, Sam is there to steer the ship home and gain more vital experience. If we win, go for the same selection in the GS game against Italy. If we lose to France, give Prendergast the 10 shirt in another away game. That would have been the ideal approach. If Crowley played well in that selection, he goes on the Lions tour. Also, you get the added benefit of approx. 160 mins of 6N test rugby for Prendergast to take back to Leinster where he will also be starting no.10 for their CC and URC title challenges. And Prendergast would then get the starting 10 shirt in the summer tour.
Now what we have is a complete mess. A guy in his first season has shown he capable at this level and some lovely play but has had some glaring weaknesses exposed on the biggest stage including an embarrassing intercept in the GS crunch game. And a guy who guided his club to a URC title and his country to a 6N title in the last 2 seasons has been relegated to cameo appearances off the bench, most of which are not in his favoured position. Crowley also now has zero chance of going on the Lions tour. And because we at Munster are in a sorry state he also won't see much top level action to put himself in the frame for the Lions over the coming weeks. We will almost certainly lose to La Rochelle and will struggle to make the URC playoffs. None of which is on Jack Crowley, the overall squad just isn't good enough.
So now we face an issue where 1 of the no.10s is sitting on a 2-year contract offer from the IRFU and contemplating a big contract from an English club. And the player we have blooded has been benched after his first bad performance. What a complete and utter mess.
He hasn't really had a chance to win back the 10 jersey. He played badly against NZ and got dropped. Has had 20 minutes at 10 in this six nations (and was the 10 of that round according to a few pundits) yet hasn't got a game at 10 since.
There is space for some middle ground here, so far, Crowley got 20 mins at outhalf, as the outhalf who helped Ireland to a 6Ns championship win last year most fans would say he deserved better.
No. Again. Don't drop McCarthy because he had a bad game. Drop him because he had a bad game AND an absolutely braindead yellow card.
Again no, rotating 10s isn't a bad idea. But this isn't rotating 10s. This is starting Crowley in a dead rubber game after Prendergast started 4 games. I don't think game time last year was rotated between Casey and jgp because Casey started against Italy.
I don't think starting Crowley in this game has huge benefits. You appear to be punishing Prendergast for a bad game, or rewarding Crowley for maybe leaving.
I think Crowley should have started more games in the six nations. I think he should have got more time at 10. Rotating your tens and giving both time is a good idea. I think Crowley should have started against France based on his defence.
I just don't understand the benefit now of starting him. The six nations is lost. Starting Crowley looks like a reaction to the rumours of him leaving. I don't think there is a benefit for Crowley or Prendergast.
Crowley shafted by playing in every match...ffs. I can see why Irish rugby supporters are getting a bad name. Crying cause they lost a match or their favourite player doesnt get to start every match.
So one poor performance isn’t enough to drop a player, unless it’s McCarthy? Got it. And rotating 10s is bad because it hurts confidence, but keeping a clearly better player benched for no reason is totally fine? Incredible consistency. Crowley has been shafted, we agree there. But the idea that starting him now somehow adds to that is nonsense. What, is the solution to just leave him sitting on the bench forever so no one gets their feelings hurt? If anything, giving him the start is the bare minimum after how badly he’s been treated.
No. One poor performance shouldn't be enough to drop a player imo. Otherwise we'd be changing half the team for this game. And a fear of making mistakes isn't want you want in your 10.
If we constantly rotate between Crowley and Prendergast because they make mistakes then we are going to have two outhalfs that are completely afraid of taking any risks.
McCarthy should be dropped, it wasn't just a poor performance but an absolute brain-dead yellow card.
Crowley got 100% shafted after the new Zealand game and he has been shafted in the six nations. Do you think starting him against Italy helps that?
Jobs for the boys back in full swing
Is it literally the same team that played in the world cup 2 years ago
If you cant beat Italy with a few new players than what is the point
And POM & Murray on the bench is a proper joke, even Aki
Osbourne should go looking for a big pay day
Cian Healy scores a try in his last ever appearance for ireland.
not bad going !!
The man has been a legend
Ah, so now we’re handing out international starts like participation trophies to protect fragile egos? What a joke. If Prendergast isn’t mentally strong enough to handle competition, he has no business playing test rugby. Meanwhile, Crowley gets shafted and is just supposed to suck it up? Spare me the double standards.
I just don't really get this whole punishing players thing. There's no automatic right to be the starter, as Crowley has previously experienced. Prendergast is now in the same boat, losing out based on a poor performance.
Could it hurt his development? Sure. On the other hand, it could also result in him being more driven to correct his errors in play, train harder, etc.
Personally, I hope (and expect) we end this period with two competitive tens that each bring something different to the team. Crowley won't leave Munster, I have full confidence that he will stay, and this Tigers rumour is merely a negotiating tactic, something that SP used to great effect with rumours of him going to Connacht behind parlayed into being the starting ten for Leinster.
That team is going to blitz Italy
Boyle starting instead of Porter, Clarkson instead of Furlong, Prendergast instead of POM and Osborne instead of Henshaw would still blitz Italy.
There was scope to make those few changes at the very least. I do feel this is actually a "conservative" selection.
Agree with this. Think management need to figure out the 23 jersey and not just have a rotating Aki/Henshaw/Ringrose 23.
I just cant see the logic in starting Crowley.
Unless it was known by both players in advance that Crowley starts this game.
Otherwise it looks to be punishing Prendergast for a poor game which isn't something that I can agree with at his age. He can't be afraid of being dropped after one poor game. Otherwise he will be too afraid to try anything in case it goes wrong.
Or it looks to be rewarding Crowley for possibly leaving Munster which also isn't something to be rewarded. And I also don't think he would be stupid enough to stay because of a start against Italy.
Aki on the bench makes absolutely no sense to me.
Osborne was deemed good enough to play on the wing in our most difficult game last week, picked because he covers multiple positions, and yet he's not good enough to replace a guy who only plays one position in the 23 jersey this week?
Both Lowe and Hansen are back from injury and we're going into the game with no wing cover on the bench.
Can't help but think how things would have went last weekend with this squad …. 😢
(We still probably would have lost!)
I like our front row and its replacements. There's a lot of power and youth there.
Despite the protestations, there's plenty of work going on to build squad depth.
Healy has done more than most professional Irish rugby players will ever do, he played in a RWC.
Personally, I think that's a huge achievement, just like people getting to the Olympics
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Congrats to Cian Healy on one of the great test careers. Finishes up on 137 Ireland caps.
RTE news : Crowley to start against Italy as Furlong returns
http://www.rte.ie/sport/six-nations/2025/0313/1501858-crowley-to-start-against-italy-as-furlong-returns/
The correct changes have been made, would like to have seen Boyle start.
No, Healy specifically. Wouldn't fight for his spot with Munster and now out of the Scotland team.
But sure, make it provincial!
