It’s hardly nonsense though is it? Why would you drop a player if he was doing the business for you week in week out? There isn’t a conspiracy. Crowley has started the last two meaningful games for Ireland (Italy in the 6N and NZ) and hasn’t shot the lights out.
The question many will ask is why should he be selected in the centre by Ireland if Leinster don’t select him there?
Because he is likely to be Ireland's best 12 come WC27... He may be our best 12 right now, the only thing is McCloskey is still playing very well but he's likely to decline a fair bit over the next two years. Also worth noting that Osborne isn't Leinster's first choice 15 either.
It should be even more clear cut at Leinster, Osborne is not only a better 12 then Henshaw now, the gap seems to be growing every month. Osborne should be Leinster's undisputed first choice 12, that he isn't is another question mark hanging over Cullen (I think everyone agrees that Leinster's deficiencies are carrying over to Ireland but LC and AF are acting like it is still 2018). Osborne's future isn't at 15, playing him there is wasting time which could be used to develop him as a top class 12.
This series should have been about transitioning to the players who you expect to be playing in the WC27. Give them the next two 6Ns to develop, not flogging guys who are already past it.
Crowley was brilliant in the Leinster game and deserved his shot, but he was less than ordinary at international level in the past and also yesterday, but Prendergast is also not a shoe in, I wish they (Leinster and Ireland) would give Frawley a bit more time at 10 so that he can either prove himself or be relegated to the bench as has been the case since that disaterous game after his heroics in South Africa. There just doesn't seem to be any other prospects at 10, and both Crowley and Prendergast are not up to it at this stage.
Harry Byrne is a definite option. I genuinely think he has a strong chance to take the 10 jersey for Leinster this season. He's playing well, has a more complete game than Prendergast currently, and can tackle.
Osborne could be a good 12 at international level, but I really dislike him at 15. He got rave reviews for his performances in SA last summer but I wasn’t onboard that hype train. People got very carried away with the fact that he’s good in the air and can kick the ball a long way, but he offers nothing in attack from that position and doesn’t have much pace.
Frawley was given the chance at 10 for Leinster and never nailed it down. He showed flaws in his passing game that meant it wasn't worth persisting with. Lancaster and Cullen had every chance to persist, but decided Ross and Harry Byrne were better options.
I like Frawley as a player. He's a good passing and kicking option from 12 and a decent sized athlete. But people need to stop acting like he's never been given a shot at flyhalf. He got one and it was quickly decided he was better elsewhere.
I understand why Farrell likes him. He's a 'messy' kind of player. It's the same reason why I and many other Leinster fans rate him. He takes risks and isn't afraid of making the big play. But his control or the game isn't good enough to make him a provincial 10, let alone a test one.
Any cap we give Frawley at 10 is a waste of an opportunity for someone else. There’s no two ways about it. He’s a decent player but in terms of Leinster and Ireland squads, his best number is 24
In hindsight and looking back (and I was critical of Crowley's non selection) that Farrell has giving Sam time to try and claim the jersey, the fact that neither have is a concern. Id have loved to see Crowley take that game by the scruff of the neck last night, he didn't some of it his fault some were the fault if his teammates.
You could argue that if Crowley got the run of games that Prendergast got that he might be a better option but it is what it is now.
I wouldn't write either of them off yet but one of them has to pull clear of the other or even better would be that both improve their weaknesses
Was about to log in to post exactly this.
Sexton and O Gara were both dropped by ireland numerous times when they were in their early 20s and had to battle for the jersey and it made them better players.
I really don’t think many understand concussion
That is the problem in rugby
Remembering we are talking about a player who had to rule himself out of matches just this summer.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/aug/06/rugbys-problems-run-much-deeper-than-concussion-from-the-odd-big-hit
Yes That is his game and people only really started to understand that those’ % doesn’t work’ actually were a percentage decision where cover was available.
What he actually did was not a percentage decision, he just blasted out of the line into no man’s land.
Now he does shoot out to blitz more than ever under Nienaber, but that was not a blitz, it was someone who had just rattled his brain and was running into space.
Crowley got an entire Nov series, 6 Nations and summer tour as a starter, you can't fault Farrell for not backing him. He was dropped for not performing well enough, as Prendergast has been.
The really are reaching here. I'll leave you to it.
Oh and bye the way I know about concussion. My wife was badly concussed in a riding accident nearly 30 years ago and we are still living with the consequences.
None of the Irish backs 3 covered themselves in glory.
a very average trio.
Schroedingers Farrell.
He's both too conservative and never changes the selection, whilst at the same time drops players on a whim in favour of the next shiny object.
This place sometimes......
He was dropped to give Farrell time to invest in a player who really hasn't progressed from what we all saw as his potential.
The problem with your post is that those of us you quoted are separate people with different opinions.
"This place sometimes" implies we shouldn't have or express diverse opinions at all - on a discussion forum.
Rather than sniping at others could you maybe offer your own or just scroll past.
he was dropped because wasn't playing well, simple as. Prendergast was playing better, he got the gig. Same reason he started yesterday.
What would you consider as Crowley’s best performance for Ireland?
What's this little game you're playing here, what would consider as Sam's best performance for Ireland.
Anyone know, if we beat Japan are we guaranteed to remain within the top 6 of the world rankings?
So we could in theory put out our strongest team for Japan, win that well presumably, and then we could have two good tests that will have no material effect on world ranking before the draw next month.
We could experiment completely freely against Australia and South Africa.
I would like to see a change to personnel and tactics for those two matches if the pressure will be off by then.
This is based on the assumption the draw will be random so there won’t be any difference between finishing anywhere in the top 6, all will be drawn out of the one pot with equal chance of a good or bad draw.
Whatever is learned can be brought into the 6 Nations, and then one step ahead of experimenting in the summer and next autumn. Although those summer and autumn tests will go towards a new competition I think? So perhaps more pressure on those than this series.
Sam really wasn't playing better. He had great cameos but like Crowley last night he had moments to forget too.
I’d say the game against Scotland in the 6N. He was very good that day.
Have to agree to disagree there, he was clearly playing better last season and demonstrated capabilities that Crowley doesn't have. Namely his elite passing and kicking.
haha good one…
who did he kick to? DMAC and Jordan?
give over.
go back and have a look at leinster and munster recently, you'll see an outhalf playing well with support around him.
Prendergast was fairly average last season. He played well vs a rubbish Fiji side that got hammered out the gate, but he was a bit of a disaster come April/May.
What are on about? My post was referring to Prendergast last season .
But not error free so what's the point
If one of them gets injured, it will be interesting to see where we go.
He got what all new players with zero analysis done on them get - a free shot. Now teams are hoping he starts. He needs someone to run at him to create gaps with last minute passes. You can literally see his thought process when he has the ball, pass - oh no that channel is blocked, kick - not enough time will be blocked down, take contact? Nope. pass anyway BINGO intercept.
Now teams know to just not tackle him and cover his passing channels. He's like having an extra man in defence.
Now you have teams capitalising off the skip pass with intercepts. I was delighted when he passed his HIA against Munster, I knew we'd win then.
There's the argument that Prendergast's deficiencies are more manageable than Crowley's. Teams have been hiding OHs in defense since the dawn of time. Crowley has had fundamental issues running an attack at this level, his kicking game isn't good enough amd his passing is inferior.
