Possession may be nine-tenths of the law but there are few days off for a player with first dibs on a jersey that is coveted by rivals. Alternatives always seem shiny and pristine when wrapped in a tracksuit. Jack Crowley has compiled an impressive body of work since taking ownership of what previously belonged to Johnny Sexton.
The 24-year-old has worked diligently and to largely good effect in stepping out from shadow to sunlight: 18 caps, 121 points and several highly accomplished performances over the last 13-months as Ireland’s first-choice pivot. There are still gaps to be filled in rugby education. Evolution takes time. Few if any players emerge fully formed to cope with the demands of Test rugby.
It takes tempering and Crowley has been subjected to a forging, hardening process, one that naturally has an umbilical link to how the team functions. It’s a symbiotic relationship. He needs the team to hum, for the collective to be in tune to enable him to serve as the general factotum and creative hub.
Ciarán Frawley’s two drop goals that secured victory in the second Test against the Springboks in Durban during the summer was a down payment on the Irish 10 shirt. Crowley returned to lead the team against New Zealand in the first match of the autumn series, with his closest pursuer on the bench.
Both outhalves were marooned on the backwash of a substandard team performance. Cohesion, discipline, accuracy and energy were marked absent on a black night. It cost Frawley a place in the matchday 23 for the Argentina game, Sam Prendergast the beneficiary.
Crowley didn’t emerge unscathed from the postgame review. He needed to re-establish his primacy and for 40-minutes on Friday night he offered a reminder of his talent. In doing so he leaned heavily on several qualities that made him such an exciting prospect at Ireland under-20 level.
He challenged the gainline as an individual, thereby creating a time and space continuum for his team-mates. The Argentinian defence couldn’t slide off him to honeypot other Irish carriers. Crowley’s try provided the perfect illustration. He identified loose head prop Thomas Gallo idling and a slashing step off his right foot took the Irish outhalf over the try line.
Going forward, literally and figuratively, that’s what he needs to bring on a regular basis. It’s not enough to be a dispensary. He must play flat, sniff out some personal space from time to time and, in doing so, allow the rest of the backline space to breathe.
Before his try Crowley had survived Matias Moroni’s clumsy head hit, the pain perhaps eased by the fact that Ireland scored two tries while the centre was off the pitch. Ireland’s attacking patterns were sharp, making use of the extra space, and had Tadhg Beirne been able to ground the ball for a third try in the first 15 minutes, the home side might have disappeared over the horizon.
Crowley played with a swagger, a nice dummy to kick saw him then beat a couple of tacklers. His restarts were largely accurate, while he showed ambition and nerve with his line kicking, getting good distance. His cleanout work at rucks and tackling were good. He brought the half to an end by hoofing the ball into the crowd. The expectation was that after the resumption he would pick up where he left off.
That is not how things transpired. Immediately after the break, a superb line kick brought play from the Ireland 22 to the Argentina half. Crowley misjudged the flight of a high ball, overcooked a cross-kick and conceded a penalty for tackling his opposite number, Tómas Albornoz, in the air. Nothing heinous but it was part of a general unravelling of Ireland’s ascendancy.
A Garryowen drifted long, a grubber kick was a wrong choice, the better decision to keep the ball in hand. It was to be Crowley’s final action as the clock ticked into the 62 minute, when Prendergast was summoned from the bench to make his debut.
Crowley shipped some physical punishment to which his face and lip attested, and perhaps a little tiredness crept into one or two decisions. There’s no doubt that the team lost its rhythm, and ultimately its way, in that third quarter.
Prendergast grabbed the reins and demonstrated some deft touches, especially a couple of nicely delayed passes, the first of which might have created a try for James Lowe, but the wing spilled the ball forward through contact. The young outhalf seemed unfazed and was happy to back himself on the gain-line, as he showed near the touchline inside the Argentina 22.
He’ll have to learn quickly that standing upright in the tackle is a one-way ticket back to the sideline or worse, yet there is no doubting his bravery; Prendergast is content to lure tacklers into thumping him in the hope of putting a team-mate in space. Being more judicious in that respect has obvious health benefits.
It’s admirable if there’s a chance to engineer a definitive line break but a relentless game of chicken with opponents looking to leave marks doesn’t have medium-term viability. On Saturday Fiji come calling and will present a very different and potentially difficult assignment.
Whomever Ireland head coach Andy Farrell chooses to start at outhalf – Crowley, Prendergast or Frawley – it won’t be based on last Friday night. There will have been a plan in place that predates the Argentina game. It’s still Crowley’s jersey.
