Ronan O'Gara: The perils of a Crowley v Prendergast deep dive

The step up from the Australia game to the world champions, where the trust among men is absolute, means the minimum expectation is Ireland will be tested both sides of the ball on Saturday and they’d better be ready

SLIDING DOORS: Ireland's out halves Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley swap roles during the second half of last week's win over Australia at the Aviva Stadium. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

THIS ONE ain’t going to be an easy needle to thread. It isn’t even that I’m scribbling some thoughts in advance of Ireland’s team confirmation for Saturday’s key autumn test against the world champion Springboks.

Even with the team in hand, there are zero absolutes now in the debate over who has rightful ownership of Ireland’s ten jersey.