Battle born in Limerick
And it could be a battle today against Scotland at Murrayfield, as both Limerick hookers get game time to show their wares in advance of the World Cup.
Cronin will start and undoubtedly Flannery will be introduced at some stage, whether the senior man finishes is actually a matter for debate. But Cronin is merely looking to the short-term.
“There are four of us in camp at the moment and a couple of guys on stand-by as well, I presume,” he said.
“But that’s the kind of thing that drives you on, having competition. With Jerry coming back on to the scene you know you are going to have to do your best if you get a chance in the upcoming games.”
Given the long recent history of Flannery’s difficulties, he remains a bit of an unknown quantity but Cronin is impressed with his former Shannon colleague’s credentials.
“I’ve watched Jerry long enough, and played with Jerry in Shannon. It has been a while since he played and presumably it’s difficult to get back into the swing of things, especially when it’s full contact and full match pace.
“But he’s a great player; he’s done terrifically well to come back and we’ll see how he goes.”
Having just made the move from Connacht to Leinster, Cronin is looking forward to a stint in Dublin with the reigning Heineken Cup champions but is delighted Connacht made the cut for Europe’s premier event for the first time.
“There is absolutely no regret. I was absolutely delighted and it’s great to see they have moved on. They have started to develop the ground a bit and it’s great to see. It’s very exciting for them and I wish them the best.”
Equally, he relishes the prospect of working every week with a stronger Leinster squad.
“It’s been brilliant. I’ve really enjoyed the first five or six weeks that I’ve had.
“They are a good bunch of lads and Joe Schmidt seems like a terrific coach. I haven’t really been working with many of the lads because national players have been doing their own bit in camp but I’m really looking forward to it.
But now isn’t about Leinster, it’s about pushing to establish himself as Ireland’s premier hooker and he figures he will get plenty of help in his bid to make it.
“The main part of rugby is about taking chances when you’re given chances. Scotland will provide a thorny challenge, as they did in last February’s Six Nations game at Murrayfield [Ireland scored the only three tries but won by just three points].
“The mood in camp has been fairly relaxed for the last five or six weeks, because we’ve been mainly working on conditioning, strength work and skills.
“I’d say it has started to get tense this week, moving close to the first warm-up match,” he added.
“The tension levels will definitely rise a good bit because there are places on the line.
“There is a lot of competition and very tight calls in certain areas of the squad. There will be difficult calls for some players.”
AN increased number of Friday night floodlit games will be key attractions for this season’s Ulster Bank League.
The IRFU announced plans yesterday to increase Friday night games across all four divisions with a first floodlit club game at Aviva Stadium as Lansdowne host defending champions Old Belvedere on Friday October 14. On the same night at Musgrave Park a huge derby sees Dolphin face Cork Constitution.
The new look Ulster Bank League sees 10 teams in Division 1A and Division 1B with 15 teams each in Divisions 2A and 2B.
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