Cronin has proud French record
“Have I ever lost a game in France?” he says, repeating the question.
For a few seconds there exists the very real possibility the man from Limerick may possess the type of unblemished record on the continent which past generations of Irish players could only dismiss as fantasy.
As he flicks back through the memory bank he ticks off two trips to Stade de France with Ireland that produced a draw and a win and thinks back to his Connacht visits which produced victories against Bayonne and Dax.
Bayonne was his first time over there.
Connacht were already out of contention for the Amlin Challenge Cup so they went to the Basque country with an expansive, devil-may-care attitude and looked on astonished as the home supporters damn near spat on their own players after the loss.
Then there’s Leinster. His first appearance in France with his current club produced a crucial try off the bench in Montpellier, one borne of annoyance at having been unused the week before against Munster, and that helped them to a draw.
There was the win in Castres this January and that epic semi-final in Bordeaux, too, when Clermont Auvergne were dispatched. Then he remembers it, a three-point loss to Clermont in their own Stade Marcel Michelin last season.
“Still, not a bad record,” he smiles.
It’s no surprise when he expresses a liking for the country. Castres wouldn’t be high on many peoples’ list of notable French places, but Cronin loved it for the fact such a small conurbation could produce a side that won last year’s Top 14.
“It’s a place I’d love to play,” he says of the country in general. “I have aspirations to go to France. 100%. I definitely want to go there. I don’t know when. It could be very soon, it could be in a couple of years. I just love the atmosphere, I love the whole build-up around it. I look forward to playing there. At the end of the day, that’s why you get into this thing: to play in places like this.”
He doesn’t link the two implicitly but his thoughts on a spell abroad can’t easily be separated from his ongoing frustration with life as a back-up and he wears the number 16 jersey yet in Toulontomorrow afternoon.
It’s not that he could have done a whole lot more.
When Richardt Strauss was diagnosed with a heart condition that required surgery earlier this season it was left to Cronin to hold the fort at the centre of the front row and he obliged with a string of excellent performances. He explains how hookers, like scrum-halves or out-halves, work in specialised roles which require regular game time and he felt he proved as much either side of the New Year when Strauss was three months in recovery.
By the time the Six Nations hovered into view Cronin had serious aspirations about beating Rory Best to the starting slot, but he had to make do instead with 63 minutes spread over the course of the five games.
Frustrating? “More frustrated at the start because I thought I was bringing in particularly good form and maybe I was hoping that… You are always hoping to start for your country but you have to respect the coach’s call, Joe’s call.
“Rory is a fantastic player and he had a superb Six Nations, the whole team had a great Six Nations, and it was fantastic to be a part of it. I did get a bit of a chance, a few minutes here and there, and you try to do the best you can with every opportunity.”
What else can he say? Yet it can’t have been any easier last week when Strauss was chosen to start against Munster and Matt O’Connor has stuck with the South-African-born option this weekend for this Heineken quarter-final.
Schmidt is constantly reminding the players of the need to work in the ‘mind gym’, to be prepared for anything at any time, but Ronan O’Gara wrote in his last book about how much he hated being on the bench and Cronin is of a similar mind.
“I’m coming to a stage in my career now where I’m starting to hate it more and more, really. It’s a tough place to be. It’s a mentally sapping environment to be in because you’ve prepared all week.”
He’s proven himself against Toulon before. Four years ago he almost claimed their scalp for Connacht in an Amlin Cup semi-final when he was bundled into touch and a cameraman late on when rampaging towards the line. What he wouldn’t give for a similar shot tomorrow.
“Business Degree in Griffith College.”
2. Favourite holiday destination?
“New York.”
3. Do you have any superstitions or routines to do before a game?
“I always wear two pairs of socks.”
4. What work are you doing in the community?
“I work with the hookers on the St Mary’s senior team and help with some patterns of play where I am needed.”
5. Which famous four would you invite to dinner?
“Mike Tyson, John F Kennedy, Usain Bolt and Luis Suarez.”
6. What’s your favourite movie?
“The Godfather.”
7. Favourite sport other than rugby?
“Hurling.”
8. Most memorable moment in your career?
“The Heineken Cup final in 2012.”
9. Where were you when the clock struck midnight on New Year’s?
“Sitting on my couch watching TV.”
10. Who is your best mate?
“Fergus McFadden”
11. If you could be a character from a book or movie who would you be?
“Superman.”
12. If you were stuck on an island what three things would you have?
“My phone, laptop and Love/Hate series.”
13. Who is your favourite rugby player?
“Sitiveni Sivivatu.”
14. Favourite toy as a child?
My Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures.”
15. What did you want to be growing up?
“A teacher.”
16. Favourite musicians band?
“Red Hot Chili Peppers.”
17. Who are your heroes?
“My parents.”
18. Biggest fear?
“Heights.”
19. Favourite TV series?
“Friends”
20. What would like to be doing once you’ve finished playing rugby?
“I would like to be self-employed, perhaps own my own business.”
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