Cronin happy with Connacht move

Hooker Sean Cronin believes his decision to leave Munster and head to Connacht has paid dividends after he was named in Ireland’s starting line-up for their one-off Test against New Zealand on Saturday.

While injuries to Rory Best and Jerry Flannery have helped to propel the 23-year-old into the role of first-choice rake, Cronin is adamant the regular game time he has enjoyed in the Magners League and Amlin Challenge Cup this season with Connacht is what got him noticed in the first place.

“I moved up there to try and get some game time because I was behind the likes of Jerry Flannery and Frankie Sheehan when I was at Munster, so I wasn’t getting much game time or exposure,” said the former Munster Academy player.

“I just sat down and weighed up my options and said I’d take the chance and move up.

“It’s worked out very well. I’ve got a lot of game time up there and pushed my way in here. It’s been a good move for me.”

Cronin has just two caps after playing against Fiji last November and Wales in this year’s Six Nations.

But he has plenty of experience packing down in the front row at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth with prop John Hayes lining up for his 103rd appearance in the green jersey.

“He’s a seasoned campaigner. Hayes knows a lot of tricks so hopefully he can tell me a few come Saturday so I can get into the game nice and early,” Cronin added.

The Limerick man is also known for his mobility around the field and his ability to sniff out the try-line but he knows the onus will be on getting things right at the line-out and scrums first.

“Your bread and butter have to be flawless at Test level but I enjoy getting my hands on the ball and trying to make an impact the best I can. If I’m able to combine both on Saturday it will be a great day.”

Skipper Brian O’Driscoll said the inclusion of Cronin, his Connacht team-mate John Muldoon plus the uncapped pair of John Fogarty and Dan Tuohy on the bench had brought plenty of enthusiasm to the team, who are looking to end a 105 year drought against the All Blacks.

“It’s their opportunity to shine and they bring that spark to the squad that some of us old-timers need,” the 31-year-old said.

“It’s exciting times for the likes of John Muldoon and Sean Cronin getting their starts. They’ve had big seasons and with a bit of luck they will take their opportunities.”

Ronan O’Gara is another who will hoping to make the most of his opportunities after he got the nod at fly-half ahead of the more attacking-minded Jonathan Sexton, who started the last three matches in the Six Nations.

Coach Declan Kidney’s decision to turn to veteran O’Gara, who will be playing in his 99th Test on Saturday, was perhaps not unsurprising given the opposition and the wealth of experience that Ireland will be missing through injuries to Paul O’Connell, Best, Flannery, Denis Leamy, Stephen Ferris and Shane Horgan.

“Ronan has been playing well over the last couple of months and I think he deserves this start,” said Kidney. “I’ve said all along we’re blessed because we have Ronan who is a top-class outside half and Jonathan who is gaining experience all the time and every opportunity he’s got he’s taken it.

“I think Ronan is the right guy for this game. There would be a mixture of reasons for it, some of it is just a feel, some of it is experience.”

In all Kidney made 10 changes to the team that lost to the Barbarians last Friday with first-choice selections such as O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy, Tommy Bowe, Donncha O’Callaghan, David Wallace and Cian Healy, who were either rested or had only limited game time at Thomond Park, all returning to the starting XV.

Mick O’Driscoll – a substitute against the Barbarians – joins O’Callaghan in the second row in the absence of his Munster team-mate O’Connell.

As with any trip to New Zealand, Ireland’s poor record against the All Blacks has been a hot topic since the team touched down in Auckland on Sunday night.

Their best result in 22 matches has been a 10-10 draw in Dublin 37 years ago.

Brian O’Driscoll, who has been on the losing side seven times in his 101-Test career, was asked if Saturday’s game represented the last chance for himself and others like O’Gara to beat New Zealand on their own soil.

“Unless they are planning on making it to a World Cup final next year,” the Irish skipper replied with a grin.

“You don’t really think about those sort of things but it’s been said recently that the next time you play the All Blacks is the best time to beat them. Saturday just happens to be the next time.

“I thoroughly look forward to the challenge both as an individual ... and collectively as a side trying to get the better of them.

“It hasn’t happened to date but it’s going to happen sometime before the world implodes. Let’s hope it happens sooner rather than later.”