No regrets for the road not taken for Ireland's Australian-born Ciaran Frawley 

The No 10 was born in Sydney and had interest from Down Under.

BLEED GREEN: Ciaran Frawley during Ireland training this week. Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland

It was November of 2021 when Ciaran Frawley first got the call to join Andy Farrell and his Ireland squad. Close to two years slipped by before he finally made his senior debut off the bench against Italy in a World Cup warm-up. 

The 21 months in between those bookends threw up any number of chapters that might have taken his story in different directions. The most obvious was the opportunity to cut his losses with Ireland and Irish rugby and declare for the Wallabies.

Born in Sydney to Irish parents, the versatile Leinster back spent the first three years of his life Down Under before the family relocated home to North Dublin and it was that background that tweaked interest from Eddie Jones and Australia.

It was a dead end.

“I was in and out of [Ireland] camps from 2021 and I felt my time was coming. I had a few injuries along the way, and obviously I was still qualified for Australia, but I never had a phone call with Eddie Jones.

“I knew there was interest from over there, but I was never going to go. I’ve lived in Ireland since I was three years old, Ireland was my home. I don’t want to move to the other side of the world when I felt I had the potential to do what I actually wanted to do.” 

That potential has been frustrated too often.

Fitness issues have held him back at times when he seemed to be in position to break through although he showed his capabilities with some impressive work for an Ireland XV against the New Zealand Maoris on the summer tour in 2022.

Farrell clearly sees him as a 10 but Leinster use him more as an inside-centre and at full-back. It has echoes of the Joey Carbery debate some years back when Leinster and Ireland differed on a best position and some felt Frawley too would be better off elsewhere.

The theory went that a move to another province would offer far more game time in the No.10 jersey that he declared as his first preference two years ago but the man himself declares ignorance over any such talk.

“I didn’t even know about that, the other provinces. You never look at it, know what I mean, friends could have opinions and maybe they’re listening to other people on social media and maybe that’s how they’re getting it to me.

“I’d never take heed of it. It’s funny, my dad would say to me don’t listen to whatever is going on, I don’t. I actually don’t. It helps on the pitch because you just focus on what you need to do for your teammates and coaches.” 

Is his versatility a blessing or a curse? Both, probably.

His performance at 10 when replacing the injured Ross Byrne against Munster in late November was superb and suggested he had all the tools to do the job on a longer basis but needs must and he was switched to 15 the next week with Harry Byrne at out-half.

It has worked in his favour in this Six Nations window, his adaptability earning him a spot on the bench against France when Ireland went with a 6/2 split and then a starting slot at full-back against Wales when Hugo Keenan had a rare injury.

So, what’s his preferred path now?

“I just want to play. That’s the main thing. I want to play in big games. I’ve kind of understood now at this stage… The way I see it is I think like a 10, I feel like I play like a 10 but I probably have the ability to jump into other positions and do a job there.

“So, for me, it is understanding that and then knowing that it will get me into the big games. That’s what I take the satisfaction from.” 

His composed performance against a Welsh team that never managed to test his defensive chops in the back field was enough to curb some of the fears that had built up over the inability to identify a readymade replacement for Keenan for so long.

That said, Keenan is expected to be fit in time for the Six Nations meeting with England in Twickenham this day next week and it remains to be seen if Frawley is on the bench given Garry Ringrose is fit again too.

Whatever comes next, Frawley knows he has a way to go.

“There's a lot of room for improvement. I was sitting down with Hugo Keenan, he's a mastermind of the back-field so I was sitting down with him and picking his brain. Catty's been brilliant with me, breaking down my game and work off the ball.

“It's a lot of the unseen work that creates the tries, working on that. Ball in hand, I know I have the capabilities to create something, so I'm constantly pushing on with that skillset and working on new things every time."