Johnny Sexton backs Jack Crowley but warns Ireland fly-half ahead of England clash

Sexton says Crowley’s Italy impact was impressive but starting against England demands control, composure and consistency from kickoff

Johnny Sexton on Jack Crowley's performance against Italy: "He wasn’t setting anything up, he was getting the ball to the space, when it was there, in the moment, and that’s a big development for him." Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Johnny Sexton praised Jack Crowley’s performance off the bench against Italy but warned the Ireland fly-half he will have to perform to the same levels from minute one at Twickenham if he gets the number 10 jersey to face England.

Crowley appears to be the front runner to get the nod from Andy Farrell ahead of last Saturday’s starter Sam Prendergast when the Ireland boss names his side before departure from Dublin Airport on Thursday morning. 

His 25 minutes off the bench transformed a tight Guinness Six Nations contest at Aviva Stadium from a 10-10 stalemate into a 20-13 victory as he was instrumental in the sweeping attack that led to the decisive try from Rob Baloucoune and added a conversion and penalty following Prendergast’s failure to converted two straightforward kicks at the Italian posts.

The Munster playmaker’s performance earned the praise of head coach Farrell with former fly-half and captain Sexton adding to the plaudits as Ireland ramped up their preparations for the round-three trip to London in Abbottstown on Tuesday. The assistant coach did, however, remind Crowley, 26, that were he to win the selection battle ahead of his 23-year-old rival he would need to sustain the game management he implemented as a replacement from the first whistle.

“I think the way he came on and attacked the game at the weekend was very impressive,” Sexton said of Crowley.

“The energy he brought and, with that, making good decisions. He wasn’t setting anything up, he was getting the ball to the space, when it was there, in the moment, and that’s a big development for him.

“I suppose it’s the hardest thing to do in international rugby, the difference between a good game and a bad game is when the space is there, you’ve got to go there, because if you set a phase up, it’s not going to be there the next time because teams are too good. That’s the big difference between club rugby and international rugby.

“So what he did on Saturday was good in that regard and now, if he starts, he’ll have to do it from minute one. I suppose it can be different from the start, you have to manage the game a bit more. So yeah, each time whether they’re on the bench or starting, it’s a different challenge.” 

Sexton dismissed Prendergast’s two conversion misses as a blip which he suggested overshadowed an otherwise strong performance against Italy.

"Well, Sam is two from two against France. I know he didn't have a lot of kicks (against Italy) and he missed a couple of bad ones. It's a one-off. Could they be better? Do they want to be better? I'm sure. Yeah. Like every kicker. You never have it fully nailed. That's the toughest thing about kicking. It will hit you when you least expect it.

“Sam, he had the ball on a string for 95% of last week and probably just rushed the first (kick) and that probably rattled him a little bit. We've all been there. It's just important that he learns from it and doesn't let it happen again.” 

Sexton would not be drawn on the selection decision ahead of Thursday’s team announcement but said: “Well, they both trained really well today. It’s important that not only those two but Harry Byrne and Ciaran Frawley, too, that they keep developing and getting game-time.

“So there are four guys and all the criticism from previous (World Cup) cycles is that we didn’t develop guys, that we have relied too heavily on one (player) in some positions. 

“So we’re doing it a different way now and whether that’s right or wrong, everyone judges it by the outcome but I know that in games to come, they’re going to hit their best form and they’ll be in a good place.” 

Sexton also insisted there would be no hurry to anoint a first-choice 10 ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Australia, throwing Frawley and Byrne into the mix as contenders alongside Crowley and Prendergast. The assistant coach also considered the factors involved in selecting players at different stages of their development but expressed his confidence in each of them to serve Ireland’s cause well.

“It is a balance. I am learning these things as well. There’s a World Cup in 18 months’ time and do we need to have guys ready for that? For sure. Do we need to win now? Yeah, we want to win now.

“So it’s a balance, isn't it. We still think we can win with any of the balance of the four out-halves we do pick, so that's the biggest challenge at the moment.”