“That confidence has always been there in Jack,” Ireland‘s defense expert Simon Easterby remarked. “That’s not just now, it was what he was like when he first came in.”
Along with his rival no 10s in the Ireland camp, Jack Crowley has been backed to fill the vacuum created by Johnny Sexton’s absence.
Crowley is favored to play at out-half against France in Friday’s Six Nations opener in Marseille, as Sexton has now retired.
Ross Byrne wouldn’t be facing a fight if he wasn’t listed as a casualty, but that isn’t the case. For present, the jersey belongs to Crowley.
“Jack has always exuded that confidence,” Simon Easterby, the Ireland defense coach, remarked. “That’s not just now, it was what he was like when he first came in.”
Easterby, who led the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa in the fall of 2022, remembers how the Munster man won over the management group.
Easterby, who verified that the entire team, including captain Peter O’Mahony, trained yesterday, added, “He impressed us with the way he handles himself, the way he demands high standards, and not just of others but of himself and that’s the mark of a young man that’s driving to be really successful.”
“He, along with all of our 10s, Harry (Byrne), Frawls (Ciarán Frawley), and Sam coming in, will have gained a great deal from his time with Johnny.
Jack is undoubtedly one of the players that is eager to take the reins, and I believe we have a pretty nice mix of individuals in that position right now.
“I think the group is really nice right now, but there’s a bit of a void to fill, I guess, but that’s what losing a player like Johnny leaves. The other guys will be pushing each other to try and force our hand in selection.”
“Sam is one of the four who is putting in a lot of effort to fill that and try to better and emulate what we’ve done before.”
When asked to summarize the key takeaways from the Ireland management’s internal World Cup assessment with the players this week, Easterby first claimed that Ireland’s quarter-final match against New Zealand was characterized by insufficient shooting.
He responded with more thought when pressed later on that.
We looked at it this week with Faz and Catts (Mike Catt), and we had possibilities to go and punish New Zealand more, but we didn’t do that, Easterby said. “I wouldn’t say firing shots—maybe that wasn’t the right term.”
Without a doubt, we scored points. Simply said, I believe it was a little too simple to score against us. Less than three or four phases were used in all three attempts.
There were just a few opportunities for the opposing side to attack the ball, and we believe that if we had been in a better position or exerted a little more effort to get into position, we would have had
“My goal was to do that, not to shoot people. After completing that, we pursued New Zealand. The difference was that after falling behind 13-0, we rallied and continued pursuing them, allowing them to take the lead once more.
We thought about it this week. There will always be opportunities that you feel like you lost out on. We didn’t fire any shots, I wouldn’t say that.
The former star of Ireland’s back row is eager for the next chapter to begin.
Under the lights on a Friday night, “I’m sure it will be a brilliant atmosphere, hostile as well,” Easterby remarked.
