JACK Crowley is primed to grasp the biggest moment of his rugby career.
The recently-turned 24 year old is the heir to the throne vacated by Johnny Sexton – and the next man in line to wear the iconic number 10 Ireland jersey.
But the newly-crowned West Cork Sports Star of the Year is not fazed by the pressure. Instead, he’s determined to make the most of an incredible opportunity.
Two legends, Ronan O’Gara and Sexton, have owned this position, and now the former Bandon RFC prodigy is next in line to stake a claim for the Ireland outhalf role. Bring it on, he says.
‘I think if you asked any other lad at any other province or any other team in the URC and whatnot, you always aspire to be in the starting position,’ Crowley said.
‘You want to be that guy. I'd be lying if I said otherwise.
‘And given the calibre of the two lads and what they’ve done for their provinces and for Ireland as a nation – they’ve obviously served massively and achieved massively.
‘Of course, that comparison is going to be there and there’s an expectation. But I think that’s what makes Irish rugby so good: that we have that expectation and ambition. I hope that we can fill that.
‘I suppose we can only really judge that on the main stage.
‘(Johnny Sexton has) been there and done it and there’s so much evidence in terms of, if I was to compare myself directly to him, it’d be difficult because he’s been to those big occasions and he’s delivered on them. For me, it’s about going and doing it.
‘When I get the opportunity – or if I get the opportunity – then it’s about taking it. And then we can compare.’
Crowley will make his first Six Nations start for Ireland in the 2024 competition’s opening game this Friday night in Marseille, and it will only be his second appearance in the Six Nations; he came off the bench against Italy last season. It’s been an incredible rise for Crowley, who only joined the Greencore Munster Rugby Academy in 2020. His first Munster start was in October 2021 against Ospreys, yet here he is now, in February 2024 the next in line to wear the Irish No 10 jersey. He knows he has huge boots to fill – Sexton played in every Six Nations from 2010 to ’23 and is Ireland’s record points scorer whereas of Crowley’s nine caps, just three were as a starting No 10.
Opportunity now knocks for the former Bandon Grammar School student who has shown with Munster that he’s not one to shirk the challenge. He’ll embrace it, Ireland defence coach Simon Easterby has predicted.
‘Jack's always had that confidence,’ Easterby said. ‘That's not just now, it's what he was like when he first came in. I experienced Jack in Bloemfontein with the Emerging tour and he impressed all of us with the way he handles himself. He demands high standards, not just of others but himself. That's the mark of a young man that is driving to be really successful.’
And now it’s his time to shine, starting under Friday night lights.
