It’s just under 16 months until the 2027 World Cup in Australia, and Ireland head coach Andy Farrell still appears to be none the wiser when it comes to the identity of his first-choice out-half.
Many observers feel this lack of selection clarity in such a crucial position, as the national team approaches the final bend of this World Cup cycle, is a significant problem for Farrell.
Andy Farrell and his assistant Johnny Sexton in training – Ireland were over dependent on Sexton for years and it cost them at World Cups, both men are aware of that history for 2027
We’re not so sure. Yes, Johnny Sexton left a massive void in this setup when he retired after the 2023 World Cup. The Leinster playmaker was a generational talent, a tactical genius an inspirational figure.
It was no surprise that he dominated three consecutive World Cup cycles. Once Sexton emerged from the shadows of Ronan O’Gara, he was the undisputed conductor-in-chief for the 2015, 2019 and 2023 World Cup campaigns.
The likes of Ian Madigan, Paddy Jackson, Joey Carbery, Ross Byrne and Jack Carty all briefly challenged the international pecking order at No10, but Sexton reigned supreme for the best part of 12 years. And with good reason. No other out-half in the system was consistently hitting the same levels of performance.
Sexton’s impact behind the scenes was sizeable, too. He drove high standards and, as James Ryan once noted, there was a notable lift in intensity when Sexton was in the vicinity.
Jack Crowley has missed the summer tour but has shown he can be Ireland’s lead man at No10
The problem for Ireland was there was perhaps an over-reliance on him. Sexton’s utter dominance of the position created problems down the line. Three crucial World Cup game, which all ended in failure, illustrate this point.
In 2015, then head coach Joe Schmidt, who was already dealing with a mounting injury list and Sean O’Brien’s suspension, lost Sexton on the eve of a crunch quarter-final with Argentina. Madigan, who was starved of game-time at Leinster, was thrown in at the deep end.
Four years later, it was deja vu when Sexton was ruled out ahead of that ill-fated pool clash with Japan in Shizuoka. Schmidt turned to Carty, who had little exposure at Test level, to steer a vulnerable Ireland through a challenging encounter.
In 2023, Sexton — who was now 38 — was still on the pitch when Ireland were chasing a match-winning try against the All Blacks in the dying seconds of a pulsating quarter-final in Paris, with an inexperienced Jack Crowley kicking his heels on the bench.
Sam Prendergast has had a rocky time of it but has proven he can positively impact the team
Have you noticed a pattern? If that revision of history seems overly harsh, it’s not a unique viewpoint. Sexton, himself, drew the same conclusion earlier this year.
Now serving as an assistant coach in the Ireland setup, Sexton stated that Andy Farrell was seeking to learn the lessons of the past and give a number of out-halves exposure at this level.
‘It’s important that not only those two (Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast) but Harry Byrne and Ciaran Frawley too, that they keep developing and getting game time,’ Sexton said in February.
‘So there are four guys. All the criticism from previous 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.’
It may seem like Farrell has flitted between the various options in recent years and much has been made of the Crowley and Prendergast rivalry.
The net result of all this selection tinkering is that Ireland will be going to a World Cup with a multitude of options at out-half.
Crowley, who sat out this tour with a leg injury, already has 36 international caps under his belt. All going well, Prendergast could have a similar number of Test caps by the time he boards the flight to Australia next year.
Frawley hasn’t got as many runs but got the nod to play Japan and he is likely to see far more time in the No10 shirt when he settles in at Connacht next season.
Farrell knows what he can bring as a bench option as well. This, after all, was a player who blasted over two clutch drop goals against the Springboks in Durban a few years back. Frawley’s cameo at No10 against Bordeaux in Bilbao wouldn’t have gone unnoticed either.
Byrne still has a lot of ground to make up but he is learning the ropes in Farrell’s setup.
Ciaran Frawley offers something different and will get lots of exposure at 10 with Connacht now
When Ireland rock up to the World Cup in Australia next year, they will be staring down the barrel of 40 years of failure – stretching all the way back to the inaugural tournament in the same neck of the woods back in 1987.
Whatever else Irish rugby has achieved, and Farrell has overseen some landmark successes, never reaching a World Cup semi-final – or even winning a single knockout game – is a massive stain on the game in this country.
Not having sufficiently prepared cover in key positions has been a critical factor in Ireland consistently coming up short and nowhere has this been more significant than at out-half.
Now, it appears that Farrell is planning to arrive in Australia with a clutch of No10 options sufficiently road-tested so that if one goes down, someone else is ready to step in. That is a definite break with the past and the fact that they each carry different skill-sets is another string to Farrell’s bow.
The situation at out-half is dominating debate around the national team and people are unnerved by the lack of clarity after years of Sexton in the role.
However, when you factor in Ireland’s long and troubled World Cup history, all this uncertainty at No10 could actually be a blessing in disguise.
