Crowley stays present after reclaiming Ireland spot

From Stuart McCloskey’s takedown of Marcus Smith to the coaching box’s delirious celebrations, Ireland’s resounding win over England conjured a series of enduring images.

McCloskey, who battered England with his buccaneering carries, was an obvious poster boy for the win. As were Rob Baloucoune, whose work at both ends of the field was lauded by head coach Andy Farrell, and Jamison Gibson-Park, who pulled the strings ingeniously in the record 42-21 win.

Given the intense scrutiny he has faced as one of the two key actors in Ireland’s fly-half debate, the headline-hogging endeavours of his team-mates would have suited Jack Crowley just fine.

Reinstated to the Ireland line-up for the England game following Sam Prendergast’s indifferent start to the Six Nations, Crowley re-established himself as Ireland’s first-choice 10 with a quietly confident display.

It was an important game for Crowley. Having played second fiddle to Prendergast for much of last year’s Six Nations, his Munster form elevated him back to the line-up for Ireland’s Chicago reunion with the All Blacks in November.

He kept his place for the following week’s win over Japan but Prendergast was entrusted from the start for the last two November games – against Australia and South Africa – and the first two Six Nations fixtures with France and Italy.

And while Crowley made a significant impact off the bench against Italy, his day ended with a missed touch-finder that wrecked his side’s hopes of securing a bonus point.

Even with that, Crowley did not feel the England game was about “proving my point”.

“Being honest, no [there was no extra pressure],” said the 26-year-old, who is retained at fly-half for Friday’s game against Wales in Dublin (20:10 GMT).

The online debate surrounding Crowley and Prendergast moved Farrell to launch an impassioned plea for “keyboard warriors” to “cop on” following the Italy win.

It has been a constant discussion point ever since a then 21-year-old Prendergast was elevated to the starting line-up during the 2024 autumn internationals. That one plays for Leinster and the other Munster has only fanned the flames.

Having been through his own battle for the shirt with Ronan O’Gara, Johnny Sexton – now an Ireland assistant coach – last year revealed he told Crowley and Prendergast to delete their social media accounts.

But while online commentary had Farrell visibly irritated a few weeks ago, Crowley appeared unperturbed when the topic was raised before the Wales match.

“It is [easy] if you just if you just put it away, don’t engage with it,” he said.

“It’s like anything. You have a choice and you can choose to not engage. You can choose to engage. And it’s just like creating good habits day to day, like with your nutrition or diet or training performance, you make a choice and you commit to it.”

Social media comments are one thing but Crowley understands that the atmosphere during games can affect players too.

Against England, his opposite number George Ford was ironically cheered for finding touch after missing two earlier efforts.

“I think pre-empting situations where you’re going to be under pressure, whether it’s in play or whether it’s your individual technique,” he said when asked how to deal with a hostile environment.

“For us it might be kicking, but for line-out throwers, it might be the pressure that they could be getting in hostile environments. So during the week, just feeling what it might be like to be under a little bit of pressure.

With the shirt in his possession once more, the onus is now on Crowley to continue his solid form heading into a World Cup year.

For him, that means sticking to his process of trying to simplify in-game decisions in the face of the uncertainty and chaos that Test rugby brings.

“I’m not focusing too much on what’s going well and what’s not going well [in his own game], I’m just focusing on how I can bring my best day to day.