A ROG Shaped Hole

The number 10 jersey has a hallowed place in Munster Rugby lore. From the stoic and ever-reliable ROG to the mercurial Tony Ward, legendary names have occupied the position over the decades. The consistency of Ronan O’Gara during a career that spanned sixteen years cultivated certain expectations in the minds of Munster fans. Born was the expectation of quality and precision from those that wore the no. 10 jersey. O’Gara was the model of consistent excellence, having brought Munster to four Heineken Cup Finals in eight years and winning two, as well as reaching the knockout stages for ten consecutive seasons. In recent years many fans who remember the days of ROG may well have yearned for that consistency to return.

The province has featured somewhat of a revolving door at the outhalf position, leading to frustration from within the fan base. Since ROG’s retirement nine players have lined up for Munster at outhalf, yet only two of them have more than 65 caps. Ian Keatley and JJ Hanrahan, both long time servants of the club, amassed over 150 caps each but neither were ever seen as being a top Irish prospect. When Joey Carbery joined the province from rivals Leinster in 2018, we thought our flyhalf woes were behind us. Why wouldn’t we? Carbery was second in Joe Schmidt’s pecking order at the time, having made the green 22 shirt his to lose with some quality performances at the international level. With more meaningful playing time and not having to play second fiddle to Johnny Sexton, it was thought his continued development was a near certainty.

Despite the high expectations, Carbery has only played 51 times for Munster, the same amount as his back up, Ben Healy, has in a shorter career. Not all of this is Carbery’s fault, international duty has kept him away from the province, but bad injury luck is mostly to blame. After a very promising start that began with multiple Man of the Match performances in his opening games, he was struck down with an ankle injury while on international duty. Later he sustained a wrist injury and underwent surgery on both, keeping him out of the team for thirteen months. Only to return and fracture his elbow, once again requiring surgery. This lack of consistency meant Joey was excluded from Andy Farrell’s Six Nations squad in favour of Ross Byrne and his Munster teammate, Jack Crowley.

Recently talk has shifted to Munster’s two younger flyhalf options, Jack Crowley and Ben Healy. Their rivalry extends further back than most would expect. The pair met on opposing sides when Crowley’s Bandon Grammar faced Glenstal Abbey, captained by Ben Healy, in the 2018 Senior Cup quarter final. Healy triumphed over the newly promoted Grammar side, going on to claim Glenstal’s first Senior Cup title. The next year a reinvigorated Crowley led Bandon to victory over a Healy-less Glenstal Abbey to advance to the first semi-final in school history. Crowley scored 21 points that game, he really kicked on from this performance, signing with Munster’s academy the next year.

Jack broke out on the Emerging Ireland tour this Autumn. He was picked out as a star in the making and was fast tracked into the senior set up. In a three-month span Crowley went from third choice Munster flyhalf to starting against Australia in his second international appearance. He acquitted himself quite well, converting Ireland’s only try and adding a penalty of his own in a 13-10 victory. Healy has not had such luck on the international scene. With no interest from Andy Farrell and his coaching staff, Healy was lured away to Edinburgh by Gregor Townsend with the dream of playing international rugby for Scotland. Healy, who qualifies through his Scottish mother, was parachuted into the Scottish squad ahead of the 2023 Six Nations. Crowley, on the other hand, has cemented himself as a core member of the Munster squad, especially with his ability as a utility back. Oftentimes this season he’s slotted in at 12 alongside Carbery. This is an interesting partnership that may well lend the consistency many fans have been dreaming of ever since ROG hung them up.