I\u2019ve watched Jack since he was a teenager in Rockwell College and he\u2019s never played better. He used to heap pressure on himself during the battle with Ben Healy and Joey Carbery to start for Munster. I also remember Ronan O\u2019Gara<\/a> trying to sign him for La Rochelle.<\/p>\n He was always a special talent. Rog saw it. So does Andy Farrell<\/a>. It takes time. Setbacks shape an athlete\u2019s career. <\/p>\n Outplaying the man currently in possession of the Ireland<\/a> 10 jersey in every facet of the game should be enough to command a start against New Zealand at Soldier Field next Saturday. But that is not how the national camp operates under Farrell.<\/p>\n I\u2019m on the outside looking in now, but the first morning the squad used to meet up, the half-back units and Farrell would sit down to analyse the previous game and to plan ahead. <\/p>\n Last Monday, Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast were studying each other\u2019s performances from two days earlier. Not just Jack and Sam \u2013 Ciar\u00e1n Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Craig Casey, Caolin Blade and Farrell would have gathered for a nuanced discussion rather than back slapping or finger pointing.<\/p>\n Over the years, in this meeting, I learned what makes Jack and Sam tick. They are decent lads. Serious professionals. It\u2019s away from the wider group, so you get an insight into how a fella\u2019s brain works in certain scenarios.<\/p>\n Prendergast will take plenty from Crowley\u2019s performance in Croke Park \u2013 mainly the way Jack played with so much control and confidence.<\/p>\n This is what makes Farrell such a great coach \u2013 he creates scenarios where players work together to improve each other\u2019s games. The fear of failure that exists under other coaches is removed.<\/p>\n With all the Jack-versus-Sam chatter, especially on social media, we can get drawn into the negative aspects of the debate or we can trust that Farrell will get the best out of two special playmakers.<\/p>\n Sam is only 22. Age is important here. Not since O\u2019Gara was learning how to become an international 10 in a packed Aviva Stadium, with millions watching on television, has a player been expected to do so much so young. <\/p>\n When Johnny Sexton was 22, he was playing AIL for St Mary\u2019s because Leinster had Felipe Contepomi. Two years later, in 2009, Johnny was straining at the leash to replace an injured Contepomi in the Leinster v Munster European Cup semi-final at Croke Park. <\/p>\n Crowley would have developed a similar perspective to Sexton. I admire the way he handled being dropped by Farrell for Prendergast last year. Having led Munster to a United Rugby Championship (URC) title in South Africa, and Ireland to a Six Nations title, it would be a normal human reaction to throw his toys out of the pram.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1739272379918-c03b2529-1643-4e02-ab77-51ef2d1ea4b6.jpeg\"\/)
What we learned from Munster\u2019s emphatic win over Leinster<\/p>\n
![\"Leinster's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4EWX2ZCM4NHOYZ5EJGGXDCJ7RM.jpg\")
Leinster’s Sam Prendergast cuts a disappointed figure during last Saturday’s URC defeat to Munster at Croke Park. Photograph: Tom Maher\/Inpho <\/p>\n![\"Ireland's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KHJOCX4XTJ7G4S4S2WMG4BZO7U.jpg\")
Ireland’s Robbie Henshaw was carried off the pitch on a stretcher following this tackle by Sam Cane of New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in 2016. Photograph: Brendan Moran\/Sportsfile via Getty Images <\/p>\n