THE NEW NACEWA
Versatile Frawley gets his big break and he could become Ireland’s answer to a Leinster legend
FOURTY-FOUR minutes. That’s the amount of international action that Ciaran Frawley has under his belt. A second-half of action against Italy in a pre-World Cup friendly and four minutes off the bench in the late stages of the opening Six Nations win against France in Marseille. And both of those appearances were at out-half.
To call Frawley a greenhorn would the understatement of the century.
Now, here he is, starting a pivotal Six Nations fixture at full-back.
Frawley’s maiden Test start is fully justified. His form for Leinster has been consistent and compelling for several seasons.
Thing is, everyone assumed his big break would be at out-half or potentially in midfield. After all, these are the most familiar positions for the talented 26-year-old.
Indeed, the memory of Frawley’s cool and composed performances on the 2022 summer tour of New Zealand remain vivid. The Skerries native was given the reins at No10 for the brace of midweek fixtures against the Maori, and he emerged with plenty of credit.
Earlier this season, he won rave reviews for a brilliant performance from the bench in a derby clash with Munster at Aviva Stadium. All the pre-match build-up focused on the looming duel between Jack Crowley and Ross Byrne, the pair of out-halves who backed up Johnny Sexton at the World Cup. The narrative all week had been around which player was going to step up now that Sexton has retired.
When Byrne suffered an early injury to his bicep, Frawley entered the fray and the by the end of the evening, many patrons left Ireland HQ believing that the flame-haired Leinster No10 was now the potential frontrunner.
Byrne was facing a significant injury lay-off and with young Sam Prendergast learning his trade, a lot of people — this writer included — assumed that Frawley, who was almost suffering because of his versatility, was finally due an extended run in the playmaking role.
There was quite the reaction when Leo Cullen instead gave Harry Byrne the No10 shirt for a crunch Champions Cup fixture at La Rochelle the following week, with Frawley named on the bench. The latter would come on and rifle over a late 60-metre penalty to seal a statement win at the European champion’s fortress.
But it looked like Frawley was in danger of becoming a ‘Mr Fix It’ in the Leinster backline, as opposed to a first-choice pick.
Then again, Isa Nacewa was a versatile player and it didn’t do him any harm. The brilliant Kiwi could cover out-half, centre, wing and full-back. He was a reliable goal-kicker, assured under the high ball and staunch in defence.
Do a straw poll of Leinster supporters about the province’s greatest overseas signing and Nacewa’s name will be prominent.
And Nacewa’s best performances were unquestionably at full-back. He had time, space and could scan the opposition defence for areas of weakness.
There seems to have been a grand plan about Frawley this season. He has played at full-back on six occasions in the blue jersey this term. It seems that Cullen and Andy Farrell are on the same page. They both believe that Frawley’s considerable rugby acumen is best served in the back field.
He certainly has the skills and robustness to do a job at out-half.
That position is minefield, however. It’s all about split-second decisions and directing heavy traffic. Jack Crowley is thriving in this gig at the moment.
Maybe they feel that Frawley is best utilised in a freer role where he can maximise his running game. An Irish version of Nacewa? It’s too soon to be making such comparisons but there are plenty of similarities.
Full-back looks like a good move. Crowley has forged ahead as Ireland’s frontline No10 in the space of a few weeks. The Byrne brothers will both be jockeying for position soon enough and then there’s Prendergast, who is the real rising force in the capital.
And midfield has always been stocked with world-class operators. There is a slight gap in the market at full-back. Hugo Keenan had it cornered since November 2021, starting a staggering 32 of the last 36 Ireland matches. A knee injury has opened the door for Frawley. He needs to make this chance count. Jimmy O’Brien and Mack Hansen will get auditions down the track when the pair both return from injury, potentially during the summer tour of South Africa.
Frawley can offer this Ireland team a new attacking dimension from full-back. The prospect of two playmakers in this backline and we should expect plenty of interchanging between Crowley and Frawley as they look to use this potent cast of game breakers.
It’s an exciting prospect but Farrell and his backroom team will be hoping that Frawley can nail the
basics of the position as well. Keenan makes it look easy. Marshalling the backfield, fielding high balls under pressure and staying connected with both wingers in defence is a demanding job spec. If Frawley can hit all those markers, he can look forward to plenty more exposure.
His elevation was the only real surprise in a team which is picking itself at the moment. This was the line-up which decimated Les Bleus on the opening night and they are all in pole position to make another big statement against a vulnerable Welsh side tomorrow afternoon.
And who could argue with any of the current selections? The sight of James Ryan on the bench remains a bit odd but Joe McCarthy and Tadhg Beirne are the form locks in the country at the moment.
And Farrell is backing form. Clearly, he has been impressed by Oli Jager in training. The Munster tighthead, who has only played six games for his new club since arriving from the Canterbury Crusaders, was initially selected in Farrell’s squad as a ‘training panellist’ but he has leapfrogged Finlay Bealham and Tom O’Toole as reserve tighthead on the bench. The Ireland head coach seems to have a real feel for players. It was the same story with Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen and Joe McCarthy. All three flourished in this camp when they were given the opportunity.
Jager is set to win his first cap when he replaces Tadhg Furlong in the second-half. Another rookie getting a chance to shine.
If he can make an impression, then he can look forward to plenty more caps down the line.
Same goes for Frawley.