Farrell hails his Irish young guns

– There is no doubt Ireland has in recent years produced some of the finest flyhalves and locks in world rugby.

Johnny Sexton, the playmaking general supreme in green, retired after last year’s World Cup after a stellar career that dovetailed that of the equally successful Ronan O’Gara.

The powerhouse of the setpiece has seen the likes of redoubtable Paul O’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan stamp their authority over the game.

In that light Ireland coach Andy Farrell was more than happy to bask in the performances of flyhalf Jack Crowley and Six Nations debutant Joe McCarthy in the team’s 38-17 demolition of France in this season’s Six Nations opener in Marseille on Friday.

Crowley stepped into Sexton’s boots with aplomb, amassing 13 points, converting all five tries and hitting a penalty.

McCarthy won the Man-ofthe-Match award for his part in a dominant Irish set-piece showing, notably the line-out.

“There’s no doubt that a young kid playing in a position like Jack is at ‘10’, everyone was talking about how we were going to deal without having Johnny at the helm, and Jack was going to be the first one to have a shot at filling the shoes,” Farrell said.

“It definitely creeps in. You’d be a liar if you said it didn’t but he gains his strength from knowing that his team-mates are there to help.

“I thought his composure at the line was great. He made some really nice decisions and some poor ones as well, and he’ll know that more than anyone else.”

Crowley spoiled his copy book with one missed penalty, but Farrell praised him for bouncing back from that.

“The strength of character in regard to his goal-kicking when he missed the one in front, to then knock two on the trot over from the sideline showed immense character really,” he said. –