FOR THE SECOND week running, Harry Byrne and Sam Prendergast combined to help Leinster over the line.
What had been a hostile atmosphere was about to become a celebratory one as the Bayonne fans started to truly believe that they were going to beat the esteemed Irish province.
There were only seven minutes left on the clock. L’Aviron Bayonnais were leading 13-10.
Leinster were battering away in the Bayonne 22, making little headway, when Byrne realised that the French side had no one in the backfield. All 15 defenders were in the frontline.
Prendergast recognised it in the same moment. So even though Leinster had no penalty advantage – usually the cue to attempt an attacking kick – Byrne knew where the best space was.
The Leinster out-half dinked a chip over Bayonne’s advancing defence, using the outside of his right boot, and Prendergast burst forward in chase. The ball took one bounce, hopping high over the head of retreating Bayonne wing Victor Hannoun, and Prendergast’s 6ft 4ins frame proved handy as he leapt above the 6ft Guillaume Martocq to gather and gleefully dot down.
For the first time, Leinster led.
It wasn’t the only occasion in the game that the playmaking duo had been instrumental to the Leinster attack.
Their first try, a delightful team score on first phase of a lineout attack, featured an excellent catch-pass from Byrne under pressure to send wing JJ Kenny into a hole. Kenny then offloaded to Prendergast, who floated a long pass wide to Jimmy O’Brien before the wing offloaded inside for Dan Sheehan to score.
The Bayonne supporters roared disapprovingly for a forward pass from Prendergast, but the match officials were happy with it. The try stood.
Harry Byrne goal-kicking for Leinster. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
In between those Leinster scores, Prendergast nearly set O’Brien up for a try with a stunning grubber kick on the move. It was a delightful, delicate touch to give O’Brien a shot but after doing well to retrieve the ball, the Leinster wing knocked on over the line.
Byrne had come close to setting up two tries with attacking kicks in the first half.
His 18th-minute cross kick to the right just evaded the onrushing Tommy O’Brien when Leinster had a clear chance to score. Byrne’s frustration at that miss was evident.
Seven minutes later, Byrne deftly placed a lovely diagonal kick behind Bayonne down the left, but Kenny spilt the ball over the line having seemed to initially regather it.
Byrne was absolutely levelled by Bayonne’s Ewan Johnson just after kicking for Kenny, so he didn’t really have a chance to be frustrated with that one as he struggled to catch his breath.
Those close calls seemed like they could be the story of Leinster’s day – Thomas Clarkson had a possible try chalked off for double movement – but Prendergast and Byrne were among those to stick to their task with composure.
The same was true of their win over La Rochelle, with Byrne coming on at out-half and Prendergast moving to fullback for the last quarter of that game. Turns out Prendergast is a pretty good 15, having come on there yesterday after an injury to Tommy O’Brien.
The combination was effective against La Rochelle, with Byrne and Prendergast both making important contributions to the Josh van der Flier and Robbie Henshaw tries in the final quarter.
Then, with the game on the line at the end, Byrne landed an excellent linekick from a penalty and followed it up with the match-winning penalty kick from the tee.
The Ireland out-half battle remains exactly that, so it has been intriguing to see Leinster’s own battle play out since the November Tests.
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Munster out-half Jack Crowley. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Prendergast and Byrne have started two games each at number 10 in the Champions Cup over the last couple of months, with a further two starts each in the URC. Both of them have had telling impacts off the bench in several of those games too.
Their fitness and form have meant that Ciarán Frawley, who has been Ireland’s third-choice out-half in recent seasons, hasn’t featured at out-half. He has continued to play well at fullback, however, and is moving to Connacht next season to get starts as a number 10.
Of course, the other figure in this Irish depth chart is Jack Crowley. He was at number 10 for Ireland in the opening game of the November Tests against New Zealand but ended up being the back-up to Prendergast for the last two games of the window.
Last night was a miserable one for Crowley and Munster as they exited the Champions Cup at the hands of Castres, losing by two points.
The Munster out-half had a bad miss off the tee with a conversion attempt in the second half, having run out of time with an earlier one in the first half. A few Munster fans shouted, “Clock! Clock!” as the seconds ticked away on that occasion. It was from out wide on the right, a very difficult conversion, but a frustrating moment. There was another conversion miss later, again a tough one from close to the right touchline.
Crowley never stopped trying for his team. In fact, he was Munster’s top ball-carrier with 19, making three linebreaks and beating eight defenders along the way.
Most teams don’t want their out-half to be making that many carries, yet Crowley always backs himself in attacking the line. But there were moments of that ilk Crowley would probably like to get back. His chip and chase near the Castres 22 in the second half turned the ball over, with the French side then sweeping down the other end to score.
That sequence was almost the tale of the night for Munster, who invited a cracking Castres side to keep coming at them.
All of Ireland’s out-half contenders have made mistakes in recent times and all will continue to do so, but Munster’s miserable night probably couldn’t have come at a worse time for Crowley, given that Byrne is clearly back in the mix for a green jersey.
Andy Farrell's Six Nations squad will be announced on Wednesday. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
As we discussed recently, the out-half depth chart in Irish rugby has been volatile in the Farrell era, and it looks likely that Byrne’s return will ensure yet another shuffle of the pecking order.
Prendergast is the incumbent in Ireland’s number 10 shirt. He had an excellent game there against Australia last November but then the Irish scrum woes meant the 22-year-old didn’t really have a chance to get the attack firing against the Springboks. He did defend well that day.
The impression is that Prendergast is the leading candidate when it comes to organising and running the Leinster and Irish attack. His passing is the best of the lot, while he is generally a fine kicker from hand too.
Crowley, who turned 26 this week, is the best defender of the Irish out-halves and has the most dangerous running game, while 26-year-old Byrne is something of a blend of the other two and clearly has major self-belief and composure.
Goal kicking is another important factor to consider. Byrne is kicking at 75% off the tee so far this season with Leinster, with Prendergast at a 71% success rate and Crowley kicking at 67% for their provinces.
Throw in Byrne’s last-gasp penalty against La Rochelle and he’s ahead of the other two in this area.
Frawley’s lack of game time at out-half looks like it could hamper his chances of featuring there for Ireland in this Six Nations, but history tells us not to presume anything in this position.
Ireland will confirm their Six Nations squad on Wednesday and it wouldn’t be a surprise if all of Prendergast, Crowley, Byrne, and Frawley are part of it.
There is a growing sense that Prendergast and Byrne could be the two out-halves in Ireland’s matchday 23 against France in Paris in two-and-a-half weeks, all the more so having shown that they can be effective in the same matchday squad for Leinster. Yet we know that Crowley will be fighting every step of the way.
This great debate is far from over.
- This article was updated to correct the kicking percentages of each out-half from the tee.
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Prendergast and Byrne help Leinster home as Crowley suffers with Munster
FOR THE SECOND week running, Harry Byrne and Sam Prendergast combined to help Leinster over the line.
What had been a hostile atmosphere was about to become a celebratory one as the Bayonne fans started to truly believe that they were going to beat the esteemed Irish province.
There were only seven minutes left on the clock. L’Aviron Bayonnais were leading 13-10.
Leinster were battering away in the Bayonne 22, making little headway, when Byrne realised that the French side had no one in the backfield. All 15 defenders were in the frontline.
Prendergast recognised it in the same moment. So even though Leinster had no penalty advantage – usually the cue to attempt an attacking kick – Byrne knew where the best space was.
The Leinster out-half dinked a chip over Bayonne’s advancing defence, using the outside of his right boot, and Prendergast burst forward in chase. The ball took one bounce, hopping high over the head of retreating Bayonne wing Victor Hannoun, and Prendergast’s 6ft 4ins frame proved handy as he leapt above the 6ft Guillaume Martocq to gather and gleefully dot down.
For the first time, Leinster led.
It wasn’t the only occasion in the game that the playmaking duo had been instrumental to the Leinster attack.
Their first try, a delightful team score on first phase of a lineout attack, featured an excellent catch-pass from Byrne under pressure to send wing JJ Kenny into a hole. Kenny then offloaded to Prendergast, who floated a long pass wide to Jimmy O’Brien before the wing offloaded inside for Dan Sheehan to score.
The Bayonne supporters roared disapprovingly for a forward pass from Prendergast, but the match officials were happy with it. The try stood.
In between those Leinster scores, Prendergast nearly set O’Brien up for a try with a stunning grubber kick on the move. It was a delightful, delicate touch to give O’Brien a shot but after doing well to retrieve the ball, the Leinster wing knocked on over the line.
Byrne had come close to setting up two tries with attacking kicks in the first half.
His 18th-minute cross kick to the right just evaded the onrushing Tommy O’Brien when Leinster had a clear chance to score. Byrne’s frustration at that miss was evident.
Seven minutes later, Byrne deftly placed a lovely diagonal kick behind Bayonne down the left, but Kenny spilt the ball over the line having seemed to initially regather it.
Byrne was absolutely levelled by Bayonne’s Ewan Johnson just after kicking for Kenny, so he didn’t really have a chance to be frustrated with that one as he struggled to catch his breath.
Those close calls seemed like they could be the story of Leinster’s day – Thomas Clarkson had a possible try chalked off for double movement – but Prendergast and Byrne were among those to stick to their task with composure.
The same was true of their win over La Rochelle, with Byrne coming on at out-half and Prendergast moving to fullback for the last quarter of that game. Turns out Prendergast is a pretty good 15, having come on there yesterday after an injury to Tommy O’Brien.
The combination was effective against La Rochelle, with Byrne and Prendergast both making important contributions to the Josh van der Flier and Robbie Henshaw tries in the final quarter.
Then, with the game on the line at the end, Byrne landed an excellent linekick from a penalty and followed it up with the match-winning penalty kick from the tee.
The Ireland out-half battle remains exactly that, so it has been intriguing to see Leinster’s own battle play out since the November Tests.
Prendergast and Byrne have started two games each at number 10 in the Champions Cup over the last couple of months, with a further two starts each in the URC. Both of them have had telling impacts off the bench in several of those games too.
Their fitness and form have meant that Ciarán Frawley, who has been Ireland’s third-choice out-half in recent seasons, hasn’t featured at out-half. He has continued to play well at fullback, however, and is moving to Connacht next season to get starts as a number 10.
Of course, the other figure in this Irish depth chart is Jack Crowley. He was at number 10 for Ireland in the opening game of the November Tests against New Zealand but ended up being the back-up to Prendergast for the last two games of the window.
Last night was a miserable one for Crowley and Munster as they exited the Champions Cup at the hands of Castres, losing by two points.
The Munster out-half had a bad miss off the tee with a conversion attempt in the second half, having run out of time with an earlier one in the first half. A few Munster fans shouted, “Clock! Clock!” as the seconds ticked away on that occasion. It was from out wide on the right, a very difficult conversion, but a frustrating moment. There was another conversion miss later, again a tough one from close to the right touchline.
Crowley never stopped trying for his team. In fact, he was Munster’s top ball-carrier with 19, making three linebreaks and beating eight defenders along the way.
Most teams don’t want their out-half to be making that many carries, yet Crowley always backs himself in attacking the line. But there were moments of that ilk Crowley would probably like to get back. His chip and chase near the Castres 22 in the second half turned the ball over, with the French side then sweeping down the other end to score.
That sequence was almost the tale of the night for Munster, who invited a cracking Castres side to keep coming at them.
All of Ireland’s out-half contenders have made mistakes in recent times and all will continue to do so, but Munster’s miserable night probably couldn’t have come at a worse time for Crowley, given that Byrne is clearly back in the mix for a green jersey.
As we discussed recently, the out-half depth chart in Irish rugby has been volatile in the Farrell era, and it looks likely that Byrne’s return will ensure yet another shuffle of the pecking order.
Prendergast is the incumbent in Ireland’s number 10 shirt. He had an excellent game there against Australia last November but then the Irish scrum woes meant the 22-year-old didn’t really have a chance to get the attack firing against the Springboks. He did defend well that day.
The impression is that Prendergast is the leading candidate when it comes to organising and running the Leinster and Irish attack. His passing is the best of the lot, while he is generally a fine kicker from hand too.
Crowley, who turned 26 this week, is the best defender of the Irish out-halves and has the most dangerous running game, while 26-year-old Byrne is something of a blend of the other two and clearly has major self-belief and composure.
Goal kicking is another important factor to consider. Byrne is kicking at 75% off the tee so far this season with Leinster, with Prendergast at a 71% success rate and Crowley kicking at 67% for their provinces.
Throw in Byrne’s last-gasp penalty against La Rochelle and he’s ahead of the other two in this area.
Frawley’s lack of game time at out-half looks like it could hamper his chances of featuring there for Ireland in this Six Nations, but history tells us not to presume anything in this position.
Ireland will confirm their Six Nations squad on Wednesday and it wouldn’t be a surprise if all of Prendergast, Crowley, Byrne, and Frawley are part of it.
There is a growing sense that Prendergast and Byrne could be the two out-halves in Ireland’s matchday 23 against France in Paris in two-and-a-half weeks, all the more so having shown that they can be effective in the same matchday squad for Leinster. Yet we know that Crowley will be fighting every step of the way.
This great debate is far from over.
- This article was updated to correct the kicking percentages of each out-half from the tee.
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Six Nations depth chart Ireland Number 10s Succession