THIS WEEKEND, CIARÁN Frawley’s long wait for a full Ireland cap is finally set to come to an end with the versatile Leinster back named on the bench for Saturday’s opening World Cup warm-up fixture against Italy.
It’s a significant moment for a player who has had to be patient for his first taste of the Test arena, and had looked primed to make that jump last season.
The 2022 summer tour to New Zealand saw Frawley’s stock sky-rocket. Having played most of his rugby with Leinster that season at centre, injury to Harry Byrne saw Frawley shift to 10 for two starts against the Maori All Blacks.
In terms of the midweek squad he was arguably Ireland’s player of the tour, and while Frawley certainly furthered his case in New Zealand no-one predicted the shake-up that unfolded around Ireland’s much-discussed depth at 10 over the last 12 months.
While Frawley has had to wait for his chance he’s watched Joey Carbery get cut from the pack, Ross Byrne mark his return to the international fold with a clutch match-winning penalty against the Wallabies and Jack Crowley shoot up the queue while playing a central role in Munster’s brilliant URC title win. Suddenly, Ireland’s depth at 10 doesn’t look the issue it once was.
All the while, Frawley has been confined to a watching brief as a series of unfortunately-timed injuries derailed his progression.
The first blow arrived in late September, when a shoulder injury sustained against Benetton saw him ruled out of the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa – an expedition viewed as a chance to allow the Ireland coaches get a good look at the Dubliner in the 10 jersey.
A setback, sure, but not a disaster. What came next was perhaps even more unfortunate: on the eve of the autumn internationals, Frawley injured his knee during the Ireland A side’s heavy defeat to a New Zealand XV. The issue meant Frawley missed out on a potential full debut against Fiji in that Test window while the resulting surgery saw him sidelined for a chunk of Leinster’s season.
He didn’t get back on the pitch with the province until early March, but was promptly called into Ireland’s Six Nations camp as soon as he had proved his fitness with Leinster.
That first Ireland cap didn’t arrive in the spring but Frawley did manage three starts for Leinster in eight appearances across March-May. It was enough to see him make the cut for Andy Farrell’s 42-man summer training squad, and he’ll hope a good August lands him a seat on the plane to France when Farrell cuts his squad to 33 later this month.
The 25-year-old’s skillset and versatility are his big selling points but the Ireland coaches also like his physicality – seeing the 6’3″, 98kg out-half as a 10 built in the mould of Johnny Sexton [6'2", 90kg].
Like Sexton, Frawley reads the game well and his presence and assuredness on the training field during the New Zealand tour impressed the Ireland coaches. Across a disjointed season, he always remained part of their plans.
Fit and fresh, the Leinster player now arrives at a major moment in his young career.
With Crowley named to start against the Azzurri, it’s expected Frawley’s first minutes at Test level will come at out-half – although any injuries on the day could see him deployed elsewhere. If he does get the call at 10 he’ll hope to hit the ground running, but it’s a big ask for a player who has played most of his senior rugby in different positions across the backline.
Frawley started five games for Leinster across the 2022/23 season but only once at out-half [also playing twice at 15, once at 13 and once at 12]. Of his 14 starts the season before [21/22], he started 13 times at 12 and once at 10.
That versatility can count in his favour when it comes to picking a final World Cup squad but Frawley will be keen to kick-start his Ireland career this weekend by showcasing his credentials at out-half, the position he hopes to make his long-term home.
Saturday marks the next step in the career of a player who Ireland hope has a big future ahead of him.
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