THE PATH TO Test rugby is rarely straightforward, and for Ciarán Frawley, Saturday’s Six Nations meeting with Wales will represent the end of a long, frustrating wait to make his first start for Ireland.
It’s over two years since Frawley was first called into Ireland camp. Since then, he’s missed a string of key international windows through injury and when fit, he’s been regularly shifted around the Leinster backline.
Frawley’s first Ireland start comes at fullback, yet even though he’s 26 and has started 45 games for Leinster, there’s still debate around his best position. Frawley has ambitions at out-half, but given how the last few years have played out, one imagines he’d have been happy to sing the anthems if it meant getting on the pitch this weekend.
Frawley’s potential is clear, and there’s a reason Farrell has kept faith with the Dubliner during the difficult spells he’s endured over the past few seasons.
Born in Australia, Frawley’s family returned to Ireland when he was three years old. A talented soccer and Gaelic player growing up, Frawley came through the ranks at Skerries RFC and graduated to the Leinster Youths and Ireland underage setups, before going pro with Leinster.
He debuted for the province in February 2018 and soon became a valuable versatile option in Leo Cullen’s squad.
Frawley started eight games across the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns, with all but one coming at out-half. Yet the 2020/21 season saw a shift, with Frawley earning eight starts, all at inside centre.
It wasn’t until October 2022 that Frawley started at fullback for the first time in a Leinster shirt, and by that point he had already racked up 32 starts for the province.
To date, Frawley has started just eight games for Leinster at fullback, with six of those coming this season.
It’s been an interesting development given the player has made it clear he’d like to get more time in the saddle at out-half, the position where Farrell initially looked most keen on handing Frawley gametime – even though it went against the grain in terms of what was happening at Leinster.
In the 2021/22 season Frawley played the vast majority of his provincial rugby at inside centre but when Harry Byrne picked up an injury on Ireland summer’s tour to New Zealand, Frawley was handed the 10 shirt for two starts against the Maori All Blacks, and was one of the stand-out players across the two midweek tour games.
Then the setbacks piled up. Frawley was primed to get more time at 10 on the Emerging Ireland tour in 2022 but missed the trip with a shoulder injury. He was then in line to debut in the November internationals later that year but picked up another injury in the Ireland A v New Zealand XV game on the eve of the Autumn Test window.
It wasn’t until last summer’s pre-World Cup warm up games where Frawley finally won his first cap, playing the second half of the August win against Italy.
Having been named in Farrell’s wider World Cup training panel, he missed the cut in the final 33-man selection and has had minimal exposure in this Six Nations so far. Frawley got on the pitch for the final minute of the opening round win in France before dropping out of the squad for the home defeat of Italy.
Injury to the almost ever-present Hugo Keenan opened the door for Frawley this weekend, and he now heads into the biggest game of his career to date.
The 26-year-old will be keen to make up for lost time. At 6’2″ and 92kg, he’s a strong, physical back, but also possesses smart handling skills and a good kicking game.
Frawley has the skillset to make an impact at Aviva Stadium but Wales will surely put his positioning to the test and the Skerries man will have to nail his defensive duties.
Keenan has been a rock-solid presence in the Ireland 15 shirt and Frawley will be tasked with bringing the same level of calm and control to the position.
His inclusion represents the latest change in Ireland’s new-look back three. With Keenan, James Lowe and Mack Hansen having established themselves as the clear first-choice options over the last few years, this weekend Lowe is the only one of that trio fit to feature.
With Hansen ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury and Jimmy O’Brien also unavailable, Calvin Nash has stepped in and made a strong impression on the wing, scoring tries against both France and Italy – games which represented just his second and third Test caps.
Those injury issues across the back three have not been ideal for Farrell, but they have at least allowed the Ireland head coach get a proper look at his squad depth in that area.
Nash, 26, had been a long time waiting for his chance but has shown Farrell he is a reliable option on the Ireland wing.
Frawley has also had to be patient but finally, he gets a chance to properly show what he can do on the Test stage.
