Johnny Sexton impressed by how Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast deal with 'Ireland 10 shirt' debate

Now apart of the Ireland coaching staff following his on-field retirement after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Sexton is bestowing his abundance of experience upon the new generation of fly halves, who are jostling for possession of his former 10 jersey. Leading the power struggle since Sexton hung up his boots, are two young out-halves from rival ends of the country, as Munster's Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast of Leinster lead the battle to become Ireland's first choice number 10.

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is faced with a dilemma, that isn't anything like how Sexton first broke onto the international stage as the natural successor to the retirement-bound Munster legend Ronan O'Gara. Both Crowley and Prendergast are steadily emerging into their prime, with 25-year-old Crowley three years the senior of his positional rival, at 22-years-old.

Sexton believes that both men are progressing with a maturity beyond their years, as both Crowley and Prendergast brush aside the outside noise of a rivalry that is set to follow their intertwined Ireland careers.

"I think that both of them have done really well in difficult circumstances." Sexton said, at yesterday afternoon's Ireland press conference. "In terms of the media narrative, the hype, the pressure that's put on them from, not just you guys, but from the country in general.

"They've coped really well, they've performed very well, and what's important now is that we've got two guys, and more than that, going to the World Cup, ready to play for Ireland at a very high level. When you take their age and their experience, and you compare it to other out-halves that have gone before them, they're way ahead. I mean, they're way ahead of me. For example, at the age I was playing AIL [All Ireland League] at Sam's age and struggling to get on the bench for Leinster.

"You just have to be careful of, I suppose, the age and the amount of rugby that they've played and the level that they're playing at. They're going to be world class, both of them, they've shown at times that they can be already. So we're very lucky to have both of them."

Crowley started in the 10 jersey for Ireland's opening match of the 2025 Autumn Nations Series, as the Munster man orchestrated his side in Ireland's tough 26-13 defeat to the All Blacks in Chicago. Prendergast made his appearance from the bench upon the 67th minute, and oversaw Ireland's capitulated efforts as the men in green leaked three tries in the final 20 minutes at Soldier Field.

An old Munster-tinted argument which backs Crowley, is that the slightly older fly half possessed the experience that Prendergast was yet to achieve. Whilst Prendergast will have to wait until 2027 to get a taste of the Rugby World Cup, Crowley was Sexton's understudy for the 2023 tournament out in France.

Also, the argument around winner's medals and silverware adds fuel to Crowley's claims, as the Munster man led his province to the URC title in 2023, before taking the lead role as Ireland's starting fly half for the triumphant 2024 Six Nations campaign. Whilst Prendergast is yet to be the linchpin for a Six Nations title triumph, the Leinster star did secure his first URC title with the Dublin side at the end of last season.

The former Ireland captain expressed how there is as much logic behind taking just Crowley or Prendergast to the World Cup, as there is in having both of the fly halves on the plane to Australia. Sexton expressed how it is also not quite a two-horse race for the green 10 shirt, as the likes of Ciaran Frawley and Harry Byrne are also proving themselves with Leinster and the rejuvenated Ireland A set-up.

Sexton cast his mind forward to the upcoming 2027 Rugby World Cup, and weighed in upon how Andy Farrell has some tough decisions to make in two years time.

"There's an argument for all of those scenarios." Sexton said. "You can say it's better for one [fly half], but then at the same time, we were criticised that coming into the 2023 World Cup, we didn't have enough replacements in certain positions.

"So, often the results dictate the narrative, and the performances dictate the narrative and we understand that. But, Andy's job is to make sure that they're all improving and then come to the World Cup in two year's time, that we've got three or four options that can do the job really well.

"The two lads [Crowley and Prendergast] are fighting it out at the moment, Frawley's training really well in the background, Harry Byrne will play this week in Spain. So we need to build competition, and then, obviously, closer to the World Cup, maybe, maybe not... I'm not sure what Andy's plans are, but he might go with one and put all his eggs in one basket, but then he'll be criticised for that as well."

"You'll judge it all by the outcome of the World Cup. It didn't work last time because we didn't win the quarter-final, and we didn't go on to win the World Cup. Whereas if we'd done it, then everyone would have said, ‘Oh, what a great decision to stick with the old cranky bastard at out-half.”

Andy Farrell is set to name his team for the second week of the Autumn Series on Thursday afternoon, as Ireland host Japan at the Aviva Stadium for an exciting clash with Eddie Jones' side.