
Rugby

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15th February 2026
11:34am GMT

The introduction of Jack Crowley to the field yesterday triggered not only the biggest cheer of the afternoon (rivalled by Edogbo's entry to the field), but an immediate improvement in the Irish attack, which had been lagging since their opening try.
Obviously, this is mainly down to Crowley's skill and athleticism as a player, and we have seen him in the past be a catalyst for his country, with excellent showings off the bench against the likes of England and Australia.
We also saw a similar performance from Sam Prendergast off the bench against Japan last November, when he helped transform a stagnating Irish backline.
While fresh legs against tiring defences is another obvious advantage of not starting, Crowley gave expert insight into another key advantage, duringin his pitch-side interview after Saturday's win over Italy.
He noted: "I suppose the opportunity you have when you're on the sideline is you get to see what way the game is shaping, you know what I mean?
"You get to see the way the defence is going, what opportunities are there in attack, through the way that the lads attacked in the first half.
"You can see pictures opening up, so it gives you that chance when you come on, you know, to see things and then execute.
"And we had a nice passage of play, but again, we'd like to have got another score there at the end."
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