Rory O'Connor

But then this week, we had the 20s stepping up, putting together a great performance.

You're now looking at that.

I look at that 20s team and go, there's some guys in there now that have the traits that we need in the national team.

And it's abrasiveness, speed, keeping the ball alive.

No, and I can see why you'd be thinking that way.

But what changes that mindset or that opinion or that view is when you see world-class moments.

from the likes of Caelan Dorris, footwork, yards after contact, McCluskey, fend, offload.

No, we hadn't been seeing that.

So you're right to be thinking that way.

But that's the... To play top-level international rugby, you need to be exceptional at at least one thing.

And we're beginning to see that

with the likes of Balikun, O'Brien, McCluskey, Doris, Van der Vlier, Gibson Park, Crowley even at the weekend, you're now going, oh, maybe we do have a top class international 10.

The way he managed that game was exceptional.

Even at the start of the game, he gets a really scrappy ball off the scrum.

And an area that I would have been critical is that he maybe tries to make something happen with that.

Maybe a carry himself, we get stuck in the middle of the field, turnover, they kick the corner, it could be seven points.

But no, he just cuts his cloth straight away, plays high percentage, finds a really good touch finder.

And that just, that's huge for the team because they're looking at their team going, this guy's in total control.

yeah but it's an important point because we were critical as well of like players getting caught between the different provincial systems and the Irish system now they've had four or five weeks of training and implementing that and we were definitely seeing the fruition of that at the weekend but for Crowley playing in that Munster team he definitely feels like he has to make something happen he

is a born winner he is not playing for Munster thinking I need to do this so I can start for Ireland he's playing in those games thinking this is what I think I have to do to win and it nearly hurt him with his Irish selection but now at the weekend he was thinking this is what I need to do for Ireland to win and I thought he did it really well I actually hate asking this question because I'd say for Sam Prendergast what a tough week