Joey Carbery should be allowed to make his impact on the international stage without being compared to Johnny Sexton, according to Andy Dunne.
The outhalf made only his third start in the Ireland number 10 jersey as Ireland lost out to Australia in the first match of their three-Test tour against the Wallabies.
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt rated Carbery’s performance as “pretty solid” in a display which involved a kickable missed penalty in the first half with Sexton watching from the bench.
And while Sexton is expected to return to the starting line-up next weekend for the second Test, Dunne has called for Carbery to given more time in his favoured role.
“My concern with Carbery is not to do with his ability but how he is managed,” Dunne said.
“People have been asking: ‘can he come in and command the team like Johnny Sexton?’ And I think that’s just the wrong approach.
“He’s a young guy with huge talent. And in my mind we can’t recreate the same person as a prototype again, again and again. Johnny Sexton is unique.
“Joey Carbery is a very different player and what I watched today that concerned me was him dropping back in the attack – usually he plays right up in the opposition’s faces.
“And that may be to do with his first big international start or that he was under pressure in the game to use everyone around him. He’s not quite yet the game-manager that he needs to become and he won’t be until he gets regular game time.
“I’d rather see him in his natural habitat attacking the line and making the odd mistake. And then from that point of view, coming back and learning how to manage a game.
“I think it’s a better way of him learning in-game strategy overall instead of trying to copy someone else. I think there’s been a pressure put on him through the team leadership and the management to be more like Johnny.
“It’s folly because he’s not like him. And I think he should allowed be himself.”
James Hopper
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