Jack Crowley proved that he needs as much playing time as possible after his performance against Castres, the problem is Munster can't give it to him.
Jack Crowley and Marcus Smith are the same age. 22-year-old out-halves.
Crowley announced himself for Munster on Friday night. He kicked perfectly from the tee. He impressed with the ball in hand and showed physicality surpassed his age. The debutant matched the intensity of European rugby so he could show off his technical precision and intelligence. It was a performance that proves he belongs at this level.
But it was also a performance that highlighted a major problem for the IRFU. Where Crowley has fewer than 10 appearances in total for Munster and this was his first high-level club game, Smith has 113 appearances for his club side Harlequins.
Smith is an outlier. Most rugby players don't develop as quickly as he has. He had the opportunity to do so though, an opportunity he wouldn't have had if he grew up in Ireland. There are only four starting out-half spots in Ireland. If Joey Carbery, Billy Burns, Jack Carty and Jonathan Sexton are healthy, they will start in those spots.
Munster now have three out-halves who need gametime. Joey Carbery, Ben Healy, and Crowley. They don't know who will be the best long-term starter. They will have very limited opportunities to evaluate and/or develop each player. Whenever Healy starts a game, Crowley can't. Whenever Carbery starts a game, one of Healy or Crowley won't even be on the bench.
With a backup likely to play plenty of games, Ireland theoretically have eight spots to evaluate and develop young out-halves.
Leinster can do this perfectly with Sexton and Harry Byrne.
Ross Byrne will assume Sexton's veteran role once he retires, which will likely make him Harry's backup at that point. Carty is pushing for an Ireland place and playing brilliant rugby. His value is unquestionable right now. But Conor Fitzgerald as his developmental backup is yet to catch the eye the way his peers in Leinster and Munster have.
That second out-half spot in Connacht is a market inefficiency for the IRFU right now. The starting out-half spot in Ulster is.
Billy Burns is somewhat of a roadblock for Ireland. He offers value to Ulster as a serviceable starter in European games. But he's 27 years of age and hasn't been effective in international games for Ireland. There is limited upside for Ireland with Burns assuming most of the playing time for Ulster. He is in one of the most valuable spots in the broader landscape of Irish rugby.
Munster received Joey Carbery because he couldn't get playing time at Leinster. Now that Carbery is in Munster, they face the same issue with Healy and Crowley.
Ronan O'Gara already attempted to pull Crowley away to La Rochelle. He could refuse that move more easily than he could if the IRFU chose to move him as a centrally-contracted player. Healy hasn't been linked with a move away because he has been part of the senior squad for a longer time. He has 27 appearances for Munster.
While Healy isn't an established club player as of yet, he's closer to being ready to be a full-time starter than Crowley is.
Moving Healy to Ulster to compete with Burns for the starting spot would help his development. It would also help Crowley's development by making him the unquestioned backup to Carbery in Munster. That's not the only option though. Instead of asking a 22-year-old to become a full-time starter for another province, the IRFU could move either Healy or Crowley to Connacht to play behind Carty.
Ireland are ultimately the priority for the IRFU. Swapping Conor Fitzgerald into the Munster setup would mean Munster wouldn't suffer much. Fitzgerald as the third option in Munster rather than the primary backup in Connacht is a better fit for him based on his performances so far.
The idea of acquiring a Premiership team has been broached in the past. It would make a lot of sense for the IRFU to add London Irish so they could add a fifth team to develop players on. But before they do that they must also maximize the impact of the resources already available to them.
A lack of playing time at club level will end international prospects long before anything that happens at international level will.
Sexton is the unquestioned starter for Ireland at 36 years of age. Carbery is the proven heir when healthy. Healy, Harry Byrne and Crowley are the three most promising prospects after those two. Carty is no longer a developmental prospect and can serve as a bridge to the next generation after Sexton retires.
The next generation doesn't just show up one day ready-made. It has to be developed over time. Time in games at provincial level.
"He's a very honourable man" - Gerry Thornley on Johann Van Graan
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