Sexton confident in Ireland's fly-half depth

Ireland assistant coach Jonathan Sexton has backed the national side’s fly-half group ahead of the upcoming Six Nations meeting with England, expressing confidence that the squad’s playmakers will improve as the tournament progresses.

Jonathan Sexton Backs Ireland Fly-Halves

The former Ireland captain joined the coaching staff permanently in August after previously assisting during the 2024 Autumn Nations Series.

Ireland’s extended squad includes Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley, Ciarán Frawley and Harry Byrne. Prendergast started the opening matches against France and Italy, while Crowley made an impact off the bench in the victory over Italy.

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The coaching staff has focused on rotating players in the position to build depth, rather than relying on a single long-term starter. Sexton emphasised that all four players are continuing to train and compete for opportunities.

Sexton, taking part in his first Six Nations as a full-time assistant coach, said the current group of out-halves is developing well.

He noted that previous tournament cycles saw criticism over limited development at key positions, and the current approach aims to give multiple players game-time to strengthen the squad over the long term.

“They both trained really well today. It’s important, I suppose, that not only those two but you know, (Ciarán) Frawley and Harry Byrne as well, that they keep developing and that they get game-time." said Sexton on Prendergast and Crowley.

“So there are four guys and I suppose all the criticism for previous cycles, World Cup cycles, was that we didn’t develop guys, and we relied too heavily on one (player) in some positions.

“We’re doing it a different way now and whether that’s right or wrong, everyone judges it a lot of the time by the outcome, but I know that in games to come, they’re going to hit their best form and they’ll be in a good place.”