The biggest question mark hanging over Ireland coming into this Six Nations was the absence of Johnny Sexton and the prospects of Jack Crowley as his successor in the number ten jersey.
Sexton had been a mainstay at fly-half until his retirement after last year's bitterly disappointing World Cup quarter-final exit. This championship is the first Six Nations tournament since 2009 that Ireland have entered without the veteran Leinster star.
With the Stade de France out of commission to be prepared for the upcoming Paris Olympics, Ireland's opener on Friday night was moved to the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. Renowned for its cauldron-like atmosphere, the venue was certainly set up to be a baptism of fire for Crowley in his first Six Nations start, and the first game of the post-Sexton era.
Speaking on Virgin Media before the game, Ireland legend Rob Kearney said that he had been blown away by Crowley's self-belief when they first met several years ago - and said that he dissuaded the Munster fly-half from signing for Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle.
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France v Ireland: Rob Kearney bigs up Jack Crowley's confidence
A few years ago, with Jack Crowley facing stiff competition to break through and claim the fly-half spot for Munster, a legend of the province made an approach to bring Crowley to France.
Ultimately, Ronan O'Gara's attempts to bring his fellow Corkman to La Rochelle fell through - and Rob Kearney revealed on Virgin Media on Friday night that he had played a role in convincing Crowley to stay in Ireland:
Actually, by chance, a mutual family friend reached out. I was still at Leinster at the time, [they asked] if I'd meet Jack for a coffee and have a chat with him.
Things just weren't happening quickly enough for him, he didn't know should he go to France? Should he stay in Munster?
I told him to stay. If you go away, it's very hard to come back.
For Crowley, things have now worked out well for him and, barring disastrous performances in this Six Nations, he seems firmly well-placed to take over from Sexton long-term.
14 October 2023; Jack Crowley, left, and Jonathan Sexton of Ireland after their side's defeat in during the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris, France. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Earlier this week, speaking to Balls.ie, Ronan O'Gara joked that his rebuked approach for Crowley to join him in France was the only time any player had said no to him. Though O'Gara may not thank Rob Kearney for his advice to the Munster 10, it's hard to argue with his logic given how the decision has turned out for Crowley.
Kearney, a two-time Grand Slam winner with Ireland, went on to say that he had been struck by Crowley's confidence when they first met, and said that fans should be patient with the 24-year-old as he sought to establish himself as a regular starter.
It was amazing, his mindset. He reminded me a huge amount of myself when I was younger. There was this incredible confidence to him, and he was thinking, 'I'm the man for the job. I know I'm the person to succeed Johnny Sexton.'
We had a great chat but what I was completely struck by was his inner confidence and a real humility to go with that as well. It's a huge game for him but we have to be patient with him as well.
We can't keep comparing him to Johnny. If he just does the basics tonight, is authoritative, shows that he can move the team around the field and put some of his own fingerprints on this performance, it could be a very good night at the office for him.
Regardless of how Ireland fare against France on Friday night, the performance of Jack Crowley is set to be one of the biggest Irish stories of this championship.
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