Fly half is widely regarded as the position that requires the most amount of brain power in rugby union. From calling the set plays and running the attack to implementation of different tactics when kicking, your fly half is at the centre of everything for the entire 80 minutes. You find this is why those with really impressive knowledge of the game or 'rugby IQ' often rise to the top when it comes to playing 10.
This year Ulster's Jake Flannery has brought quality game management and a calm presence to the 10 shirt at Ulster. As with out halves all around Ireland he will be seeing the Sexton shaped void at the top of the pile, with plenty of players looking to put their hand up. Flannery has been a player on the Irish radar for some time, having won an U20s Grand Slam with Ireland in 2018 before joining the Munster Academy.
He came of the bench for on Friday night as Ulster defeated Munster at Ravenhill, deputising for Billy Burns.
The 24-year-old from Bansha in Tipperary has impressed hugely since signing a contract with Ulster, and he's made a claim for Ulster's 10 shirt.
Jake Flannery is also one of the smartest players on the Irish rugby scene. He got the maximum 625 on his Leaving Cert and went on to do chemical engineering at the University of Limerick. Having completed his degree in September, Flannery has wisely prepared himself for a life outside the rugby field, even if his performances over this season suggest he'll have a successful career on the pitch.
Jake Flannery on the rise
Ulster know they've really got something in young Jake Flannery. A real stepping stone for the former Shannon man last season was when he started away to the Sharks in Durban. A win for Ulster would put them in to a position to play both a home quarter and home semi final in the URC.
Flannery conducted the Ulster attack beautifully, releasing the superb talent outside him in to space, time and time again. It was a break out game for both Flannery and Ulster lock Harry Sheridan (who ultimately scored the winning try).
Last weekend in Galway, after missing out against the Bulls, Flannery once again showed why Ulster may have found their fly half for the future. He commanded what little possession Ulster had in the first 50 minutes and kicked with aplomb. It was this try created by Sheridan and finished off by the fly half that was a real highlight for Ulster fans.
Sheridan's pick through the middle and superb support lines from Flannery and scrum half Dave Shanahan really was indicative of how clinical Ulster were with their young 10 at the helm that day.
💥First try of the match goes to @UlsterRugby's Jake Flannery!
Flannery also secured all his team's points in the first minutes of the match 🔴#BKTURC #URC | #CONvULS pic.twitter.com/8F8IA3Sfww— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) November 4, 2023
It is like Jake Flannery has always been considered a secondary option, whether it be at Munster behind Ben Healy, Jack Crowley and Joey Carbery or last season only playing four times for Ulster or even at U20 level where he said himself he didn't feel like he was close to being selected, he said in 2020 after impressing for the U20s;
"Going in to the season there was Ben Healy, Harry Byrne, Bruce Houston and David Hawkshaw, I'd have probably seen myself as about 5th choice."
Because of that competition, Flannery made sure to focus on his education while still in the Munster Academy. As he explained to Rugby Players Ireland after getting his degree in September, his studies were hugely important while he was in the academy.
“When I left school [Rockwell College], I was by no means assured of a place in the [Munster] academy. In hindsight, that lack of clarity probably gave me a bit of freedom in making the decision to do chemical engineering.
Make no question, a place in the academy remained the priority but I ended up doing what I wanted to do in college because I was good at maths and chemistry, and not because it was a course that fitted with the demands of rugby.
He plays with a chip on his shoulder and he brings that niggle that coaches love from their 10s. It isn't a 'hot headedness', he's up for the fight. Quietly, Ulster look to be building something with Flannery at fly half. With a raft of young talent in the back line, such as Nathan Doak, Stewart Moore, James Hume, Robert Balacoune, Ethan McIlroy, Jude Postlethwaite and Michael Lowry, it feels as though Flannery could be the final piece of a puzzle that Ulster just haven't managed to put together perfectly to this point.
But if rugby doesn't work out for Flannery, the qualified chemical engineer will have many other career options.
SEE MORE: Remembering Andrew Conway's Miracle Moment Against Toulon
Photo credit - Sportsfile/Rugby Players Ireland
