JACK Crowley has what it takes to play full back for Ireland – that’s the verdict of Régis Sonnes, who coached the Munster star at both schools and club level.

In recent games, Sam Prendergast has emerged as Andy Farrell’s preferred choice at No. 10, so Crowley has found himself used from the bench.

That could change this weekend when Ireland travel to Twickenham to take on England, after Crowley made a huge impact when called on in the second half of Ireland’s Six Nations win against Italy (20-13).

With Prendergast struggling, Crowley replaced him at outhalf, making an instant impact – it has led to growing calls to start the Innishannon man against England.

Before last weekend, Crowley’s versatility led to calls for both playmakers to feature in the same starting team. To accommodate that possibility, outhalf Crowley has been tipped as a potential option at full back, and Sonnes can see the logic.

The Frenchman was a major influence on Crowley during his formative years at Bandon RFC and Bandon Grammar School, and he believes there is clear value in having two decision-makers on the field.

Sam Prendergast has started at No 10 in Ireland's first two Six Nations games.

‘First, if Jack plays I am very happy for him because he needs to play,’ Sonnes told The Southern Star.

‘He is a very good player, is versatile and can play 10, 12, 15.

‘Knowing what is happening in rugby now, it’s a new process for some teams like France – they play two 10s on the pitch, like (Matthieu) Jalibert, (Romain) Ntamack, and Thomas (Ramos), who is a ten.

‘To have two 10s on the pitch is very interesting, and maybe it’s a strategy for Ireland to have more options.

‘Sometimes you could have one on the right, the other on the left – it gives you a lot of interesting options.’

In the Six Nations opener – the chastening loss to France – Crowley was introduced at full back while Prendergast remained at out-half. Rather than competing directly for the same jersey, can Farrell, if he continues to see Prendergast as his first-choice No. 10, build a system that uses both?

‘I would like to see Jack at full back because he will have more space and not be under as much pressure,’ says Sonnes, who believes his former protégé has the attributes required for the role at international level.

‘He is a good player with flair. If you are looking for opportunities to create, to restart the counter-attack, to change the game, then it could be good.

‘Jack has an understanding of the open play, he can create, restart a move, he has a good kick too – at full back you need to have a good kick, to manage or exit.

‘It would be very interesting to see what would happen with Jack at full back because he is a creative player and he has the ability to bring something different.’

France’s recent success has offered a working example of this dual-playmaker approach. After beating Ireland, Matthieu Jalibert explained how their structure allows multiple decision-makers to shape attacks, with the 9, 10 and 15 all heavily involved and capable of threatening different areas of the field.

‘Having two fly-halves on the pitch means we can threaten both sides of the field,’ Jalibert said.

Former Ireland head coach Eddie O’Sullivan also feels Ireland need to explore the possibility of deploying Crowley and Prendergast together. He said: ‘Jack is a really good playmaker – put two playmakers on the field, split the field in two, and suddenly teams are looking at you differently. You still have kick options to the corner off both tens.’

But perhaps events at the Aviva Stadium last weekend will see Crowley favoured at outhalf against England, a just reward for the impact he has made off the bench in both games to date.

As Andy Farrell looks to reignite Ireland’s attacking spark, perhaps this creative solution is the way forward rather than a selection dilemma.