THE maths are fairly straightforward – four into one doesn’t go. But that’s a problem Andy Farrell and his coaching team need to solve, and quickly.

Right now, there are four players in the conversation for the Ireland No. 10 jersey – Bandon Rugby Club hero Jack Crowley, Sam Prendergast, Harry Byrne and Ciarán Frawley.

With just over 18 months until the 2027 Rugby World Cup, it’s time for one of these contenders to stand up, grab their opportunity and make the position their own. If that happens and an undisputed first-choice outhalf emerges, then the noise will quieten. So far, no one has made this an easy decision. And so the outside noise grows louder, with the Munster v Leinster rivalry another facet in this.

‘It’s important, not only those two (Crowley and Prendergast), but Harry Byrne and Ciarán Frawley too, that they keep developing and getting game-time.

‘There are four guys, and all the criticism from previous cycles is that we didn’t develop guys, that we have relied too heavily on one (player) in some positions,’ Ireland coach Johnny Sexton said this week, with the irony being his status as a generational outhalf meant he owned the Ireland No. 10 jersey until he retired after the 2023 Rugby World Cup. No one else got a look-in. So, when Sexton exited stage left, there was no one primed and ready to take the baton.

Ahead of the last Rugby World Cup, Crowley had six caps for Ireland and had made his international debut less than a year earlier. This wasn’t a polished succession plan. But the Innishannon man was best placed to take the keys to the kingdom – and he delivered, starting every game and playing every minute of Ireland’s Six Nations success in 2024.

Since then, Crowley has started just one of the seven Six Nations games between last season and this campaign, with a clear preference for Sam Prendergast, the new kid on the block who, at 21, was fast-tracked into the Ireland set-up in 2024 before he had even played Champions Cup rugby for Leinster. Farrell placed his chips on Prendergast, who has started six of the last seven Six Nations games, but it’s a gamble that now looks premature.

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

‘No, I've no problem at all. He was playing outstanding rugby and he will continue to do that,’ Farrell responded when asked if Prendergast was pushed into the international spotlight too quickly.

The Ireland head coach needs to shoulder some of the responsibility here too, with the over-promotion of Prendergast – at the expense of Crowley’s development – all leading to what we saw last weekend against Italy: the Leinster man, stripped of confidence and visibly struggling, had a day to forget.

The cheer from the crowd that greeted Crowley replacing Prendergast in the 56th minute was noticeable too.

Perhaps Farrell will reflect on his own role in this, because the view of Johnny Sexton this week that it’s important that all four contenders for the Ireland outhalf jersey get game-time is at odds with the reality: Prendergast was their undisputed first choice and has started Ireland’s last four games.

But this promotion has come too fast for a talented player who might have been better served with a smoother introduction to the bearpit of international rugby.

Too much, too soon has pushed Prendergast into an arena that he isn’t physically ready for just yet, while also stunting Crowley’s development at a time when he was finding his feet at this level – the struggles of both can be linked together.

Given the preference towards Prendergast, any mistake Crowley makes when he’s given a chance is amplified as a reason why the Leinster man deserved to be ahead of the Munster ace in the pecking order. And it’s vice versa too, with Prendergast’s shortcomings used as a reason why Crowley needs to be given his opportunity. This cycle will continue until an undisputed No. 10 stands up.

‘The way he came on and attacked the game was very impressive,’ Sexton said of Crowley’s cameo in the 20-13 win against Italy last weekend, including his instant role in Rob Baloucoune's crucial try.

‘The energy he brought and then with that, making good decisions. He wasn’t setting anything up. He was getting the ball to the space when it was there in the moment. That’s a big development for him.’

Is it now time for Farrell to back Jack Crowley, like he has with Prendergast, and give the Bandon man a sustained run at outhalf? If Ireland want players ready for the Rugby World Cup, then they need to give them meaningful game-time – this hasn’t been the case in the battle for the Irish outhalf slot.

Look at when Crowley came on against France in the Six Nations opener: it was at full back with Prendergast still on the pitch. Crowley’s skillset means he can play there, but that suggests, again, that Prendergast is the number one choice at outhalf. That could change – and many will argue should – after what we’ve seen in the opening two Six Nations games, but if Crowley, now 26 years old, is given his latest opportunity, he needs to take it. He will know he needs to be more consistent, and that’s an element Ronan O’Gara touched on recently when he said of Crowley’s club form: ‘He’s probably trying a bit harder, he’s pushing it, he’s forcing it, and he’s making errors that may potentially cost him starting a Six Nations.’

Filling Sexton’s boots was never going to be a quick fix, and it isn’t, but these growing pains are more painful than we had realised they could be. Ireland don’t just need options at No. 10, they need ownership. And with the World Cup now looming, the time for auditions is running out.