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Tommy Bowe Sees Clear Winner In Battle To Backup Sexton At Rugby World Cup

Tommy Bowe Sees Clear Winner In Battle To Backup Sexton At Rugby World Cup
Gary Connaughton
By Gary Connaughton
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With the Ireland Rugby World Cup squad having been revealed over the weekend, the conversation has quickly turned on to who will actually take to the pitch for the games in France.

Andy Farrell's first choice XV is fairly set in stone, with only one or two spots likely up for grabs as things stand. In saying that, the other players in the squad will be given an opportunity to play, most likely in the opening two games against Romania and Tonga.

As well as that, it will be interesting to see what players are included on the bench in the biggest games. The no. 10 position is particularly intriguing.

Johnny Sexton will act as first choice in that role having served his suspension, but the battle to become his backup has been very competitive in recent times. Ross Byrne had previously held that position, although Jack Crowley has made his case for the spot over the last number of months by playing some fantastic rugby.

Rugby: Bowe sees clear winner in battle to backup Johnny Sexton

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Crowley has been in brilliant form in recent months, while Ross Byrne has not quite been able to hit those heights. Has the Munster man moved ahead of him in the pecking order as a result?

Speaking on BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast, former Ireland winger Tommy Bowe said that he feels the 23-year old Cork native has earned the right to be the second choice flyhalf at the Rugby World Cup.

I would have thought going into this competition that Ross Byrne, who is the number two at Leinster, would have been a like-for-like replacement for Johnny Sexton. He would have sat on the bench.

I wonder how much the impact of the Champions Cup final has had on him because he was the out-half pulling the strings against La Rochelle. Leinster were all over them at stages, he had the opportunity to take a drop-goal but decided to keep on playing and didn't take it.

Leinster lost by a point and they're the crucial minutes that mean a huge amount going into a World Cup.

So I think the pecking order has changed. Byrne would have been second choice to Sexton in the Six Nations but Crowley has now taken that spot.

It is difficult to argue with that. Jack Crowley's form for Munster towards the end of last season was fantastic, while he has also been the more impressive of the two during Ireland's World Cup warmup games.

It will be interesting to see if Andy Farrell agrees with that assessment.

SEE ALSO: The Best Ireland XV Of Players Who Missed Out On World Cup Selection

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