At some point during the last few days, the IRFU’s social media team posted a video of vice-captain James Ryan chairing a game of egg roulette between his Leinster team-mates James Lowe and Joe McCarthy.
s punishment for an unspecified breach of tour rules, the two players cracked eggs – some drained, some not – off their own heads until one (Lowe) drew the short straw and had a load of yolk in his hair, much to the delight of their vice-captain and watching team-mates.
It’s not quite the 1997 kangaroo court, but in 2022 touring is all about good, clean fun and wholesome Instagram content.
On the pitch, Ireland’s version of roulette continues in Hamilton tomorrow.
Injury to Harry Byrne and the need to keep Johnny Sexton and Joey Carbery in reserve for Saturday’s first Test opens the door to Ciarán Frawley to start at No 10 and suddenly the Skerries native has a one-time shot at propelling himself up the depth chart and firmly into the World Cup picture.
While Andy Farrell has done a fine job in many areas during his tenure, the muddied picture at out-half is a major weak spot in his planning.
Considering both of Ireland’s last two World Cup campaigns came a cropper when Sexton got injured, it’s remarkable that they are sailing towards France with the same set of problems and are no closer to a solution.
Ian Madigan and Jack Carty were chronically inexperienced when they were thrown in to start against Argentina in 2015 and Japan in 2019.
At this stage, nearly everyone is aware that Sexton will be 38 by the time the World Cup kicks off in France next year and, while he remains the top-dog on form and the most important member of the squad in terms of influence, there is a major risk to relying on his body getting through a tough schedule next year.
Carbery is the next man up, but injury ruled him out of the first 14 matches of Farrell’s tenure.
The Munster out-half started the summer matches against Japan and the United States last year, closed out the win over New Zealand in the autumn and started the win over Argentina, the defeat to France away and the victory over Italy when Sexton was injured.
Ahead of the 2019 World Cup, Carbery gave an interview to the New Zealand Herald saying he was coming for Sexton’s jersey, while he went on the record back then stating his ambition to become the best player in the world.
A succession of injuries has checked his momentum and ambition, however, while he looked lost at times in the Munster system towards the tail-end of the season.
He goes into next year under pressure for the starting shirt from Ben Healy and Jack Crowley, with many analysts coming around to the idea that Leinster had back in 2018 that he’s best suited to the No 15 shirt.
If Carbery can’t challenge Sexton’s primacy, then it’s unlikely anyone else will.
When the Munster man was out injured, Farrell started out with Jack Carty as his third choice but then trialled Billy Burns and Ross Byrne.
Neither man impressed, Byrne was supplanted by his younger brother Harry by the summer of 2021 and Burns has not been involved since that window. Carty got back in during the Six Nations, but injury ruled him out of this tour.
The younger Byrne brother has been ear-marked as the next cab off the rank, but a lack of alignment between the national and provincial thinking is holding Ireland back.
At Leinster, Ross Byrne is a trusted resource who starts when Sexton isn’t around and comes off the bench when he is.
Attempts to promote Harry have been scuppered by poor form and injury, while both he and Frawley has been redeployed to No 12 to get game-time.
Of his 21 games this season, Frawley started just once in the No 10 shirt. Harry Byrne started there four times in 12 matches, with three at inside centre and five appearances off the bench.
Before he played at out-half against the Stormers in April, Frawley’s last game there was away to the Ospreys during the 2020 Six Nations.
Including these two Maori games, there are at most 14 games before Ireland pick their squad for the World Cup so every opportunity is precious.
Uncapped despite a spell in the squad during the November window last season, he’s now in a position where if he performs well in Hamilton he’s suddenly firmly in the conversation.
He has all the attributes; he’s physically strong and defends well in a way that reminds you of Sexton, has an excellent tactical brain and kicks well, while his distribution from No 12 has been on-point. His goal-kicking is reliable.
For many seasoned observers, he’s the obvious answer to a major problem that’s been staring Ireland in the face.
On Off the Ball last week, Ronan O’Gara described this tour as a “game-changing opportunity” for the out-half contenders.
Safe to say the legendary out-half is a big fan of what Frawley can offer.
“This is game-changing in the acceleration of what a young No 10 needs,” he said when asked about Harry Byrne.
“If he’s able to show glimpses of form, if there’s enough opportunity to grow this guy in the next 18 months the upside for Harry Byrne is potentially huge.
“This guy should be incredibly excited about what the next six weeks entails, there’s only so much that you can derive from training. What happens in the game-scenario is so powerful and leads to whole new opportunities.
“This is somewhere where, for him, all the shackles can be completely thrown off and it can redefine a young out-half.
“I’m not in a position to give you an accurate account of how (Harry Byrne) plays, what he’s like as a person. I read he’s started four games this season, he’s completely undercooked, but the training environment at Leinster, with all the internationals and excellent coaching is a great launching pad; what he needs now is meaningful games.
“Is the step from URC average games to the Maori and Test games the formula for him to succeed, I’d have my doubts.
“But, if there is a massive burning desire for this guy to run the Ireland attack for the next 10 years then this is his opportunity.
“Moreso in training, when he gets the opportunity to go against the Test team, but if he shines in training, goes well in the Maori game, Ireland are in a position where they need to understand their depth at out-half.
“There’s four out-halves in the squad and this guy Frawley is incredibly exciting and interesting, if you want to play with tempo and with width he’s a great foil to have in your team.”
As ever, Frawley will depend on those around him to a degree.
He needs a platform from a pack of forwards that lacks experience, good service from Craig Casey and a connection with Bundee Aki and James Hume outside him.
At 24, he’s the same age that Sexton was when he made his debut and his flexibility has allowed him to rack up a large number of minutes in different positions at Leinster.
As Farrell rolls his ball on to the spinning wheel he’ll hope that Frawley comes up a winner.