The Keith Wood verdict on rookie Ireland out-half Jack Crowley

Former Ireland skipper Keith Wood believes that Test rookie Jack Crowley has the temperament, quality and ability to fill the void left in Andy Farrell’s team following the retirement of Johnny Sexton.

The veteran out-half called it quits at the end of the Rugby World Cup at the age of 38 and the recently-turned 24-year-old Crowley has won the race to fill the vacancy in this Friday’s Guinness Six Nations opener away to France.

Ciaran Frawley, who has been named on the Marseille bench, and Harry Byrne were the other contenders in Farrell’s squad for the No10 jersey and with the decision falling in Crowley’s favour, Wood is now backing his fellow Munster man to impress in a first Six Nations start in his fledgling 10-cap career.

Wood told BoyleSports: “Jack is the most natural player available that could emulate Johnny Sexton in terms of temperament, physicality and overall quality. He is very young on the international stage and has matured a lot.

"The one thing that separated Sexton from everyone else was his decision-making, the steely mind he had, that determination and calmness under pressure. He had a really strong belief that Ireland could always win. He drove the culture, so when you lose a player like that of course it will leave a void.

"The gap is there for Crowley to come in. He needs to improve on certain things such as decision-making, which will only come with experience and exposure. In international rugby you have limited time on the ball, you have better quality players, it is quicker, the pressure is different. It takes time to adapt to that.

“Jack does have the temperament, quality and ability. He would have learned a lot from Sexton about preparation and reviewing games. I would be very excited about him filling the boots.

“I don’t think he will fill them all the way straight away and there will be mistakes, but he is a top-quality player whose ceiling is very high. He is very young and inexperienced at this level, but his potential is enormous. He will only get better and he is battle-hardened.

"When you handle the ball 70, 80 times a game there will be mistakes. There will be pressure points – you have got to pass, kick, run. There are so many variables. But he is a brilliant footballer and people see big things for him."