Opportunity knocks for a clutch of Irish players this afternoon in the Stadio Olimpico, most obviously the half dozen players promoted from the bench to the starting line-up. And this applies to no one more than Craig Casey.
The 23-year-old from Limerick made his Irish debut when playing the last 12 minutes of the corresponding fixture in the same ground two years ago. That was behind closed doors, and so too the celebrations in the post-match dressingroom, when he was famously, or infamously depending on your musical taste, caught on video camera belting out George Michael’s Careless Whisper, to the delight of his fellow squad members and adoring fans on social media.
Two years on and Casey might have felt more opportunities could have come his way since then, but he has only started one game in the intervening period, the following July in a summer friendly against Japan.
His only ensuing appearance in the Six Nations until this season was again against Italy, in last season’s third round win in the Aviva Stadium. But now, having seen out Ireland’s last four wins against Fiji, Australia, Wales and France, the latter when playing the last 24 minutes, Casey makes his first Six Nations start.
Jamison Gibson-Park, the beating rhythm at the heart of Ireland’s surge to number one in the world rankings, is likely to be back in the mix for the Scottish game a fortnight hence, and Conor Murray has performed commandingly in Ireland’s opening two wins over Wales and France.
Furthermore, of course, Ireland’s depth chart at scrumhalf is such that there are four other capped scrumhalves outside Saturday’s match day 23, namely Caolin Blade (who is again one of the additional players providing cover on Saturday), John Cooney, Kieran Marmion, and the consistently impressive Luke McGrath in an all-conquering Leinster side. Paddy Patterson has also caught the eye with his pace to the breakdown and footballing nous for Munster this season.
So, mindful of that, the pressure is on Casey to deliver a good performance today, or more to the point perhaps, to deliver a good performance by not being too mindful of the personal stakes.
Casey has always seemed destined to break into the Irish squad ever since his star turn when playing in three of Ireland’s 2019 Under-20 Six Nations games and scoring tries in two of them. It was Ireland’s first Grand Slam at that level in a dozen years and Casey’s speed to the breakdown, razor sharp pass and running threat were particularly symbolic of that team’s success, and perhaps as much as anything so too was his ready smile and clear enjoyment in what he was doing.
No less than Cheslin Kolbe and Faf de Klerk, the darlings of the Springboks’ World Cup winning team, as well as the new Italian sensation Ange Capuozzo, Casey’s popularity with team-mates and crowds alike no doubt emanates from his diminutive presence and size.
His effervescent and bubbly persona also endears him to supporters, as evidenced by the increase in decibel levels whenever he is introduced off the bench in Thomond Park.
There’s no doubt he can play to the gallery a tad; turning to the crowd and punching the air after a try assist, or forever speeding up to the penalty mark and feigning to take a quick tap, or even taking a quick tap from the wrong mark and skating into the in-goal area untouched for a try that is never going to be awarded.
There was a funny moment inside the last two minutes of Leinster’s win in Thomond Park on St Stephen’s Day when the visitors were running down the clock by going to the corner. The Munster pack engineered a turnover from the resultant maul and Casey turned to the crowd, pumping both fists and roaring in celebration. Jordan Larmour went up to him and put his hand on Casey’s shoulder, as if to say “best of luck going 95 metres down the pitch”.
But Casey’s career has also been a heart-warming story of resilience. Having helped Ard Scoil Ris to the semi-finals of the Munster Schools Senior Cup and progressing into the province’s academy on foot of playing for the Ireland Under-18s, Casey was cruelly sidelined for 14 months in the formative stages of his career.
First he underwent knee surgery, then had to undergo a procedure to remove an ingrown hair on his back before then tearing the meniscus in his other knee during preseason with Munster. To recover and become such an integral part of the Irish Under-20 team in both the Six Nations and the 2019 World Cup was even more of an achievement.
Most of all though, in a game populated by behemoths and which places such a high premium on physicality, or ironically in the case of the Springboks beating the opposition into submission, along with de Klerk, Kolbe and Cauozzo, Casey is a welcome antidote.
In fact, at just 1.65m (5′4″) and 76kg (12 stone), Casey is smaller and lighter than any of that trio. For sure, despite his undoubted bravery and willingness to put his body on the line, that physique counts against him, especially around the edges, where Murray’s strength is often taken for granted and even Gibson-Park, who is only 4kg heavier, seems to make light of his, well, lightness.
Even putting Casey on the wing has been exploited by alert opponents, most notably by the All Blacks XV which dismantled the Ireland A side last November in the RDS, and Toulouse in the Champions Cup.
Like it or not, box-kicking is one of the modern scrumhalf’s most important, staple attributes, and this aspect of Casey’s game has definitely improved in the last year or so. But his point of difference is that speed to the breakdown, where his low centre of gravity is an asset, and his pass. As with Ireland, Munster are now seeking to play a high tempo game more than ever, and Casey suits this ambition. Whether starting or as a change-up off the bench, he can be a real weapon.
That eye for the try line is, of course, also a weapon which he has to bring to the table. But he has to be more selective than most, for if he is ensnared the outcome can look worse because of his size. And, perhaps unfairly, you sense there’s an excitable player within that endearingly bubbly personality.
Even in the build-up to his try assist in Cardiff when Josh van der Flier sealed the bonus point, Casey could be seen taking a couple of little looks before having a dummy and a dart himself two phases previously, which nearly resulted in a turnover. Similarly, against France, there was an ill-advised snipe down the blindside as Ireland turned the screw inside the last 10 minutes which might also have led to a turnover.
One sensed that Andy Farrell was alluding to all of this when discussing what he likes about Casey’s game and what the scrumhalf needs to do on his first Six Nations start today.
“He’s always got energy, but it’s a lot more than that. He’s worked extremely hard on playing quick, being dynamic but being calm enough to make the right decisions as he’s getting there. I suppose as a youngster, you want to show your energy and how fit and skilful you are, because his pass has always been fantastic, you know, but his decision making in and around not losing the speed of the game is a tricky one because you’ve got to be calm in your mind and still keep the speed in the feet to manage the two is a tricky one and he’s doing very well in that regard.”
What makes Casey’s selection particularly intriguing is that alongside him, Ross Byrne is also making his first Championship start at 27 after travelling an ever more patient route. The pair have closed out the last three wins together, but this is their first start in tandem.
“I expect them to bring to the start of the match like we’ve started over the last however many games, some clarity of what it is we’re going after and then they’re in charge of putting the team around the field to make us be in the right decisions to be able to do that,” said Farrell.
“But what’s been impressive for them coming off the bench is they’ve watched the game, they’ve got a feel for the game and they understand how to control what they were trying to achieve.
“A little bit of a different dynamic for them, starting the game, but we expect the control that they’ve had. It was the right thing for the right moment and we expect that to be the same from the start of the game.
“We want to obviously take our game to Italy and they’ll be at the forefront of that.”
Again, Farrell will be the most intrigued observer of all. It should be interesting all right.
