THE Aviva Stadium will be hit by an invasion from Cork if James Cronin is named in the Ireland 23 this weekend.
The Munster prop’s two international caps so far have come in far-flung Argentina and Italy. Injuries have pushed the door slightly ajar for the 25-year-old, who is expected to be named on the bench when Joe Schmidt names his squad on Friday.
“It is very exciting. It is my first home international. It’s all new to me, even going up to The Shelbourne [hotel],” he said.
“I am really concentrating on the game. I am fortunate enough to have two caps for Ireland. There will be a big crowd coming up from Cork if I’m selected.”
Since being selected for the Argentinian tour in 2014, making his first appearance there. His Six Nations debut off the bench in Rome a few months later left him with a knee injury that allowed Cian Healy a free run at it once he had recovered from injury, and Cronin missed out on the World Cup squad.
With Healy injured again as Ireland prepare to begin their pursuit of a third straight Six Nations title, Cronin has gotten past worrying about who else is around him: “Competition is good. I don’t focus on anyone but myself because at the end of the day that’s not going to make me a better player,” he said.
“You just pick your own little tricks or niches that you can be better at than the other person or work on your weaknesses. I just concentrate on myself all of the time.”
Having played little rugby over the last month after getting injured against Leinster at the end of December, he returned to Munster last weekend and played in their PRO12 win over Zebre. His name was one of those heavily linked with a move away from the province, but he, Conor Murray, Simon Zebo and Keith Earls have all signed new deals in recent weeks to give Anthony Foley’s side a much-needed boost.
Cronin had been heavily linked with a move to London Irish and, while he decided to stay, he admitted that leaving home shores is becoming ever more enticing for Irish players: “Nowadays players are getting offers from France, England. Big offers,” he said.
“You want to play at home but these offers are going to turn your head and I got a three year deal offered to me by the province I grew up supporting so it wasn’t that hard to turn down. I was in talks [with other clubs], Munster then got back onto me the day they found out I was in talks and put a good offer on the table, I was happy then so I took it. If there’s big offers out there then you’re going to have a look it’s natural but I was happy enough to sign for Munster for three years.”
Munster’s recent plight has shared the limelight, for want of a better word, with the struggle that Leinster have endured in their campaign to date. The fact that none of the Irish provinces made it to the knockout stages of the European Champions Cup has led to much doomsday chat around the state of the game in this country.
But Ireland are going for a third championship crown in-a-row, something they have never done before. Cronin insists that provincial baggage is left at the doors of Carton House: “It’s a different competition. It’s a different team.
“No matter what struggles the provinces have had - and Ulster were fierce unlucky - no [it doesn’t affect Ireland]. It’s a different team.”
