Irish international hooker Sean Cronin talks to JOE about the challenge of playing for Leinster next season, the upcoming World Cup and why he’ll be giving his vote to Willie O’Dea this Friday.
Unfortunately for the man himself, the most recent memory of Sean Cronin in the minds of Irish supporters is the dropped ball in the dying stages of Ireland’s defeat to France in the Six Nations at the Aviva Stadium. In fairness to Cronin, however, that was one of a litany of individual errors that affected the Irish performance against the reigning Six Nations champions in a game that Ireland should really have come out on top.
Still, it will not be something that will linger on Cronin’s mind for too long as he has plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks and months. From an international perspective, there’s the rest of the Six Nations and the small matter of the World Cup in September, while in the summer, Cronin will complete a move from Connacht to Leinster, who are arguably the most exciting team in Europe at the moment and were keen to secure the services of a man who has emerged as one of the most exciting prospects in the Irish game.
A hooker by trade, Cronin is blessed with blistering pace and excellent handling skills and is the type of player perfectly suited to the modern game, where pace and possession take precedence over a territory-based style of play which was in vogue at the time of the last World Cup.
Ahead of an exciting time in his rugby career, Cronin was took time out to talk to JOE about the benefits of playing for Connacht, his future with Leinster, his World Cup ambitions and why he’ll be giving his vote to Willie O’Dea in Friday’s general election.
JOE: Looking at the Six Nations so far Sean, although the results haven’t been fantastic, are the players and the management happy with the style of rugby that you’re trying to play?
SC: Yeah, it’s something that the management have tried to bring in, it’s a new system of play that we want to try and implement. Obviously, it’s not going to happen overnight, there were glimpses of it in the autumn internationals and now we’ve brought it into the Six Nations.
In fairness, the whole squad has bought into it and when you see the way that the game is going, if we want to be competing against the major sides in the world, it’s the kind of game you have to be developing, especially with the kind of players that Ireland have at their disposal at the moment. I think it’s the way forward for Ireland for doing well in the future, in the Six Nations and moving on to the world cup as well. Sometimes it hasn’t been going perfectly and other times it’s been going extremely well, so it’s about getting a balance in between.
JOE: The loss to France was a big blow but although the Grand Slam is now out of the question, there’s still plenty to play for, especially in terms of staking a claim for the World Cup squad later in the year?
SC: Everyone was hugely disappointed after the France game and obviously they wanted to follow on from 2009 when we had France and England at home, which is probably seen as the more favourable draw. Against France it didn’t go our way, we made a lot of mistakes and individual errors that we’re just going to have to cut out as a team and if we manage to do that, it would help us on a lot.
Sean goes ever so close to getting over the line against France in the dying stages
As far as I’m concerned, if I can manage to get a chance and get some serious game time, it will hopefully put me in good stead for selection come the World Cup. Obviously, I’ll keep plugging away and try to keep performing with Connacht which is a major thing because if you’re not playing well with your province it’s going to hamper your selection for the national team, so that will be the main area of focus over the coming months.
JOE: Obviously Sean, you’ve agreed to join Leinster from next season on but just a word on Connacht– how do you think your career has benefited from your move to the west a few seasons back?
SC: I think I’ve learned a huge amount and I think my game has come on tremendously. I’ve been given plenty of exposure to Magners League rugby and getting a chance to work with new coaches in a new environment has really brought me on a lot. Dan McFarland and Eric (Elwood) up here have been brilliant as was Brads (Michael Bradley) when he was here as well. Obviously Leinster’s a new challenge for me and it’s going to freshen things up. I’m really looking forward to going up there, especially with the lure of playing Heineken Cup rugby and playing with world class players. Hopefully that will push me on a bit further and help me with my career.
JOE: Would you encourage more players that are perhaps struggling to get game time at their provinces to make the move like the likes of yourself, Fionn Carr and Ian Keatley did and do you think that there are currently too many players that are content to be second and third choice options for the likes of Leinster and Munster that should be trying to get some game time elsewhere?
SC: Well this is it; some players are even further down the pecking order and if they have an opportunity to move on, they have to weigh up their options and sit down and have a serious think about it. Every player is different and it’s not just a decision you can make overnight, but I never looked back at the decision that I made.
I’m really looking forward to going up there (to Leinster), especially with the lure of playing Heineken Cup rugby and playing with world class players.
At the time, I did sit down and think about it and it was racking on my brains for a good few weeks and even months, but I would encourage any player to have a serious think about it. You have to look at the options available, you get to play Magners League rugby in a professional background and it can only help your game. If things work out, you never know what might come after that.
JOE: Before making the move to Connacht, were you worried that your career in rugby might not pan out as you had originally planned?
SC: Yeah, at the time there were a good few players ahead of me in the pecking order (at Munster) and obviously it would have been tough to break through and try and get a chance to prove yourself with so many players ahead of you.
There seems to be a few more players coming through in those provinces in recent times as well and it’s easy to look back now in hindsight and say ‘You know, if I had stayed, something else might have happened’ but I’m just happy with the choice I made. It’s worked out brilliant for me, Connacht have really helped me and I’ll always be really grateful to them, but next season will be another chapter in my career and I’m really looking forward to it.
Sean on the All Blacks, Munster and Willie O’Dea
JOE: Do you think it was essential as far as your international ambitions are concerned that you moved to a team like Leinster that are competing at the top end of the Magners League and the Heineken Cup on a regular basis?
SC: Yeah, you know you’d be a fool not to think that and you know, obviously the Irish management would never say you have to be playing here or there because they have to treat each province equally. But it’s mainly for your own game really to be pushing on and playing Heineken Cup rugby, because you need to be playing against world class players week in, week out in that kind of competition to prove yourself.
Ultimately, to be playing international rugby you need to be coming up against the best players and performing and that’s hopefully going to be ahead of me next season and like I said, I’m just looking forward to the challenge.
JOE: Speaking of coming up against world class opposition Sean, you played against New Zealand in the autumn internationals in one of your first games for Ireland. What was it like and was there a noticeable step-up in quality against them?
SC: I was on the bench that day and Rory (Best) went off after 20 minutes or so and you know, I didn’t have much time to think about it, but sometimes you just have to prepare the same even if you’re on the bench because you could be on after five or ten minutes.
The All Blacks are a world class team, but I actually like playing against them because of the game they play; it’s nice and open and free flowing and there are lots of opportunities to attack and get your hands on the ball and I managed to do that on the day. It was a good experience playing them, it was actually my second time playing against them, I played against them on the summer tour as well.
When you play the All Blacks, it’s just about trying to get up to their level and then staying up there and I think that we did that apart from maybe five or ten minutes before and after half-time when we clocked off. You need to be on the top of your game for 80 minutes against New Zealand and I think some day Ireland will be on their game for 80 minutes and will get a result against them.
JOE: Just looking ahead Sean, I know there’s plenty of rugby to be played between now and then, but do you ever find your mind drifting to the World Cup next September?
SC: Yeah, I think so. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. One of my career ambitions is to play at a World Cup, whether it’s this one or the one after that. I think that for any player, it’s the pinnacle of their career to be playing at it, it’s a showcase tournament and it’s any young boy’s dream to play at one.
On this evidence, Sean could teach the swan-diving Chris Ashton a thing or two
It’s a long, long way off, there’s tons of rugby to be played between now and then and there’s a lot of competition for the hooker spot. I think we’re all in with a shout, I don’t think anyone’s playing out of their skins and I don’t think anyone is playing particularly badly. Over the next couple of months, there’ll be chances for all of us to put our hands up for selection and you know, the call will be tight when the squad is eventually selected.
JOE: Obviously Sean, you started off with Munster before joining Connacht – would you still consider yourself (apart from when you’re playing against them of course) a Munster supporter and can you ever see yourself going back to play there one day or is it too early to tell?
SC: I was born and bred there and I remember going to many a match in Thomond Park over the years. Look, I’m going to Leinster next season and I’m really looking forward to that and I wish Munster the best, but I’m a Leinster player from next season on and my objective will be to win as much as I can with them. You never know what will happen a few years down the line, but I’m just looking to play as well as I can for Leinster next year and really push on. I don’t want to finish my career having won nothing and a few Heineken Cup or Magners League titles would do me nicely.
JOE: As you’re probably aware Sean, your Connacht team-mate Johnny O’Connor has slagged you off a few times through his column on the website – is there any embarrassing habits/stories about Johnny that you’d like to reveal to get a bit of revenge?
SC: I think Johnny is just a bit jealous of the likes of myself, Ian Keatley and Fionn Carr. The three of us are all bachelors and enjoying ourselves and I think Johnny has it in for us because he’s missing his lost youth.
The three of us would be having a good go off him in the dressing room, he’s basically an old man in the squad and with a baby on the way now as well, we’re not going to be seeing much of him anymore. We call him ‘smelly Johnny’ as well in the dressing room and I don’t think I need to explain that one any further!
JOE: Speaking of nicknames, how did your own one, ‘Poochie’ come about?
SC: That came from Shannon years ago, something to do with some dog on some programme, it just kind of stuck from Shannon to Munster and then from Munster to Connacht and then whenever I was involved with the Irish ‘A’ team or the senior squad. It’s just carried over wherever I’ve gone, but it’s been totally blown out of all proportion to be honest.
JOE: Finally Sean, the General Election is this week. Being from the city, will you be giving your support to Limerick’s favourite son Willie O’Dea?
SC: You have to love Willie, in fairness you can never have a bad thing to say about a man that supports (Rubberbandits’ hit single) Horse Outside. I’ll be giving Willie my vote, I’ve met him once or twice and he is a sound fella, so I’ve no problem plugging him a vote or two.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
