Catching Up With Cronin

Prior to his departure for Irish camp, we caught up with Munster and Ireland loosehead James Cronin whose excellent form in the opening half of the season was duly reward with inclusion in Joe Schmidt’s 35 man Ireland squad for Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2016 RBS 6 Nations.

An ankle injury in Munster’s PRO12 loss to Leinster on December 27^th saw Cronin miss the province’s subsequent encounters with Ulster and Stade Francais.  Yet, such was the excellence of his form previously, the Ireland Head Coach had seen enough and included the Ballincollig native in a 6 Nations squad for the second consecutive season.
 
“I was pretty happy with my form prior to the injury – I was taking it one game at a time and things were working out for me.  I know we lost against Leicester (in December) which was disappointing for all of us, but from a personal point of view, scrummaging against a Lions tighthead in Dan Cole and a front row that a lot of people thought we would struggle badly against, we went out there and proved them wrong and took a lot of confidence from that. 
 
“Over in the Leicester game, they had something like 150 international caps in the front row and we had 3, so to come out so well against them tells us that we have talent in the group. 
 
“No doubt we deserved much of the criticism that came our way in recent months, but we know the talent that’s in the squad and now it’s up to us to kick on.” 
 
As well as performing admirably at set piece, Cronin has continued his emergence as one of Munster’s most formidable ball carriers, choosing clever lines and bulldozing his way through a number of tackles in each game.
 
“I love both sides of the game.  I love the defensive aspect, making tackles and getting a good hit in, and in attack I love running over fellas if I can.  Obviously I know the scrum is king and that’s my primary role but I also love playing with ball in hand and making carries.”
 
So was it a case of awaiting Joe Schmidt’s call on squad announcement day?
 
“No call, I just got an e-mail at 25 past 2 that day.  I was meeting up with a few of my buddies and they had already found out before I got to them at half 2.  They were saying, ‘did ya hear??’ 
 
“I pretended I knew nothing at the start and acted all surprised.  But that’s the way it works, we just find out five minutes before anyone else.  It’s a bit like getting your Leaving Cert results.  You are hoping for good news, but in case it’s not, you want to be on your own when reading the e-mail.”
 
Winning his first Irish cap against Argentina in June 2014, the following February the Dolphin clubman made his 6 Nations debut against Italy in the Stadio Olimpico.  However there he picked up a knee injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the tournament.
 
Returning to feature just twice for Munster before the end of the season, the then 24-year-old did partake in the victorious 2015 Tbilisi Cup campaign with Emerging Ireland, but failed to win selection for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.
 
“I’m the first one to admit it, I had no form.  I went to Tbilisi with Emerging Ireland in June and was off the pace.  It was 34 degrees and I had played all of 10 minutes rugby in the eight weeks previous and wasn’t able to put my hand up for selection.  That’s not making excuses, that was the fact of the matter.  I knew I didn’t deserve to be picked for the World Cup and I made my peace with that.
 
“In saying that, it was really tough watching the World Cup, because, in my heart of hearts, I knew I had the ability to be there were it not for a bit of bad luck with injuries that killed me. 
 
“But then my focus was firmly on getting back to full form.  I was back in Munster and the lads put their arm around me and said ‘lets get back to it.’  Munster is a great place to come back to – when you are down in the dumps they will pick you up and get you going again.”
 
Cronin may not have worn the green jersey in almost a year but he is unfazed by a return to the Irish fold, knowing his previous Irish caps will stand to him greatly this time around.
 
“Going to camp before I would have been nervous, I didn’t know the lads, especially as I was never in camp with Ireland U18s, 19s and 20s, so it was a totally new experience for me.
 
“Since I’ve started going up there I’ve got used to the systems, I have an opinion on things and I’m not afraid to voice it and say it to the coaches.  They can see that as well and it’s a good thing because I was a bit shy when I first started.
 
“When you are new and nervous you can overthink the plays, you just want to do your role and not mess up.  But sometimes rugby is a very quick game and you might see something on the run and go for it, however, those things that should happen naturally don’t necessarily happen when you’re brand new and a bit nervous.  When you get into your flow up there things get a bit easier.
  
“I’m delighted to get the nod for the squad but that’s only the start.  There is a number of us all pushing to get selected for matchday.  I’m 100% going to put my best foot forward and nothing less will do when you look at the quality of the other lads. 
 
“You go in with the mentality that the jersey will be mine and the others are not going to take it off me – they will be the same, we all know where we stand.
 
“That’s not an arrogance, it’s confidence in your own ability.  You know that if you are selected and you run onto the pitch in the green jersey, you are there on merit.  Then you focus on your job and play your own game within the system that the team is playing to.”
 
Munster born and bred, Cronin’s Irish inclusion was a proud day, not just for the man himself, but for his family and the community of Ballincollig in Cork.
 
“It’s brilliant, not even for myself but for my family – my sister in school in Ballincollig, my mother shopping and people coming over and saying well done to her or my brother.  That’s the stuff that I don’t see but it’s brilliant for them.”