WALLA-BEHAVE
Ciaran Frawley insists he never considered move to Australia after making first Ireland start in Six Nations win v Wales
Frawley was also linked with a shock move to Leinster's provincial rivals
CIARÁN FRAWLEY revealed there was no chance of him jumping to the Wallabies after biding his time with Ireland.
The versatile Leinster player made his first international start last week against Wales and marked the occasion with a try after two previous appearances off the bench this season.
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But he has had to wait for his Ireland chance, having first been brought in under Andy Farrell in November 2021.
He was part of the touring party in New Zealand in 2022 and featured in both matches against the Maori All Blacks but injury robbed him of the opportunity of his Test-match debut in the November Series that year.
And all those delays meant that Australia kept tabs on the Sydney-born back.
But there was no phone call from Eddie Jones before last year’s World Cup — not that it would have made a difference.
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Frawley revealed: “I was in and out of camps from 2021 and I felt my time was coming.
“I had a few injuries along the way and obviously I was still qualified for Australia.
“But I never had a phone call with Eddie Jones.
“I knew there was interest from over there, but I was never going to go.
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“I’ve lived in Ireland since I was three years old, Ireland is my home, I don’t want to move to the other side of the world when I felt I had the potential to do what I actually wanted to do.”
It is not just with Ireland that he was keen to realise his dreams but Leinster too, despite speculation that he could move to Ulster for game-time.
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But Frawley countered: “I didn’t even know about that, the other provinces.
“You never look at it. I’d never take heed of it.
“It’s funny, my dad would say to me, ‘Don’t listen to whatever is going on’ and I don’t. I actually don’t.
“It helps on the pitch because you just focus on what you need to do for your team-mates and coaches.”
POSITION CHANGE
But the Ravenhill links cropped up because his path to play No 10 at Leinster looks blocked by Ross Byrne, Harry Byrne and Sam Prendergast.
Instead, Frawley has found himself at centre or at full-back, where he is up against Hugo Keenan for both club and country.
Before the World Cup, he made his debut as a replacement full-back against Italy, though he did not make the squad for the finals.
A Six Nations debut on the wing followed last month by coming on for Calvin Nash in France before his first start, at full-back, against Wales last weekend.
But that versatility can be a blessing and a curse.
Two years ago, the 26-year-old wanted an extended run at out-half.
Now he just wants minutes wherever he can get them.
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Frawley explained: “I just want to play. That’s the main thing. I want to play in big games.
“The way I see it is I think like a 10, I feel like I play like a 10 but I probably have the ability to jump into other positions and do a job there.
“So for me it is understanding that and then knowing that it will get me into the big games. That’s what I take the satisfaction from.”
His performance against the Welsh showed his ability as he capped his first start with his first try, which was a special moment.
Frawley added: “It was class. I knew my family and friends were down that end as well, they’d be buzzing.
“But I obviously couldn’t see them in the crowd, everyone was up on their feet, but it was obviously a very special moment.
“As soon as I started playing, I dreamed of scoring a try for Ireland. It was about seven when I started.”