James Tracy in strong position to fill Sean Cronin gap

News that Sean Cronin's injured hamstring would keep him sidelined for 10 weeks may have alarmed Leo Cullen and Joe Schmidt. But in other parts of Leinster and Ireland it would have been met with a sense of realism and consequence.

Cronin's unavailability gives opportunity to others and in the professional merry-go-round of injury and health, Cronin's misfortune means James Tracy comes even more into focus.

The hooker landscape has changed for the next two months or so but there’s a hesitancy to hold assumptions about what might happen next. Tracy hopes for more games and that Schmidt will take an interest but he is also aware that, attractive as it appears, racing ahead can be folly.

“That is just the game,” he says. “It is an attritional game and there are a lot of injuries. It is a good opportunity for me but I just need to look after my roles and keep playing well. Nothing is guaranteed. I need to put my head down.

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“There is great competition in Leinster, never mind Ireland. Just look at the backrow where you are looking at one guy getting injured [Seán O’Brien] and another comes in [Jack Conan] and gets man of the match. There is great depth in every position in Ireland and all you can do is keep pushing the door.

"I am not really thinking about the Six Nations, I am just thinking week to week. That way it just keeps you focused."

Pressurised matches

Tracy sees Leister’s big wins as a positive aspect of their pool form, not something to dwell on as they face into tighter and more pressurised matches and Castres could be one of those. He points to the French side’s heroic home record of losing just once at Stade Pierre-Antoine this season.

The two European pool games they have won have also been at home. Yes, the French stereotype. But it doesn’t make it any easier for Leinster.

It is also the bigger games that Tracy believes bring him on as a hooker. Players need to take larger steps against top opposition for self-discovery. It’s a realisation, a confidence process.

“The big games are where you learn the most about yourself,” he says. “Whether you can handle the pressure, the different things that come with the build-up and everything like that.

“Last year I was lucky to come off the bench against Bath and then I got that start that kicked a lot of people on and gave us the confidence to know that we were not far off from where we want to be. It is just about being confident and living up to the standards that we train at.”

Different view

It has come the full circle for Tracy. Matt O’Connor didn’t think he fitted and 2014-15 was like a ghost season. Cullen took a different view and now he’s further along than Bryan Byrne and beating Richardt Strauss to the shirt.

But it was three seasons ago that his world changed shape. On his way to the Ireland job, Schmidt sat Tracy down and suggested a change from losehead prop to hooker. He wasn’t big enough and probably couldn’t carry the weight, said Schmidt. If Tracy wanted an Irish career he needed to change.

It was a challenge but he embraced it. Now it is paying off. Tracy started against Montpellier with Strauss coming on and before that against Northampton in Aviva, Cronin started, put in a man of the match performance and Tracy came off the bench.

“A lot of young guys are starting to come through now and there is a lot of confidence,” he says. “But it doesn’t mean we are going to win the thing.”

And the culture, this season at least, has been a winning one.

“Yeah,” he says.  “You look at them and you see what they have done and you are jealous of it really. That is where the hunger comes from.”