Crowley focusing on here and now and not Sexton record

Jack Crowley smiled when it was put to him and said it's far too early in his career to start thinking about chasing down Johnny Sexton’s scoring record.

The Munster out-half made his World Cup debut against Romania in the opening round, scoring four conversions, on his seventh cap, when he replaced Sexton in the second half.

The Bandon native grew up watching the Ireland skipper and fellow Cork native Ronan O’Gara, whose playing career ended 2013.

Sexton beat O'Gara’s all-time points tally with a haul of 16 in Saturday’s 59-16 win over Tonga.

"I think I’m a long way away from that, I’m yet to score a try," he told RTÉ Sport.

"Look, they are sporting greats for Ireland and for a reason because of the many years they put into the Irish jersey, for me I've a long way to go to reach that level.

"They are great people to have around and I’m sure any youngster would be looking up and aspire to be like them."

Asked what one thing he is able to take from learning under one of the world’s greatest out-half's he said: "I don’t think there’s one thing I can take.

"I think just the level of detail he puts into his preparation.

"I don’t think that can be [underestimated] because everything you do in the week leads up to the game on Saturday, that’s more important so you can go out and perform with confidence."

The 23-year-old is now in competition with Leinster stand-off Ross Byrne for a place on the bench against world champions South Africa in Paris on Saturday night (8pm) in Pool B of the World Cup.

Able to play at first centre and at full-back, Crowley understands that sometimes versatile players can be at a disadvantage if a player is moved around and given time to establish themselves in one position.

However, he says his adaptability has