Jack Crowley as an impact player, discuss. The Munster outhalf, toeing the policy line, says he will take anything Ireland coach Andy Farrell and now Simon Easterby throw to him. Far from the toys being thrown then. “I am always very grateful to be in the 23,” says the 24-year-old. “There is a massive team-first attitude, and I hope that’s evident from the outside as well.”
The broad agreement was that, along with Craig Casey, Crowley did bring an injection of energy from the bench to the end of Ireland’s Autumn Nations Series game against Australia.
That is not to say he doesn’t lack ambition and, after a series with a long stretch of bench time watching Sam Prendergast, there are numerous things at which he has become more accomplished. How to roll with the punches and block the outside noise are top of that list.
Leinster’s Champions Cup opener brings a meeting with a familiar face
The next match Ireland play is against England at the beginning of February in the Six Nations Championship. Easterby will be the dream maker or breaker for Prendergast and Crowley. Inching ahead now is important but if impact is what is required, then impact is what Crowley will deliver.
“Yeah, look, I think it’s important that no matter what position you’re in, it’s a special thing, particularly in the week that went by with 150 years [the anniversary of Irish rugby],” he said speaking as an ambassador for Pinergy. “For me, I was delighted that I could come on and help the lads finish the job and make it a special week for everyone involved in that group and for wider [Irish] rugby.”
“I was just happy in terms of the position I was in to make an impact when needed. Sometimes when you’re an impact player, you don’t know whether it will be the first 10 minutes when you come on, with someone going off with an injury, or you could be getting a 10- or 15-minute cameo when someone is off with a HIA.”
Ignoring the din that surrounds the 10 position is part of the contract. It is always the way, in Munster as well. Joey Carbery may have departed the province but Billy Burns has arrived with seven Irish caps, and 22-year-old Irish Under-20 Grand Slam winner Tony Butler will provide more competition.
The commotion around who starts at pivot is less of a distraction and more part of the soundtrack.
“Mental resilience has always been part of me and I guess it comes from my ambition to be the best possible player I can be,” he says. “Since the day I started my professional career, I was obviously dreaming about it for a long time, it was always the relentless chase of the best version of myself. I always do believe that there is another level you can go to.
“I’ve said it before, but certainly when there is noise or resistance or whatever it may be, it’s normally a positive sign because you’re trying to push to new levels and break into new areas that are unexplored.
“I hope these challenges that the [Ireland] group are facing now will push us forward. We saw what was possible in the Autumn Nations Series, we would have liked to have gone four from four, and that win against New Zealand would have been a really nice way to start it off.”
Crowley must now recalibrate his thoughts for the club environment, although Saturday’s Champions Cup against Stade Francais will have a similar kind of high-octane, Test match feel. The return to training with Munster certainly felt that way to Crowley.
“It’s been brilliant. We all met on Monday morning and we jumped straight back into it,” says Crowley. “There was a certain air of excitement about having Europe this week. The first time in a while we have gone from this [international series] into Europe. So, I guess having that element of it is always interesting because you want to transition quickly between environments.
“There is a real air of excitement amongst this group to set our stall out early in terms about how we want to go in this competition.”
No doubt the Parisian club are a tough opener for Munster, who meet them for the seventh time at European level. The last meeting was in January 2016 at Thomond Park, where Munster won 26-13 in a bonus-point victory.
However, a better start than last season would be more than helpful. Munster squeezed through Pool 3 with one win and lost in the last 16 to Northampton.
“Look we’d obviously prefer to do better than we did last season absolutely, and we want to start better,” says Crowley.
A win against Stade, that would make an impact.
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