There was no moment of pain to signify the damage. Jack Crowley went to run. He couldn’t. He went to do some kicking. He couldn’t. It took a while before the prognosis was replaced with a diagnosis of a lower limb vascular injury. That hiatus between not knowing and knowing was the excruciating part.
“It could be two things,” he said. “It could be an accumulation of time and wear and tear, or it could have just been a once-off incident. But, I suppose, we weren’t aware of either, and it just came about.”
There was no physical manifestation.
“I tried to go out to run and kick and I couldn’t. It was very evident straight away, but (not) evident walking around.”
RM Block
Wearing his Munster clobber in the Ascil building in Lyons – the French city will host the 2027 Champions and Challenge Cup finals – he looked in good nick, ready to play. Except he can’t. A recent statement issued by the province clarified he wouldn’t feature again until the new year. Crowley confirmed that timeline hasn’t changed.
His last match was against Benetton in April. He had been due to feature in their home game against Ulster the following week but withdrew during the warm-up, and three weeks later was pencilled in to play against the Lions, but again was a late withdrawal. The jig was up. He’s tried to remain stoic. Meditation helped him cope.
Rest is the prescribed cure. Upper body weights are permitted, but no running. He spoke about the advice to “take things slow,” week to week, but “in terms of healing, it’s going pretty quick.” The most salient marker will be when he sets foot on a pitch again in earnest. That’s still some way off.
“It’s frustrating, but it’s also part of the game. I’ve been very fortunate up until now that I haven’t had any serious injuries. Everyone gets [one] at a certain point. Now, it’s my turn. It’s just dealing with that.
“I suppose when there’s a period of uncertainty and nothing’s known, everything can be thrown into the mix. It is the natural tendency to question everything when something goes wrong. There was uncertainty, 100 per cent; I’ve had no problem in saying that.
“If it was a known [issue], it would be a lot easier to diagnose quicker and stuff like that. Who knows what way my body will respond. That’s just the nature of it. So right now, I don’t know, being perfectly honest with you. I don’t know what complications could come, but like anything, you cross that bridge when you come to it.
“I’m currently in a period of just rest. It’s just allowing everything to heal, to get strong. I can do upper body work, but in terms of running and stuff, that’s not happening right now. The thing is, if it was a 12-month injury, it’d be a different story. It’s just that we didn’t know the timeline.”
His absence from the match environment has reminded him of how much he loves the sport, and it has also fostered a little introspection.
“I’d be a deep thinker in terms of utilising time and space as best I can to just be a better person day in, day out. A period like this has given me time to reflect on that. Ultimately, that’ll hopefully make me a better team-mate and a better person.”
He still prowls training sessions, watching, chipping in with ideas and advice. He speaks out when the need arises. He views it as an important role to fulfil as a senior player, and he’s taken a pastoral role with Tom Wood and Charlie O’Shea.
“They’re two unbelievably talented young players,” he said of the two young outhalves. “Whether I was playing or not in training, in terms of environment, it’s massive for lads that have experience to help lads out. But equally, it’s also up to young lads to go about asking people how they can improve. It’s a two-way street.
“And the two lads have been brilliant. Likewise, you learn something from them as well. We’re not always right, it’s just our opinion. It’s been really cool seeing their evolution. Obviously, Tom’s unfortunately injured but, again, I’m sure he’ll come back very quickly.”
But he’s careful not to be a hurler on the ditch.
“You don’t want to say, ‘oh, you should have done this; it’s clear as day, you should have picked this opportunity or moment’. Hindsight’s brilliant, and it’s about just delivering in the way that it’s compassionate, not that I would do it better,” he said.
“It’s from a place of going, ‘oh, maybe, look, this is where I’ve struggled in the past’. Or ‘I found seeing this space difficult’. And it’s just sharing your perspective. The most important thing is if the person wants to hear it or not, it’s only if it’s invited.
“We have a brilliant group that is receptive. But, at the same time, when you’re a leader in a group and something needs to be said, you say it. That’s what standards are about.”
Crowley was asked about criticism from former players regarding governance issues at Munster.
“There’s a review going on. There’s been trust in that and the processes that will come of it. As a playing group, it’s solely around how we can deliver performances consistently.
“And you can’t do that if you’re putting your focus elsewhere and expending your energy in areas that you can’t control. It’s important – and we have it – the sense of connection and moving forward together. We’ll see what will come of that.”
Hopefully he’ll be back sooner rather than later to add his weight to that forward push for both Munster and Ireland.
