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League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Jack Crowley in Chicago this week.Dan Sheridan/INPHO 'I don't think I was hard done by. I wasn't satisfied with my performances' Jack Crowley is in confident form as he gets set to face the All Blacks. 6.46am, 31 Oct 2025 Share options Murray Kinsella Reports from Chicago IT WAS ON a rainy, mucky day in Cork Con back in 2019, only months after he had finished school, that Jack Crowley decided he was always going to pride himself on being a good defender. Young Munster had a five-metre scrum and Crowley’s inside centre suggested that he could move out defensive line, worried about the danger of the Limerick men charging straight down Crowley’s channel to score. “I didn’t like that,” said Crowley this week in Chicago. “I didn’t like feeling that he was pushing me out, so I told him to go away. I wanted to prove a point that I could stand my ground. “I didn’t want them thinking about looking after me.” Crowley himself doesn’t name the Con centre, but it was the outstanding Niall Kenneally, who had a spell with Munster before. There are no hard feelings from Crowley. Indeed, he reflects on it as an important moment in changing his mindset around tackling. “I just had that chip in my shoulder,” he said. “I wanted to stand my ground and ever since then, it’s just been a point that stood in my mind. I definitely haven’t always been good there.” Jack Crowley praised the AIL's role in his development.Oisin Keniry / INPHO Oisin Keniry / INPHO / INPHO He certainly is now, as everyone was reminded by Crowley’s performance for Munster against Leinster two weekends ago at Croke Park. Not only did Crowley run, kick, and organise superbly, he also made 18 excellent tackles. It was a performance that Ireland head coach Andy Farrell couldn’t ignore. Crowley bounced into camp in Chicago off the back of it and has been impressing in training ahead of tomorrow’s clash with the All Blacks. And so it is that, one year on from the game in Dublin against the Kiwis when things started to shift in the wrong direction for Crowley with Ireland, he has worked his way back into Ireland’s number 10 shirt. “I’m picking Jack now because he deserves it, first and foremost,” said Farrell yesterday. Advertisement Crowley was the man who succeeded Johnny Sexton as Ireland’s number 10, helping them to the 2024 Six Nations title. But after a bad day collectively for Ireland against the Kiwis in Dublin in November 2024, Crowley’s grip on the jersey slipped. Sam Prendergast took over as first-choice out-half last season, with Crowley getting just one start in the Six Nations. Many fans and pundits felt that Crowley was treated poorly by Farrell, but the man himself doesn’t. “I would never take that form of mindset and I don’t think I was hard done by,” said Crowley. “I was coming away from games not satisfied with my performance that I was putting in. “You know when you’re out there, opportunities that you might have missed and things might have went well, but maybe not that killer kind of punch. Reflecting on that has allowed me to understand how I can be more of that killer punch and be more of a threat and be more dangerous out there.” Crowley with Ireland assistant coach Andrew Goodman.Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO Crowley also feels that being out of Ireland’s starting XV has served him well in terms of forcing him to kick onto the next level. “It’s early doors in my career, and it’s how you take those learnings on how you can grow your game constantly,” said 25-year-old Crowley. “I wouldn’t be here where I am right now without going through what I went through. “And it’s made me who I am today, so I wouldn’t change a thing.” Crowley was at out-half for Ireland’s facile win over Portugal at the end of last season, then he took two weeks off from training. He used that time to reflect on his game and figure out where best to direct his energy. Then he set about getting better. One big area he targeted was the physical side of his game. While he was still in his off-season, Crowley worked with Munster’s return-to-play coach Gordon Brett on getting into the best shape he could before pre-season began. “That’s the benefit of having a couple of seasons under the belt,” said Crowley. “You learn what’s good for you and what has served you, but areas you need to look at maybe being better at. “For me, it was certainly physically, towards the tail end of the season, just maybe not being there in the legs. So whether it’s just doing a little bit more strength and having that foundation underneath me. “It was real basic stuff, but I suppose sometimes that’s the game, isn’t it? The basics and the simple things done well.” Crowley has also continued to work with former Munster and Ireland wing Andrew Conway on the mental side of his game, although that’s something he was doing last season. Crowley is enjoying the refreshed Munster set-up.Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Crowley came back to Munster feeling strong and confident. And he is keen to stress that the refreshed Munster set-up under Clayton McMillan has been key to him finding good form early on this season. “I was seeing the work that the lads were doing, and I was blown away by just the intensity that they were putting in consistently, like back-to-back days, how much they were pushing each other,” he said. “I think seeing that collective, that’s what makes individuals perform when everybody’s on the same hymn sheet. “That preparation is something maybe we haven’t had in the past in Munster, for a while anyway. “When you come in and see the way the lads are connecting in the week and preparing in the week, it allows you to come in as a 10 and drive that ship and know the lads are on the same page and seeing the same things as you.” Three strong performances for Munster tuned Crowley up nicely for this international window and now he’s excited to get rolling in the green number 10 shirt. And while he’s the man back in possession of that jersey, Crowley insisted that the competition with Prendergast and others is good for all of them. “There’s Frawls as well and we drive each other,” said Crowley. ‘That’s how you get the best out of each other. We often talk about healthy competition and that truly is the case, that if you’re pushing each other, it’s going to get the best out of each other. “It’s exciting, it doesn’t allow you to sit back and go, ‘This is great.’ It keeps you just wanting to get the best out of your performance, so it’s unbelievably healthy.” Murray Kinsella Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'I don't think I was hard done by. I wasn't satisfied with my performances'”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'I don't think I was hard done by. I wasn't satisfied with my performances'”. 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