'He’s a great man, great Munster club man' - Jack Crowley pays tribute to Mike Prendergast

JACK OF ALL TRADES: Munster Rugby player and Pinergy Brand Ambassador Jack Crowley pictured as Pinergy makes its Acutrace energy measurement platform available. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Jack Crowley paid heartfelt tribute to the impact the outgoing Mike Prendergast has had on his career and underlined the importance of a strong relationship with his attack coach as Munster unveiled Roger Randle as the next man in to drive the province’s gameplan.

New Zealander Randle was confirmed as the Bath-bound Prendergast’s replacement on Wednesday, signing two-year deal starting this summer, subject to securing a work permit.

Joining from Super Rugby’s Chiefs, the appointment will reunite Randle with fellow 51-year-old head coach and former boss Clayton McMillan. While the former non-Test-capped All Black wing will be ending an eight-year coaching stint with the Chiefs, Ireland fly-half Crowley waxed lyrical about the man Randle will replace after working side-by-side with Prendergast for the majority of his professional career.

The 26-year-old was speaking ahead of the incoming assistant’s appointment as he helped launch Munster Rugby Official Energy Partner Pinergy’s Acutrace energy measurement platform for businesses.

“I've enjoyed massively the four years that I've worked with Prendy,” Crowley said. “He’s been someone that I’ve grown very close with and had a very good relationship with. I’ve certainly enjoyed our conversations on and off the field.

“He’s a great man, great family man, great Munster club man as well. I just really enjoyed connecting back up with him when he came back to Munster. I suppose in terms of part of that enjoyment is his ambition with attack, the way he sees the game and the way that he, I suppose, drives the way he wants us to play has been massive for me in my development, to be able to understand the way he sees the game as well.

“Obviously, being in France for a little bit and combining that with the system, then it’s kind of what we get is a nice mix of both. He’s always a glass half full (person) and he’s someone I've enjoyed every moment with and will continue to do so.”

As for the playmaker-attack coach relationship, Crowley added: “I believe it's huge. I didn't have much dealings with Prendy before he came but as you are in an environment with someone, you tend to spend a lot of time together, especially people that have a love for rugby and just have general good chats and what not.

“It's massive for getting the team on the same hymn sheet, not just for the 10s but all the attack drivers in the team, the nines as well, to have a real good understanding of the vision the coach has and then our responsibility on the field to see and deliver it.”

Munster Rugby players and Pinergy Brand Ambassadors Jack Crowley and Kate Flannery. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Given the dynamic is so important, it may be a touch surprising to learn that Munster’s senior playmaker and first-choice 10 was not canvass on the style of rugby being sought in Prendergast’s replacement.

Crowley was comfortable with that, preferring to focus on driving Munster into the URC play-offs and Champions Cup qualification for next season, beginning this Saturday at Benetton.

“No, I’ve been on delivering and focusing on on-field performance and that's where I can drive it, on top of that.

“It’s something massive and I know Prendy said it himself, that albeit the news that he's leaving at the end of the season, he wants to finish strong. He believes there's massive potential in what we could do for the back end of the season and that's what my focus has been on.

“My attention hasn’t drifted anywhere else because It would be irresponsible of me to do that when I've got, you know, the chats last week about focusing on us as a group is where my focus and attention has to be so that we can move forward in the direction we want. So, no, there's been nothing.”

Munster go into the 15th Round of the regular season in seventh place with ninth-placed Connacht just two points behind them in the race for the all-important top eight with four rounds to play.

After three defeats in a row, including a Challenge Cup Round of 16 exit at Exeter, his team needs to produce a big finish to the campaign to secure a play-off spot at the end of May, but Crowley said Munster’s fate was still in their own hands.

“You have a choice whether you’ll be a passenger or a driver and you cannot allow things to happen to you or for you and it's how you shape your perspective on those things.

“So, for us, things haven't gone our way. We haven't been generous to ourselves; we've cost our games ourselves. That's blatantly obvious. But we've acknowledged all that. We've accepted all that.

“We've accepted our downfall in the recent game gone by with Exeter and we have a choice now whether we fully commit to this next game, to everything that we're going to do. And when you fully commit, that's when you can get the best out of your performance.”