McMillan unwilling to risk Crowley, bullish on own future

The Munster head coach was speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s URC quarter-final against Bulls.

Munster head coach Clayton McMillan. Pic©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Taking Jack Crowley to South Africa with a chance the Ireland fly-half may not be fit was a risk not worth taking, Munster boss Clayton McMillan said, as his squad prepared to fly to Pretoria for Saturday’s URC quarter-final against Bulls.

Crowley’s omission from the travelling squad was confirmed on Monday in a serious blow to the province ahead of the knockout stages. The number 10 had been expected to return for the URC play-offs having missed the last three rounds of the regular season with a neural leg issue sustained in the pre-game warm-up against Ulster on April 25. He was ruled out of the following week’s derby away to Connacht but named as the starting 10 for the final-round clash at home to Lions on May 16, only to again be withdrawn during the pre-match on-pitch preparations.

Munster are due to depart for Pretoria on Tuesday and arrive in the South African capital on Wednesday afternoon, with JJ Hanrahan set to continue as the starting fly-half at Loftus Versfeld three days later.

Speaking on Monday, the head coach was unable to elaborate on the cause of the problem intermittently affecting his first-choice number 10.

“Clearly, it's something that's a little bit obscure, something that comes and goes, so a little bit more investigation required, really,” McMillan said.

“If you saw him walking around the building now, you wouldn't have any concerns, but when he gets running, something happens that brings about a kind of a dead leg feeling. So, yeah, we can't take the risk of taking him to South Africa and not being able to play, so he's going to have to stay back.” 

A victory on Saturday would set up a semi-final seven days later against the winners of Friday night’s last-eight clash between top seeds Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun, or eighth-ranked Connacht, on home soil at Thomond Park. Yet McMillan could not give a definitive answer on Crowley’s potential availability for that and said sending the fly-half to see a specialist had been a consideration.

“All of those sorts of things have been explored. As I said, 99 per cent of the time, he feels absolutely 100 per cent, so we've just got to get to the bottom of it, and hopefully, it's something that can be fixed pretty quickly. And then if we're good enough to get through to a semi-final, we'll explore that option then.” 

Crowley joins a list of frontline injury absentees for the quarters which also includes captain Tadhg Beirne and fellow locks Edwin Edogbo and Jean Kleyn, tighthead prop Oli Jager, loosehead Michael Milne, centre Tom Farrell and wing Calvin Nash.

Munster's Jack Crowley Pic ©INPHO/Dan Clohessy

Ireland and British & Irish Lions star Beirne has been absent since the win over Ulster, during which he sustained a knee injury and was still in a leg brace as he watched the victory over Lions which secured Munster’s play-off place and Champions Cup rugby for next season. McMillan, who has welcomed second row Fineen Wycherley and centre Alex Nankivell back to training after missing the win over Lions last time out, said Beirne could make a potential semi-final.

“Clearly, he's not going to travel with us, but he's getting closer, given how important he is to the national squad, let alone our squad. We won't rush him back and do anything, but again, all of those things will be revisited if we're in another week.” McMillan promised his players were ready to throw “the kitchen sink” at the Bulls in order to progress to the last four of the competition.

“You work hard all year to give yourself an opportunity now… but, you know, it just comes down to one game. We've prepared really well over the last couple of days. And we can go over there with some genuine excitement and know that not too many people have probably given us a bit of a shot.

“So I wouldn't say that it's a free pass, but I imagine the pressure's all on them. And we'll go over there and throw the kitchen sink and see how it goes.”

A victory over Bulls at altitude in Loftus Versfeld this Saturday lunchtime would represent the biggest victory of McMillan’s first season in charge and on Monday he reiterated his commitment to see out all three years of the contract he signed last summer on joining from Super Rugby’s Chiefs. 

The New Zealander had called for changes to be made to give him the confidence that he was still seen as the choice to lead Munster in the wake of a failed and controversial attempt to bring his former attack coach Roger Randle from the Chiefs for next season. It was an appointment process which has prompted an Independent Governance and Organisational Review, but Munster CEO Ian Flanagan told the Irish Examiner in an exclusive interview that both he and the province’s board backed McMillan to lead the team into next season and beyond with their full support.

Asked if he envisaged being at Munster next season, McMillan said: “Oh yeah, that's certainly my intention. It's always been my intention.

“I guess the line that I've talked about beforehand is just having confidence in a few things that I think need to happen in this team and in the club to give me confidence that we actually all want the same things and we're all heading in the same direction.

“And, you know, there's a review that's going to happen and I don't want to pre-empt anything that'll come out of that review, but I'd imagine if it's thorough that everyone will come out with clarity around the way forward and we'll get on with it.”