INTERIM HEAD COACH Ian Costello hailed Jack Crowley for playing through the pain of a rib injury as Munster secured their place in the URC quarter-finals with a 30-21 victory over Benetton.
The Innishannon man scored Munster’s entire 10-point total in the first half, but the pain was such that he had to give up place-kicking duties in the second half.
Given their 6-2 bench split, it was left to Craig Casey to nail the touchline conversion and penalty that gave Munster some breathing space.
Even though he couldn’t take those kicks at goal, it was Crowley’s variety of kicking in the second half which turned the game.
His perfectly weighted crossfield kick enabled Thaakir Abrahams to notch a vital try.
“He’s good,” said Costello of Crowley’s condition post-match. “He injured his ribs, so it’s a question of managing pain.
“What a warrior tonight. He was outstanding, and even when we were taking him off, he still wanted to stay on.
“(The injury) happened reasonably early. A massive testament to his character to stay on as long as he did.
“Credit to him, and he was complemented by Craig Casey, who took over some of the kicking duties. Those two are so important to the team on and off the pitch.
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“From a quality point of view tonight, they were excellent.”
The night centred around the departing trio of Peter O’Mahony, Stephen Archer, and Conor Murray.
They were interviewed on the pitch to ovations from the crowd, while Taoiseach Micheál Martin visited the changing room post-match.
O’Mahony spoke last week about the “torturous bastard” that is the Cork to Limerick road. He couldn’t miss the opportunity to petition for an N20 upgrade.
“It means everything,” said Costello. “We had Micheál Martin in to congratulate the lads and that was a cool boost. Peter asked him to fix the road again, he’s not letting that one go!
“I don’t know how to sum it up properly, but when you get a balance of having such a deep purpose, so much care for each other, and you go out in the second half and you can execute… it’s such an incredible blend.
“The performances the last couple of weeks were about showing how much we care for each other, how much we care for the lads who are leaving.
“In any sport that’s important, particularly rugby that is so physical.
“When you want to give every ounce of yourself to respect your teammate who has given everything for the club for so long… that’s deep. That connection and deep purpose was huge for us the last few weeks.
“When you see it come together in the second half, it’s a powerful blend.”
O'Mahony heads for the dressing room. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
Leinster loanees Michael Milne and Lee Barron joined the province last month ahead of making their moves permanent this summer.
Both made a strong impact here, with Barron diving over for his first try in red on his third appearance off the bench. That came earlier than expected as Niall Scannell departed for a HIA.
“Both have been excellent,” said Costello. “They’ve added to the depth of our squad and the club have supported us bringing them in.
“They’ve made a massive addition. It’s turned out to be a massive addition for the last two games.”
For Costello, the dominant emotion was relief to make the top eight. They face a quarter-final trip to the Bulls, Glasgow Warriors, or Sharks, depending on results across the weekend.
“That’s what real pressure looks like. We put ourselves in a position where we had to win two games so there’s a relief around getting the job done,” said Costello.
“There’s also a relief around us putting a performance out there that reflects where the group is at, and reflects on what it means to the group.
“It’s been a tough few months, and to see the lads get the reward over the last couple of weeks is really pleasing.
“A lot of emotions. Relief, mixed with being really proud of the team, of the staff, of the club, and what the supporters brought tonight, that was incredible.
“We’re going to enjoy a few days. I won’t lie, we need to take a breather and come down after it, and then have 10 to 12 days to build up to a quarter-final, wherever it might be.”
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'What a warrior' - Jack Crowley lauded for playing through rib injury as Munster march on
INTERIM HEAD COACH Ian Costello hailed Jack Crowley for playing through the pain of a rib injury as Munster secured their place in the URC quarter-finals with a 30-21 victory over Benetton.
The Innishannon man scored Munster’s entire 10-point total in the first half, but the pain was such that he had to give up place-kicking duties in the second half.
Given their 6-2 bench split, it was left to Craig Casey to nail the touchline conversion and penalty that gave Munster some breathing space.
Even though he couldn’t take those kicks at goal, it was Crowley’s variety of kicking in the second half which turned the game.
His perfectly weighted crossfield kick enabled Thaakir Abrahams to notch a vital try.
“He’s good,” said Costello of Crowley’s condition post-match. “He injured his ribs, so it’s a question of managing pain.
“What a warrior tonight. He was outstanding, and even when we were taking him off, he still wanted to stay on.
“(The injury) happened reasonably early. A massive testament to his character to stay on as long as he did.
“Credit to him, and he was complemented by Craig Casey, who took over some of the kicking duties. Those two are so important to the team on and off the pitch.
“From a quality point of view tonight, they were excellent.”
The night centred around the departing trio of Peter O’Mahony, Stephen Archer, and Conor Murray.
They were interviewed on the pitch to ovations from the crowd, while Taoiseach Micheál Martin visited the changing room post-match.
O’Mahony spoke last week about the “torturous bastard” that is the Cork to Limerick road. He couldn’t miss the opportunity to petition for an N20 upgrade.
“It means everything,” said Costello. “We had Micheál Martin in to congratulate the lads and that was a cool boost. Peter asked him to fix the road again, he’s not letting that one go!
“I don’t know how to sum it up properly, but when you get a balance of having such a deep purpose, so much care for each other, and you go out in the second half and you can execute… it’s such an incredible blend.
“The performances the last couple of weeks were about showing how much we care for each other, how much we care for the lads who are leaving.
“In any sport that’s important, particularly rugby that is so physical.
“When you want to give every ounce of yourself to respect your teammate who has given everything for the club for so long… that’s deep. That connection and deep purpose was huge for us the last few weeks.
“When you see it come together in the second half, it’s a powerful blend.”
Leinster loanees Michael Milne and Lee Barron joined the province last month ahead of making their moves permanent this summer.
Both made a strong impact here, with Barron diving over for his first try in red on his third appearance off the bench. That came earlier than expected as Niall Scannell departed for a HIA.
“Both have been excellent,” said Costello. “They’ve added to the depth of our squad and the club have supported us bringing them in.
“They’ve made a massive addition. It’s turned out to be a massive addition for the last two games.”
For Costello, the dominant emotion was relief to make the top eight. They face a quarter-final trip to the Bulls, Glasgow Warriors, or Sharks, depending on results across the weekend.
“That’s what real pressure looks like. We put ourselves in a position where we had to win two games so there’s a relief around getting the job done,” said Costello.
“There’s also a relief around us putting a performance out there that reflects where the group is at, and reflects on what it means to the group.
“It’s been a tough few months, and to see the lads get the reward over the last couple of weeks is really pleasing.
“A lot of emotions. Relief, mixed with being really proud of the team, of the staff, of the club, and what the supporters brought tonight, that was incredible.
“We’re going to enjoy a few days. I won’t lie, we need to take a breather and come down after it, and then have 10 to 12 days to build up to a quarter-final, wherever it might be.”
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