JACK Crowley has turned a lot of heads in a short time, but he’s not getting carried away.
The Innishannon man only joined the Greencore Munster Academy in 2020, but his rapid rise sees him nailed-on to board the Irish flight bound for the Rugby World Cup in September.
He is staying grounded though, and not buying into the hype.
‘It’s a long way away, there is still a lot of work to be done and a lot of training to be done. I'd love to go, but I need to put my head down and work hard,’ Jack tells The Southern Star, as he picked up a West Cork Sports Star monthly award at the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery on his week off from Ireland training.
The 23-year-old was named in Andy Farrell’s 42-player summer training squad that will eventually be whittled down for the Rugby World Cup in France.
The Munster outhalf is in a strong position after impressing again last season, but he won’t be distracted by the growing noise around him.
‘Something that is massively important in whatever you do is you have to have a goal and you have to work; without them you are not going to go in the right direction. You need both of those,’ Jack says, and he traces those character traits back to home.
‘That’s from the people I have been surrounded by growing up, I have been taught the right things and I learned a lot from those people.’
Award winner Jack Crowley pictured with, from left, Neil Grant (General Manager, Celtic Ross Hotel), Helen Wycherley (Director, Celtic Ross Hotel), John Paul McNamara (C103) and Kieran McCarthy (Sports Editor, The Southern Star).
Bandon Rugby Club and Bandon Grammar School can both take the plaudits for their role in Jack’s development, as their underage star has blossomed into a man for the big occasion. Think of his already-legendary winning drop goal against Leinster in the URC semi-final. The outhalf’s polished performance in the URC final triumph against the Stormers is considered, by some, his best game yet. How he stepped up for his first start for Ireland (against Australia) at late notice, but wasn’t flustered. The body of evidence is growing. And he’s only getting started.
‘When I was playing in Bandon, I just wanted to play for Munster. Ireland was so far off at that stage, I just wanted to play for Munster and get into that professional set-up. As you got closer to each step you got a taste for it, and then you wanted more, and you never wanted to get rid of that feeling of chasing after that goal. I still am. I am nowhere near where I want to be, but I am on the right path,’ he says, and West Cork’s role in his story is key.
Trace it back to home. Jack is the youngest of four siblings, and all play rugby – Jerry lines out with Bandon RFC, Billy with Cork Con and his sister Tessa plays tag rugby in England. Their dad, Facthna, played with Bandon, too, as did his uncles on both sides. They know their sport, especially rugby. Home truths were never in short supply.
‘You would come home from games thinking you gave a ten out of ten performance but you're quickly brought back down to earth, which is a good thing,’ Jack says.
‘Rugby is something, along with GAA and other sports, that has been part of our lives, our weekends and our weeks. All I knew growing up was playing sports, being outside and playing everything I can, and even a bit of golf now.’
That environment helped nurture one of the rising stars of Irish rugby, and it’s refreshing how he hasn’t forgotten his West Cork roots. It’s a huge part of his identity.
‘You should never get too far ahead of yourself that you forget where you came from because that is inevitably what shaped you to be the person that you are now,’ he explains. It’s why Bandon and West Cork will be bursting with pride if he wins his place on the Ireland squad for the World Cup.
Jack Crowley received a West Cork Sports Star monthly award for his role in Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam success, and subsequent role in Munster’s URC triumph.
