Ian Costello: 'I Want To Focus On What We Have, Rather Than What We Don't'
Ian Costello: 'I Want To Focus On What We Have, Rather Than What We Don't'
Munster coach Ian Costello defends resting Jack Crowley against Leinster, citing player welfare and Crowley’s pivotal role in a bonus-point win over Ulster.
Munster’s interim head coach Ian Costello has defended the decision to rest Jack Crowley in last weekend’s loss to Leinster, pointing to the team’s bonus-point victory against Ulster in Belfast two weeks ago as justification.
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The choice to sit Crowley, one of Munster’s key playmakers, for the high-profile clash with Leinster drew criticism from fans eager to see him face off against Leinster’s Sam Prendergast, Ireland’s emerging star at fly-half. However, Costello emphasized that player welfare and long-term strategy, guided by IRFU minutes management protocols, dictated the call.
“To be fair, the IRFU have recommended a number of games over a period,” Costello said. “It’s at our discretion when we rest players. We’ve different plans around different players, giving us the best opportunity to get as many points as we possibly can.”
Despite the disappointment of a 28-7 loss at Thomond Park, Costello expressed no regrets. He highlighted Crowley’s pivotal role in Belfast, where Munster secured a vital win with a four-try performance.
“One hundred percent,” Costello said. “If Jack wasn’t there [in Belfast], we’d have struggled to get four tries, five points.”
Crowley has accumulated 834 minutes across 12 games this season for club and country, significantly more than Prendergast’s 684 minutes in 10 appearances. Costello pointed to this disparity as part of the reasoning behind Munster’s decision.
“If it wasn’t this one, it would have been Saracens or Northampton [in January], and we’d be having the same conversation,” Costello added. “Jack, as always, was outstanding about it.”
Munster, battling an extensive injury list that has sidelined nearly 20 players, faced Leinster with a threadbare squad. Costello praised the contributions of stand-ins Billy Burns and Tony Butler at fly-half, while pointing to the broader resilience within his team.
“We’ve still got quality,” he said. “We had the likes of Evan O’Connell, Ruadhan Quinn and Sean Edogbo playing an ‘A’ game [on Saturday], so there’s still a very competitive squad there. I want to focus on what we have, rather than what we don’t have.”
Munster’s next match is a Champions Cup clash with Saracens on Jan. 11. Costello is optimistic about the return of senior players, such as Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony, for that fixture, along with Jack O’Donoghue and Diarmuid Barron.
The coach also highlighted Brian Gleeson’s impressive debut against Castres earlier this month, amidst debates over the management of other key players, such as Gavin Coombes.
Injuries have been a persistent issue for Munster, prompting a “deep dive” into training loads. However, Costello noted that the seven recent injuries were unavoidable, trauma-related events common in rugby.
Next up for Munster is a home clash with Gallagher Premiership outfit Saracens in Round 3 of the Investec Champions Cup.
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