Munster Rugby and the IRFU confirmed Wednesday that star fly-half Jack Crowley has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the province until at least 2027, cementing the 25-year-old's status as a central figure in both Munster and Ireland's rugby futures.
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The news comes as a timely boost ahead of Munster’s Champions Cup quarterfinal showdown with Bordeaux-Bègles in France this weekend, where Crowley is expected to continue his rich vein of form.
A product of Bandon RFC and Bandon Grammar School, the Innishannon native has blossomed into one of Irish rugby’s standout performers since his senior Munster debut against Ulster in the 2020-2021 season.
Now, with 305 points in 65 appearances for the province, Crowley has emerged as a linchpin in Munster's resurgence.
Crowley’s journey has been nothing short of meteoric.
After starring for Ireland U20s in the COVID-curtailed 2020 Six Nations — scoring 36 points in three games as Ireland secured the Triple Crown — he graduated from the Munster Academy in 2021 and quickly became a fixture in both the URC and Champions Cup squads.
The 2022-2023 campaign proved to be a breakout season.
Crowley played a pivotal role in Munster's URC title-winning run, including a dramatic drop goal to sink Leinster in the semifinals, before steering his side past the Stormers in the Grand Final.
That same season saw him earn his first Ireland cap, and by the end of 2023, he was Johnny Sexton’s understudy at the World Cup in France.
With Sexton retired, Crowley grabbed the reins for Ireland in 2024, starting all five games of a successful Six Nations title defense and both summer tests in South Africa. He has since earned 24 international caps, scoring 129 points.
Despite a challenging start to the 2024 Six Nations — including being benched in favor of Leinster’s rising star Sam Prendergast — Crowley responded emphatically.
After reclaiming the No. 10 jersey against Italy, he returned to Munster reinvigorated, delivering back-to-back Player-of-the-Match performances against Connacht and European heavyweight La Rochelle, the latter sealed with a game-winning drop goal.
His commitment comes amid reported interest from Premiership side Leicester Tigers, who were rumored to be targeting him as a successor to World Cup winner Handré Pollard. But Crowley has opted to stay in red.
“It’s a massive statement,” a Munster official said. “Jack is a homegrown talent and a leader in this squad. Keeping him here is huge.”
Crowley’s presence is sure to be a major factor in Munster’s push for silverware, especially with a potential clash looming against former teammate Joey Carbery in Bordeaux this weekend — a symbolic showdown between past and present fly-halves of Munster Rugby.
Having claimed URC Players' Player of the Year, Next-Gen Player of the Year and a spot on the URC Elite XV for 2023-2024, should Crowley continue his run of form both at club and international level, he surely will be in line for an IRFU central contract.