ON THIS OCCASION, the rug was at least pulled from beneath Munster far enough in advance that they’ve had time to think.
Entering this season, the province’s senior out-half options were Jack Crowley, JJ Hanrahan, Tom Wood and Aussie recruit Will Harrison. For Saturday’s season opener against Glasgow, one of Tony Butler or Charlie O’Shea will likely start in the pivot at Thomond Park.
‘Only Munster’ has become a bit of a cliché, and yet clichés become so because they encapsulate an accepted truth.
Right, so what’s the damage?
While the mystery of Jack Crowley’s lower-limb vascular injury has seemingly been unravelled, the Ireland out-half’s absence until at least Christmas can’t be overstated. Indeed, save for last season’s Roger Randle fiasco, Crowley’s unavailability for the next three months will probably be the steepest challenge head coach Clayton McMillan has faced to date.
As was laid bare on numerous occasions last season, Munster are a distinctly worse side without the Innishannon man at 10, their performances often listless and, particularly in the joint absence of half-back partner Craig Casey, observably lacking in leadership.
Jack Crowley, JJ Hanrahan and Craig Casey pictured in 2025. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
The re-signing of veteran JJ Hanrahan plainly hasn’t worked out in the manner in which Munster intended. At the time of the Kerry man’s arrival from Connacht in 2025 — not long off the back of an ACL injury, no less — there were coaches within Munster whose faith in Crowley as a game-manager was beginning to wane, the timing and regularity with which he would deviate from the gameplan causing frustration at both provincial level and international level. The expectation within Munster — and not among their supporters, it must be stressed — was that Hanrahan would not provide merely a backup option but genuinely challenge Crowley for his starting berth.
It’s no slight on Hanrahan — a fine pro – but rather to Crowley’s credit that this never materialised. Crowley’s game has matured drastically over the last year and a bit, his recapturing of the Ireland 10 shirt last season a just recognition of his development.
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But his progress has been such that the drop-off from Crowley to the rest of Munster’s options, now, has become steeper, and his absence even more pronounced.
That most of those options are unavailable for the early stages of this campaign only compounds the issue.
Jack Crowley is ruled out until at least December. Dan Clohessy
Dan Clohessy
Hanrahan, mind, is recovering from a head injury and, while the player’s real-life welfare will always take precedent in such circumstances, the 34-year-old may yet become available for selection for Munster’s second game in the URC, at home to the Bulls on 3 October.
Tom Wood’s shoulder injury, sustained during an internal game last week, appears longer-term than Hanrahan’s issue; confirmation of a player going for an MRI scan is scarcely a good sign.
Aussie newcomer Will Harrison may yet become a Paul Warwick-type stroke of genius but for now his signing remains a punt. The 27-year-old, who can also cover fullback, suffered two significant knee injuries before his release by the Waratahs in 2024. And while his two years in Japan with the Kintetsu Liners were relatively injury-free, the fact that his recent complaint was described by Munster as the reaggravation of an existing knee issue hardly sounds optimal.
One wonders, at times, if Munster constructed one of their centres of excellence on an old burial ground or something of that description. Yearly injury crises of such extensiveness are beginning to feel very old indeed.
Their dearth of fit contenders at 10 is such that Tony Butler, who was released at the end of last season essentially to make room for the low-key signing of Harrison, finds himself back with his native province to give a dig-out. The Garryowen man, now 24, was a member of Ireland’s U20 Grand Slam-winning squad in 2022 but couldn’t quite make the grade with Munster at senior level, making 28 appearances.
That the province observed Butler at such close quarters for five years, and ultimately decided against retaining him, would suggest that a bolt-from-the-blue opportunity may beckon for Munster’s youngest out-half option, Charlie O’Shea, whose potential upside is yet to be determined.
While he backed up St Munchin’s contemporary Tom Wood during the Ireland U20s’ Six Nations campaign this year, word of O’Shea’s talent crept out of Christian Brothers College from about the U13 grade.
The Dolphin man started as CBC’s out-half in three consecutive Senior Cups — in fourth year, fifth year and sixth year — and was young enough that he could have played in a fourth campaign had he not completed his Leaving Cert in 2025.
O’Shea, 20 since only last month, captained Christians to Cup success last year, getting the monkey off his back against Pres after two previous final losses to his side’s cross-city rivals. He fittingly raised the Garrett Fitzgerald Cup on the Dolphin RFC side of Musgrave Park, having first played rugby with said club during his childhood.
Charlie O'Shea with his family following his Munster debut against Leicester. Dan Clohessy / INPHO
Dan Clohessy / INPHO / INPHO
He is an out-half closer in profile to a young Crowley than is Tom Wood, his Ireland U20s’ hat-trick against the USA this summer exemplifying the threat he had posed to many a defensive line at schools level.
Within its own context, too, O’Shea’s game has matured since he joined Munster’s academy: his introduction during Ireland’s win away to England during this year’s U20 Six Nations was pivotal as he made an exceptional defensive read and interception before calling game by draining a penalty from halfway.
Diminutive by nature in any case, O’Shea is understandably physically slight for senior rugby, which will have been a consideration for McMillan and co. as Munster plot their season opener at home to rivals Glasgow. But in his first senior start during Friday’s pre-season defeat to Leicester, the Cork man shone, showing typical improvisational flashes and even fending off a defender to dot down a try into the Dolphin end which he duly converted.
In an ideal world, O’Shea probably wouldn’t yet be exposed to first-team rugby, but Munster have seldom if ever operated in an ideal world.
Whether or not O’Shea is given the reins on Saturday remains to be seen but it’s conceivable, certainly, that from the wreckage that is their out-half position in this pre-season, Munster will find themselves investing in a talented young 10 to compete with Wood and Crowley long into the future. At the very least, academy man O’Shea should earn a few minutes from the bench, even upon the return of Hanrahan in the coming weeks.
Really, though, the first third of their season, give or take, is about surviving without Crowley.
An opening six-fixture run of Glasgow (H), Bulls (H), Ulster (A), Racing (H), Leinster (A) and Sharks (H) appears perilous without a 10 who has grown to feel talismanic.
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Without their talismanic 10, Munster may back young talent O'Shea ahead of schedule
ON THIS OCCASION, the rug was at least pulled from beneath Munster far enough in advance that they’ve had time to think.
Entering this season, the province’s senior out-half options were Jack Crowley, JJ Hanrahan, Tom Wood and Aussie recruit Will Harrison. For Saturday’s season opener against Glasgow, one of Tony Butler or Charlie O’Shea will likely start in the pivot at Thomond Park.
‘Only Munster’ has become a bit of a cliché, and yet clichés become so because they encapsulate an accepted truth.
Right, so what’s the damage?
While the mystery of Jack Crowley’s lower-limb vascular injury has seemingly been unravelled, the Ireland out-half’s absence until at least Christmas can’t be overstated. Indeed, save for last season’s Roger Randle fiasco, Crowley’s unavailability for the next three months will probably be the steepest challenge head coach Clayton McMillan has faced to date.
As was laid bare on numerous occasions last season, Munster are a distinctly worse side without the Innishannon man at 10, their performances often listless and, particularly in the joint absence of half-back partner Craig Casey, observably lacking in leadership.
The re-signing of veteran JJ Hanrahan plainly hasn’t worked out in the manner in which Munster intended. At the time of the Kerry man’s arrival from Connacht in 2025 — not long off the back of an ACL injury, no less — there were coaches within Munster whose faith in Crowley as a game-manager was beginning to wane, the timing and regularity with which he would deviate from the gameplan causing frustration at both provincial level and international level. The expectation within Munster — and not among their supporters, it must be stressed — was that Hanrahan would not provide merely a backup option but genuinely challenge Crowley for his starting berth.
It’s no slight on Hanrahan — a fine pro – but rather to Crowley’s credit that this never materialised. Crowley’s game has matured drastically over the last year and a bit, his recapturing of the Ireland 10 shirt last season a just recognition of his development.
But his progress has been such that the drop-off from Crowley to the rest of Munster’s options, now, has become steeper, and his absence even more pronounced.
That most of those options are unavailable for the early stages of this campaign only compounds the issue.
Hanrahan, mind, is recovering from a head injury and, while the player’s real-life welfare will always take precedent in such circumstances, the 34-year-old may yet become available for selection for Munster’s second game in the URC, at home to the Bulls on 3 October.
Tom Wood’s shoulder injury, sustained during an internal game last week, appears longer-term than Hanrahan’s issue; confirmation of a player going for an MRI scan is scarcely a good sign.
Aussie newcomer Will Harrison may yet become a Paul Warwick-type stroke of genius but for now his signing remains a punt. The 27-year-old, who can also cover fullback, suffered two significant knee injuries before his release by the Waratahs in 2024. And while his two years in Japan with the Kintetsu Liners were relatively injury-free, the fact that his recent complaint was described by Munster as the reaggravation of an existing knee issue hardly sounds optimal.
One wonders, at times, if Munster constructed one of their centres of excellence on an old burial ground or something of that description. Yearly injury crises of such extensiveness are beginning to feel very old indeed.
Their dearth of fit contenders at 10 is such that Tony Butler, who was released at the end of last season essentially to make room for the low-key signing of Harrison, finds himself back with his native province to give a dig-out. The Garryowen man, now 24, was a member of Ireland’s U20 Grand Slam-winning squad in 2022 but couldn’t quite make the grade with Munster at senior level, making 28 appearances.
That the province observed Butler at such close quarters for five years, and ultimately decided against retaining him, would suggest that a bolt-from-the-blue opportunity may beckon for Munster’s youngest out-half option, Charlie O’Shea, whose potential upside is yet to be determined.
While he backed up St Munchin’s contemporary Tom Wood during the Ireland U20s’ Six Nations campaign this year, word of O’Shea’s talent crept out of Christian Brothers College from about the U13 grade.
The Dolphin man started as CBC’s out-half in three consecutive Senior Cups — in fourth year, fifth year and sixth year — and was young enough that he could have played in a fourth campaign had he not completed his Leaving Cert in 2025.
O’Shea, 20 since only last month, captained Christians to Cup success last year, getting the monkey off his back against Pres after two previous final losses to his side’s cross-city rivals. He fittingly raised the Garrett Fitzgerald Cup on the Dolphin RFC side of Musgrave Park, having first played rugby with said club during his childhood.
He is an out-half closer in profile to a young Crowley than is Tom Wood, his Ireland U20s’ hat-trick against the USA this summer exemplifying the threat he had posed to many a defensive line at schools level.
Within its own context, too, O’Shea’s game has matured since he joined Munster’s academy: his introduction during Ireland’s win away to England during this year’s U20 Six Nations was pivotal as he made an exceptional defensive read and interception before calling game by draining a penalty from halfway.
Diminutive by nature in any case, O’Shea is understandably physically slight for senior rugby, which will have been a consideration for McMillan and co. as Munster plot their season opener at home to rivals Glasgow. But in his first senior start during Friday’s pre-season defeat to Leicester, the Cork man shone, showing typical improvisational flashes and even fending off a defender to dot down a try into the Dolphin end which he duly converted.
In an ideal world, O’Shea probably wouldn’t yet be exposed to first-team rugby, but Munster have seldom if ever operated in an ideal world.
Whether or not O’Shea is given the reins on Saturday remains to be seen but it’s conceivable, certainly, that from the wreckage that is their out-half position in this pre-season, Munster will find themselves investing in a talented young 10 to compete with Wood and Crowley long into the future. At the very least, academy man O’Shea should earn a few minutes from the bench, even upon the return of Hanrahan in the coming weeks.
Really, though, the first third of their season, give or take, is about surviving without Crowley.
An opening six-fixture run of Glasgow (H), Bulls (H), Ulster (A), Racing (H), Leinster (A) and Sharks (H) appears perilous without a 10 who has grown to feel talismanic.
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