Munster lose Jack Crowley for Bulls quarter-final
Munster out-half Jack Crowley has been ruled out of the URC quarter-final against the Bulls in Pretoria due to injury.
©Steve Haag
Munster have suffered a major injury setback before their United Rugby Championship quarter-final against the Bulls in Pretoria, with out-half Jack Crowley ruled out of Saturday’s knockout fixture at Loftus Versfeld.
Jack Crowley Injury Blow For Munster
Crowley has been sidelined with a leg-related neural issue sustained during the warm-up before Munster’s game against Ulster last month.
The Ireland international has not played since and was also withdrawn from Munster’s starting team before their final regular-season match against the Lions.
Munster have now confirmed that Crowley will not recover in time for the quarter-final, leaving the province without one of their most important playmakers for a high-pressure away game in South Africa.
JJ Hanrahan Set To Start At Out-Half
With Crowley unavailable, JJ Hanrahan is expected to continue at out-half for Clayton McMillan’s side. Hanrahan is likely to carry the responsibility of managing the game at altitude against a Bulls team that has traditionally been strong at Loftus Versfeld.
Munster will also be without several senior players for the quarter-final. Captain Tadhg Beirne, Edwin Edogbo, Jean Kleyn, Michael Milne, Oli Jager, Tom Farrell and Calvin Nash are all unavailable for the fixture.
Munster are scheduled to travel to South Africa on Tuesday and arrive on Wednesday afternoon. The URC quarter-final against the Bulls kicks off on Saturday.
