WITHIN 24 HOURS of Munster’s Champions Cup pool-stage defeat to Northampton at Thomond Park last Saturday evening, Jack Crowley had the game watched back in full three or four times.

Sundays can only be chill days when a result goes his way.

He finds agony in the reality that a group of players can work so honestly all week towards a collective goal only to fall short when it truly matters. He sifts through those shortcomings with a toothcomb before returning to work on Monday to do it all again.

“It hurts, y’know?” Crowley says. “I know personally that I dive deep into a game and try and see, where possible, how the game was lost, and if there were moments where I was involved where I could have done better or had a better impact.

“Every time you go out, you’re trying to win, so when it doesn’t happen, it can hurt, alright.

“But we’re still not out of anything in Munster and we get another chance at Northampton. It’s going to be tough the way they’re going at the moment but it’s one we look forward to.”

You can see why his former national-team captain took such a shining to Crowley as soon as he landed into Ireland camp in November 2022.

“Well, Johnny’s had such an impact on Irish rugby and it’s been such a positive to be able to learn underneath him”, Crowley says of Sexton, “but for me, it’s just seeing how he prepared himself during the week and making sure he had his own house in order — whatever that might be and whatever it might take.

“And then, that confidence that he brings into his preparation feeds into the team and gives everyone that confidence.

“From my point of view, it’s trying to look after my game and off the back of that, I can add to the team in a positive manner.”

Crowley feels a dead cert to start for Ireland against France in Marseille next Friday night, albeit much of his chat remains tempered with ‘ifs’.

But if he is to be ‘the man’ — and he makes no bones about his aspirations to make the Ireland 10 jersey his own on an indefinite basis — he’ll become so on his own terms.

Crowley says he’s had no conversations with his Ireland coaches in Faro regarding his stepping into Sexton’s leadership role from out-half.

Those coaches will tell you that Crowley is that way inclined in any case: since he first trained with Ireland in 2022, he has been vocal in demanding the best of others while remaining his own harshest critic.

And Crowley believes that only his performances will ultimately determine whether or not he earns the full respect of his Ireland teammates.

“I think it’s got to happen organically. It’s got to be genuine.

“For me, I obviously learned so much from Johnny over the last two years and tried to absorb as much as I could, but from his point of view, he went through the tough patches as well and that’s what made him such a great leader, made him such a great player. It was through those experiences.

“For me, it probably took a bit of time to understand but that’s what I need to do, too. I need to grow to understand myself and my game and how I can impact this group.

“I don’t think I can just fabricate it. So, it’s going out and not thinking about that side of it. I think the lads will benefit more if I’m able to perform my game, and hopefully that has a knock-on effect for the team.”

Crowley watches on as Sexton kicks a conversion against England during last year's Six Nations. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

He has a similar outlook on the comparisons drawn between him and Sexton, or even Ronan O’Gara before them. There will only be credence to such comparisons, Crowley says, if he can deliver even a fraction of their success in green and red. “Then ye can critique me and let me know,” Crowley laughs.

It would be easy to forget that the 24-year-old has played in only one Six Nations game to date, a bench cameo away to Italy last year.

For Ireland’s other four games, Crowley ran the tee for Sexton.

He took even that role extremely seriously.

“I was able to experience the atmosphere being on the sideline and see the pace of international rugby… Being able to learn from a different aspect. It genuinely was a good way to be able to understand the pace of the game, to see pitch-side what it’s like and to see the opportunities that might have been on.

“I was able to learn a lot form it, and even being able to soak up that atmosphere is something I hope to take on board.”

Crowley is equally matter-of-fact about the extent to which he suffers from nerves pre-game, and that will be the case on Friday evening if he is indeed named as Ireland’s starting out-half as expected.

But the experience he has banked in his short career to date has already proven valuable in contextualising that pre-match emotion, allowing him to almost harness it.

“As a player and as a team, we do quite well first of all at understanding where they (nerves) are coming from — and at times they’re what drive you, and you know you’re ready to go out into battle.

“It’s more the understanding of where they’re coming from, that they’re not such a bad thing, that it’s more just excitement and you’re ready for the occasion.

“I’d be a lot worse if I didn’t have any nerves. Once you step out onto the pitch, it’s once you feel that, you let go and try and enjoy the situation and the occasion.”