Jack Crowley fumes in foul-mouthed rant at Sharks coach during Munster's URC loss as pundit slams ‘shocking behaviour'
JACK CROWLEY could not hide his anger as he launched into a foul-mouthed rant during Munster's dramatic defeat to the Sharks.
And Premier Sports pundit - and former
3
Munster lost to the Sharks in the URC quarter-finals
Credit: Shaun Roy/Sportsfile
3
Jack Crowley had a foul-mouth rant at Sharks coach John Plumtree
3
Jaden Hendrikse appears to wink at Jack Crowley while receiving treatment for cramp during the penalty shoot-out
Ian Costello's men were knocked out following a
Sharks
were represented by Jaden and
Jordan
Hendrikse and Bradley Davids.
Scannell was the only one of the six to miss as the Sharks ran out 6-4 winners to set up a United
Rugby
Championship
semi-final against the Bulls for June 7.
Tensions boiled over during the shoot-out however.
Read More on URC
It started when Jaden Hendrikse had words for Jack Crowley after converting his first kick, leading to a warning from referee Mike Adamson.
He was at it game after converting his side's third, as he went to ground with a supposed cramp.
As Hendrikse was receiving treatment, he was laid nearby to where Crowley was to take the
next
kick, and even directed a wink at the Ireland international.
Despite the potential distraction, Crowley nailed the kick before directing his ire at Sharks coach John Plumtree.
Most read in Rugby Union
While it could not be definitively deciphered what he said, he could been seen saying "f*** off" at the end of the exchange.
The jostling did not stop there, with Scannell gesturing towards the Sharks sideline after nailing a later kick of his own.
Peter O'Mahony's wife jokes 'glad I gave him three mini-mes' as kids help Munster hero with garden
Speaking on Premier Sports, former Munster
star
Alan Quinlan criticised the behaviour of the Sharks sideline.
He said: "It's shocking really, the way they're behaving, the people on the sideline there.
"They're obviously screaming and shouting stuff at the Munster players.
"It's obviously not very sportsmanlike. Unlike Rory Scannell there to respond as well."
Saturday's defeat was the final game in the Munster careers of
O'Mahony and Archer will be hanging up the
boots
for good at the end of the season, while Murray will be continuing his career abroad.
And interim Munster head coach Ian Costello paid tribute to the departing trio.
He said: "Those three are exceptional people and legends of
Munster rugby
.
'And they've left, or they will leave, a massive legacy behind. That's going to be very difficult for us to live up to and fill, but that's what you want.
'You want somebody to leave it in a better place. And they've left the
jersey
in an unbelievably good place.
"Now it's for everyone else in the
dressing room
, moving on to next year, to live up to that.
'There's also our team manager, Niall O'Donovan, who's an even longer servant of Munster rugby. It was his last game as well.
"The last few weeks have been pretty special in terms of making sure those boys got a good send-off, which is why tonight was particularly disappointing.'
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Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
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Munster didn't deserve to beat Sharks in normal time in Durban, nor did they show enough to win in extra-time. But they didn't deserve to be treated to extraordinary sh*thousery in the shoot-out, specifically as Jack Crowley lined up the fourth of his side's six kicks at Tullow Tank AKA Sean O'Brien delighted in telling anyone who would listen that the advent of 28 and more TV cameras at big matches had more or less done away with players attempting anything underhand. Sh*thousery (British slang, def: 'underhand conduct or gamesmanship, playing dirty, using questionable tactics to win, being a skilful opportunist') is a good word for the King's Park goings on and Jaden Hendrikse deserves ownership of it too. 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"The player hadn't broken his leg, he had cramp and if the buggy had been called on it would have added to the bullshit and drama. "Plus, and here is a thing we don't know, what was said between those two players earlier in the game, there was a lot going on."Munster, and long suffering Munster fans with memories of Neil Back and of Lille, have few options other than being pissed off."They can make a complaint in writing to the URC, and address it to the Referees Manager. "Can the Sharks player be cited? I don't know but I'd say 'no'. Have you ever heard of a player being cited for giving a bit of 'lip' to another guy. 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I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing. I think fans love it and I think from a spectator view it's brilliant. I enjoyed it. I loved it. But I don't want to be the team that does it.'The first one I saw was Munster against Toulouse three years ago in Europe. That was the first time I actually saw it and both times that I've witnessed it. I think it grabs your attention but I would probably say something different if I'm in that team.'And while not suggesting here that Munster were quite Mick McCarthy who having lost a shoot-out looked incredulously at a reporter who had asked had his side practiced penalties (they hadn't!).It was that the Sharks kickers seemed very assured, had better rhythm, looked like everyday kickers at agreed albeit with some 'inside' information: 'Yeah. So the guy, Bradley Davids, who kicked the last kick was my son's roommate at school. He was the kicker for the school. You might know it, because he's only a young guy, he's 22 coming through the ranks.'
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7 hours ago
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Owen Doyle: Rugby's failure to punish violence and gamesmanship risks pushing a generation away
So, Munster can be Munster after all. They have finished the season on a high note, with a performance of raw courage and true grit. Their match with the Sharks was one of the most dramatic encounters in United Rugby Championship history. The stadium in Durban was packed to the rafters, the men in red were extraordinary and the match was ferocious. It made for a high-drama spectacle. To lose a match played at altitude via a penalty shootout against the Springbok-laden Sharks was cruel. However, there was honour in defeat. Grumblings were heard on both sides of the equator when referee Mike Adamson was appointed. I don't know why the URC insists on persevering with him. In my view, this was a poor performance which was way below the standard required. When players from both teams frequently look perplexed, something is definitely wrong. I struggle to see the benefit in continuing with this official. READ MORE Before Jack Crowley could prepare his second shootout kick, the previous kicker, Sharks' Jaden Hendrikse, suddenly collapsed with apparent cramp. Conveniently, he fell beside the mark for the kick, successfully delaying the attempt. Adamson dealt with this as if the match was still going on. It was over and Hendrikse had no further part to play. The referee should have insisted he be removed immediately, rather than indulging him. Hendrikse even managed a sly wink at Crowley. The whole episode came across as unwelcome, unacceptable gamesmanship. It has rightly been widely condemned. An opportunity has presented itself to stand up for the game and sanction Hendrikse under misconduct laws, but don't hold your breath. It was a despicable, unsporting attempt to distract Crowley. However, not everybody thought so. Jaden Hendrikse of Sharks converts his penalty during the URC quarter-final shootout. Photograph: Darren Stewart/Inpho/Steve Haag Sports Afterwards, the pundit and former international, Stephen Ferris, took a different stance. He told us that the game could do with more of it, suggesting that the fans would like it and viewership would increase. Perhaps Ferris seeks some sort of notoriety, but that is usually accompanied by a drop in credibility. And now on to full throttle. This bit isn't about about Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen . It's about what Bordeaux's Jefferson Poirot did to Northampton's Henry Pollock after the last whistle had sounded in the Champions Cup final . 'Throttling' should be added to the list of straight red cards. This one was nasty – a tight squeeze on Pollock's throat. Understandably, it went unseen by the match officials. The citing commissioner, Ireland's Tim Lowry, did his job well. The judiciary didn't to its job so well, coming up with a meagre two-week suspension. 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World Rugby and all unions must wake up and bring the guillotine down on foul play. Judicial hearings and decisions are now a bad joke, rarely reflecting the seriousness of dangerous offences. The ludicrous, mandatory 50 per cent mitigation must be ditched. Six-week suspensions should mean just that, instead of being watered down to three or even two. World Rugby has agreed to a red-card replacement. But it should also be beefing up justifications for referees to give straight reds. Failure to do so would be irresponsible. Appalling fouls should always be punished with straight red cards. Then there are the legal head collisions. The pick-and-drives, as frequent as ever, see teams obsessed at hammering away at the try line. Players who seem happy to lead with their heads should maybe think again. Nothing is said, presumably because there is rarely a concussion in pick-and-drives, but that doesn't make it okay. Medics, recognised eminent experts, advise that repetitive sub-concussive collisions have significant potential for brain damage, for early-onset dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. It is quite the mystery why nobody is paying attention. Rugby has become a brutal, dangerous game. No one can escape that fact. The powers that be really need to take a look in the mirror and decide that it can't continue. Hundreds of former players are taking legal action because of brain damage. These people are tormented about what life holds in store for them. It will be stoutly defended by World Rugby, who should themselves take initiatives to make the game safer. If not, a judgment in favour of the players will probably force their hands on the matter. By then, the amateur game might be a disappearing speck in the rear-view mirror.
