A massive desire to make it with his beloved Munster kept Jack Crowley from answering Ronan O'Gara's call to join La Rochelle.
It is over a year since Reds great O'Gara made Crowley an offer he decided to refuse and, having had to stay patient during Covid, the 22-year-old was finally rewarded with a European start at Castres last week.
“Yeah, look, it’s mad to think it’s over a year ago when all that was happening," said the young Corkman, who makes way for Ben Healy at at no 10 for Wasps' visit to Thomond Park today.
"I guess the decision behind it was that I believe in myself.
"All along I have put so much work into my game and, you know, Munster is the place where I grew up.
"I have supported them since I was a young fella so it has been a dream of mine to play from Munster.
"I was looking at ROG play and Anthony Foley play - there’s a kind of spark inside you.
"I have a vivid image of myself at half-time in Munster games, going outside to get my rugby ball and chipping it over imaginary defenders and scoring the try in the corner.
"So that was always in the back of my head - but I guess when it comes to decisions you’ve got to take emotion out of it and you have got to think technically and tactically, what’s best for yourself.
"At the time I was looking for game time and that probably offered a certain opportunity but when I looked into it, there were opportunities here as well.
"I could stay patient, working away at all my individual elements.
"It was turning down ROG, then just putting down the head and working and saying, ‘When I get my opportunity I’m going to be ready to take it'.
"It might not have been perfect but I wanted to be ready when I stepped on the pitch.
"I didn’t want to look like a young 10 who was forcing it and who wasn’t ready.
"So that’s what I was doing over Covid - I was preparing for when I do get my chance."
Munster are already into the knock-outs and it is about trying to achieve a top seeding now.
For Crowley, there is a huge incentive to push on and improve now he has had a taste of the Champions Cup arena.
"I’m not going to be content with that, Friday night I made a European start, I can’t take my foot off the pedal and relax," he insisted.
"For the next five months, whatever we have left in the season, this is about getting better every day.
"It really is my driving factor, and it forces me to keep getting better. The end goal is exciting as well because you don’t know the level you can get to.
"So keep pushing and in five months I’ll be onto new levels again."
In terms of Munster as a team, Crowley is excited about what the future holds, even with the big changes coming in the summer on the coaching staff.
"Just where this squad can go is really what is going to be interesting," he said.
"What we’re building is something huge.
"The staff and the players, the way that we’re connected to put forward the best plan that will work for us, what we can achieve and what we might achieve is going to be exciting in the future.
"So it’s starting now, it started a long time ago when we came back into pre-season.
"I genuinely do have serious belief about where this squad can go and the talent that is within this squad, so I’m excited for the next few weeks to really push on and see where we can get to."
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