Jack Crowley is still hoping to return to Munster action at some point over the festive period, but has acknowledged ongoing uncertainty on how his body will recover from a vascular lower limb injury that has kept him out since April.

After missing the end of Munster's domestic campaign and Ireland’s Nations Championship tests in July, with the restart of the URC, Champions Cup and November internationals also coming too soon, the out-half says that a lengthy period on the sidelines has once again "highlighted my love for the game".

As the start of this new season approached, Munster head coach Clayton McMillan confirmed that Crowley had suffered a "narrowing of a (blood) vessel".

Crowley explained that the issue left him unable to run or kick a rugby ball, but that he was not hindered away from the pitch.

"Please God that when it comes to Christmas, I’ll be fully fit," he said.

"I’m currently in a period of just rest. It’s just allowing everything to heal, to get strong. From that period return to exercise. I can do upper body work but in terms of running and stuff, that’s not happening right now."

Diagnosing the injury took time with Crowley and Munster unsure of the precise issue. In May last year, he was twice named to start matches against Ulster and the Lions, only to be forced to withdraw.

Despite now being aware of the problem, Crowley acknowledged that uncertainty remains as to how he will fare when he progresses to taking part in training.

"To speak generically, I think every injury or every problem, there’s a blueprint and you’re like, this is ideally how we want it to go," he said.

"But you hear of lads that are scheduled to come back from a hamstring and something comes up and they’re pushed back six weeks or they’re out with a hamstring and a calf goes.

"This is my first time in a period where I’ll go through a return to play and who knows what way my body will respond? That’s just the nature of it.

"So right now, I don’t know, being perfectly honest with you, but in terms of once I’m fully fit and healthy, then it is just fully fit and healthy to go."

Five months on from his last game, Crowley is still unsure of the exact cause of the lower limb issue. "It's an unknown really with that," he said. "That’s something that probably would have helped the diagnosis quicker.

"It could be two things. It could be an accumulation of time and wear and tear or it could have just been a once off incident. But, I suppose, we weren't aware of either and it just came about."

There’s never a good time, but this injury came at a particularly frustrating juncture for Crowley. Having started last year’s Six Nations as understudy to Sam Prendergast in their battle for the Ireland 10 shirt, the Munster man emerged from that campaign as the man in possession, starting the final three games against England, Wales and Scotland.

In a long-running contest for the Irish out-half role, Crowley would be forgiven for feeling frustrated at ceding ground for reasons unrelated to performances on the pitch.

"Being truthful with it, it's (the injury) has probably highlighted more my love for the game because being in and around the building," he said.

"(I’m) still as keen as ever to input to the group and to help lads grow and help my game stay up to scratch... like, watching rugby; you see it from a different perspective.

"I'd be a deep thinker in terms of utilising time and space as best as I can to just be a better person day to day in, day out. And I suppose a period like this has given me time to reflect on that.

"Ultimately, that'll hopefully make me a better team-mate and a better person in day to day. You do reflect and you reflect every time you try and grow, because that's the only way you can is look back on areas that you want to get even better at and how do you do that? It’s been a good period, a lot of time to myself."

Away from the injury, Crowley was asked about his former team-mate Peter O’Mahony’s comments regarding Munster's leadership. While promoting his new autobiography, O’Mahony outlined his belief that the province was not well run and that players were not always set up for success.

Crowley outlined his belief in his province, referencing Munster’s independent governance and organisational review.

"It's obviously out there that there's the review, so that's going on. But, it's very evident that that's been taken care of. And since we've come in, there's been a trust in that and the processes that will come out of it.

"But as a playing group, it's solely around how we can deliver performances consistently. And you can't do that if you're putting your focus elsewhere and expending your energy in areas that you can't control.

"So it's really important that - and we have it - is just that kind of sense of connection and moving forward together. We'll see what will come of that."