Jack Crowley has been ruled out until the new year with a lower limb vascular injury following specialist medical advice, a problem that has kept him sidelined since mid-April. It is a huge blow for the 26-year-old Munster and Ireland outhalf and will leave his province leaning heavily on the experienced JJ Hanrahan and academy players Tom Wood and Charlie O’Shea. New signing Will Harrison would have been another who could have filled the role but he has suffered a recurrence of a knee injury in training. Crowley last played for Munster in a URC game against Benetton on April 18th.There had been some hope that he would have been able to make the Ireland Nations Championship squad that toured New Zealand and Australia during the summer, but he was ruled out on June 18th with the suggestion that he’d need another couple of months. That period has now been extended.Munster confirmed the news when providing an update while they prepared for a preseason friendly against Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle at the Stade Marcel Deflandre on Friday evening. Head coach Clayton McMillan said: “Jack Crowley is a very important player for Munster and Ireland with a big future in the game and ensuring he gets back to 100 per cent is the priority.“Will Harrison’s injury is a frustrating one for him because he has come into a new environment and made an immediate impression, but the reaggravation is a setback and we want to make sure he’s in the best possible condition before he takes the field.“We have a good mix of experience and youth available in the outhalf position with JJ Hanrahan and Academy men Tom Wood and Charlie O’Shea.“JJ has played 160 games for Munster and is our third-highest points scorer of all time, so he is a player we know we can count on. Wood and O’Shea are very exciting young players who have come up through the Munster pathway and excelled with the Ireland Under-20s last season.“Tom made his Munster debut last season with Charlie joining the Academy earlier this month and they will get opportunities this year so we are excited to see what they can do.”South African hooker Marnus van der Merwe signed from the Scarlets this summer has started to reintegrate to team training having suffered a calf injury at the end of last season.Edwin Edogbo, Tom Farrell (both shoulder) and Calvin Nash (hamstring) underwent successful surgeries in the off-season and are all expected to return during the opening block of fixtures. Ruadhán Quinn has undergone surgery on an ankle injury this month and is expected back for the early rounds of the season.