No regrets for Ian Costello over resting Jack Crowley against Leinster

Ian Costello says he has no regrets over the decision to rest Jack Crowley for Friday night's BKT United Rugby Championship defeat to Leinster.

Crowley was given the night off in line with his IRFU player management guidelines, while his fellow Ireland international Sam Prendergast was man of the match at Thomond Park, scoring a try and three conversions for Leinster in their 28-7 win.

Costello was obliged to rest Crowley and his captain Tadhg Beirne for one game during this current block of six games, four of which came in the Investec Champions Cup.

Rather than rest both at once, Beirne was left out of the squad that defeated Ulster just before Christmas, while Crowley was given his break for the home defeat to Leinster, with Billy Burns taking his place in the starting XV.

It left an already depleted Munster squad stretched even thinner, with Craig Casey, Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony, Alex Nankivell, Jean Kleyn, Thaakir Abrahams and Diarmuid Barron among those currently sidelined with injury.

And while Munster’s interim coach Costello says they weren’t given any leeway on the load-management guidelines by the IRFU, it was his decision on which games Crowley (below) and Beirne would be rested for.

"To be fair, and the IRFU, they've recommended a number of games over a period. It's at our discretion when we rest players," he said after Friday’s defeat at Thomond Park.

"We've different plans around different players around giving us the best opportunity to get as many points as we possibly can.

"It's always a massive decision for a player not to be play in a game like this. If it wasn't this one, it would have been Saracens or Northampton and we'd be having the same conversation.

"So, it's probably one of those things where we