Donncha O'Callaghan has issued a fiery takedown of the IRFU contract model and what it means for Munster with Jack Crowley at risk of departing the province at the end of the season.
Premiership giants Leicester Tigers stand to lose South African fly-half Handré Pollard and reportedly have identified Crowley - who is out of contract with Munster this summer - as the ideal replacement.
Crowley has shown the hallmarks of a world class number 10 since becoming the understudy to Johnny Sexton but found himself playing second fiddle to Sam Prendergast during the Six Nations Championship.
The Irish coaching ticket has backed Prendergast despite Crowley's previous status as first-choice going into the competition, with the Bandon man filling in elsewhere in the backline as a replacement.
Crowley is in line to make his first start of the tournament in the final round when Ireland face Italy, however he was not afforded the opportunity to impress in this chief role against more credible opposition.
Crowley has reportedly been offered a a mouthwatering £600,000 by Leicester if he is to make the move to Welford Road, a figure Munster would struggle to match.
Donncha O'Callaghan slams IRFU over Jack Crowley dilemma
Munster legend O'Callaghan vented his issue with the situation which could see Crowley depart - something which would greatly hurt the province.
Speaking to Tommy Bowe on their podcast The Offload, the Heineken Cup winner stressed that the perceived rivalry between Crowley and Prendergast has been anything but due to the lack of opportunities afforded to the Cork native.
I hope Jack gets every penny of it... salary is compensation for what you carry your body through for the rest of your life.
"I don't buy into the bullsh*t that you can't have competition for certain positions. When did a 10 need to run the week? Your leaders run the week. My ass that you need a 10 to - it was different with Johnny because he was the leader.
"You absolutely have to have competition for places... if that coaching docket backs Sam then I back it too but I do feel for Jack that he was never given an opportunity to fight for his place."
When Bowe put it to him that he had training sessions, O'Callaghan retorted: 'Tommy hold on, my hole to training."
'We haven't seen (rivalry) up to this point - Jack has no minutes at 10 so how can you have competition if he is getting more time at 15?
"The lack of competition is what we have seen here. I hope Jack doesn't doesn't make an emotional response from that and works back from being one of the best 10s we've ever produced in the country and thinks long-term.
"But also, I don't fault him if he can secure his future, make a few quid... it would kill me if that happens but it is a realistic thing now. Munster don't have that money."
He added that Crowley should have started against Wales to create genuine compeitition going into the France fixture, which proved to be a tough day at the office for Prendergast.
The impending retirements of Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray will have free'd up some funds from an IRFU perspective but Crowley is not on a central contract.
However, Leinster's Joe McCarthy and Connacht's Mack Hansen have most recently agreed deals with the IRFU, meaning that Leinster have 11 of the 14 centrally-contracted players.
In effect, the IRFU pays for their star players and in turn it gives them the funds to acquire international stars like Jordie Barrett and RG Snyman.
'Yet again, this bangs home for me that the central contract model is absolutely done... it is no longer fit for purpose," O'Callaghan added.
"There was more contracts but then the money got bigger so you'd to narrow the pool to keep your best players. All it is doing is looking after Leinster. Munster are going to lose Crowley because of an Irish rugby problem."
While O'Callaghan is concerned with Crowley, he also took umbrage with the fact Leinster were able to re-sign Rabah Slimani on a one-year deal despite a proposed ban on teams signing foreign props.
That measure meant that Munster were unable to keep a hold of Dian Bleuler, who impressed on a short-term contract during their injury crisis earlier this season.
'The fact they can sign Slimani on a one-year contract... Munster weren't allowed to sign Bleuler - the brilliant loosehead who came in from South Africa but everyone bar the blue media is talking about that whereas they won't open their f*ckin mouth about it.
"Yet again it bites Munster in the arse. What I would have given when we had 10 of the starting Irish team and kept going with it... it bangs home that the central contract model is not fit for purpose."
O'Callaghan's sentiments are sure to be representative of how those in Munster are feeling about the
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