Conor Murray insists Johnny Sexton’s absence will not heap extra pressure on him to spearhead Ireland’s attack in Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations opener in Italy.

So often the perfect opportunity to introduce promising players to the international stage, the autumn international series has taken on a different significance this year with the 2015 Rugby World Cup pool allocation draw taking place on December 3 and Ireland perilously close to falling out of the world’s top eight.

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