Conor Murray focused on beating England, not records

Joe Schmidt likes to play it with a straight bat when it comes to the pageantry and paraphernalia that accompanies his Irish rugby team. 

This year’s Six Nations launch saw him dismiss the tag of favourites as something of interest only outside the team environment.

Similar fripperies, such as the side’s rising world ranking, have been dealt with in an identical, disinterested, manner.

It fits the Kiwi’s public image — that of a coach whose expertise centres on the training pitch and video rooms — and yet the former Leinster coach hasn’t risen to his current heights without knowing a thing or two about man management as well.

Ireland are sitting on a run of nine straight wins ahead of England’s visit to Dublin tomorrow week.

Do the business then and they will equal the most consecutive victories ever achieved by the national side, recorded between October 2002 and March 2003.

History is in the offing.

It’s a carrot Schmidt has already waved in front of his players’ noses and, while he may be a tad miffed at Murray letting slip his interest in matters less hands-on than defensive lines and setpieces, he would surely approve of his scrum-half’s insistence on stressing the importance of points and processes when the run was brought up yesterday.

“We were in camp in Galway for the last few days and someone mentioned it in one of the meetings,” said Murray at the ‘Lucozade Sport Conversion Challenge’.

“And what are we on? Nine? Yeah, that’s nice. I don’t think it’s that big a motivating factor for us.

“I think Joe mentioned it during the week, that it is there for the taking, but for us at the moment there’s a bigger prize of beating England and staying alive in this competition and doing well in that. And then after that you look at these type of records.”

Murray’s focus on England is understandable as he has yet to overcome them at senior level. His debut in the autumn of 2011 came almost six months after Ireland’s last win in the fixture and the scale of the task is apparent.

“From last year especially, they just seemed really hard to break down. They seemed to keep a lot of men on their feet when you have the ball. They attack your breakdown. They can slow it down and make things difficult for you. That’s a challenge for us.

“When we have possession and create that quick ruck speed we can play on the front foot, which is what makes any team dangerous. When you’re put on the back foot and things are slowed down you’re forced into a bit more kicking and things become quite difficult.

"Defensively, they’re really good. They come off their line and make their hits and they muddy the ruck and make things really hard to play off. The breakdown is what wins games. Defence is huge as well, but the breakdown decides how well you play and attack.”

Good as Ireland have been, their attack hasn’t exactly ignited thus far. Even smoulder is probably too strong a word, but the return of Jonathan Sexton against France will have started to oil the gears the side will need to get through this next month.

Sexton, who was battered and bruised last week, starts his second game in a week tonight when Racing Metro host Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14 and Murray spoke for an entire nation when he balanced the pros and cons of the out-half lacing up his boots.

“You’d be a little bit anxious any time one of your big players goes off to their club and plays. But I’m sure Johnny will look after himself and come back.

“He said it himself, he needs more game time and people are asking how is head is. His head is fine.

“It was just a cut over the eye. He did all his tests and they’re completely fine. I know there has been hype around concussion at the moment but all you can do is do your tests and he came through those with flying colours, so he should be good to go.”