Murphy message for his mates

GEORDAN MURPHY is gearing up for the weirdest three weeks of his rugby career.

On Sunday the Leicester full-back joins forces with his Irish colleagues to plot the downfall of an English team sprinkled with his clubmates.

Two weeks later he must adapt again as he links up with Leicester in their bid to end Munster’s interest in the Heineken Cup.

“I will do everything in my power to help Ireland to victory. Some of the England players are my friends but I hope they will be very disappointed, albeit still my friends, on Sunday night.

“It will probably be even stranger in Welford Road on April 13. I have spent six weeks living with a number of the Munster players on the Irish team and have shared rooms with a couple of them. But again this is all about professionalism. I’ll wear the Leicester jersey next month and the Irish guys will be in red.

“We’ll go out, knock one another about, bash one another up and try to get the crucial scores. Everyone will be doing their best to win. All you can do is go out and do as professional a job as possible. After that, maybe we can enjoy a drink together.”

Murphy admitted that Ireland have not reproduced the early championship form that secured convincing wins over Scotland and Italy. The subsequent victories against France and Wales were nail-biting affairs.

Yet Murphy believes that it is only possible to judge the opposition in front of you: "I think France are very good, and that was always going to be close. Wales, maybe not so good, were fired up for this one. We just about shaded it but we got the win. That’s what counts and now we are in with a shout of completing the job.

“It has been a great season with ten successive victories but we are determined to make it eleven and get the prize that all Northern hemisphere teams are remembered for. Finishing second is not an option.”

That is not to say Murphy thinks it will be easy: “England are probably the best team in the world so we have to produce something very special to beat them. It’s always possible and it has been done as recently as two years ago, but it will still be very difficult."

On a personal level, these are happy times for Murphy. The unfortunate injury to Shane Horgan in the championship opener against Scotland gave him the opportunity to spring off the bench. A further injury to Girvan Dempsey allowed him move to his favourite full back position.

“It was fortunate for me, and unfortunate for Shane and Girvan at the time, but you have to be ready to take the chance. I was delighted to be in the Scottish game. Since then it has got better and better.

“I prefer playing full back because I tend to get a bit more space. Yet I am happy to play anywhere in the back three once it is in a green shirt. I’ve had a good run at it now and I tend to think I’d like a bit more.”

Murphy is in no doubt that home advantage does have a bearing on big matches like this, particularly the games that are fought out to the closing stages.

“There is no doubt that the players get a lift playing at home. It doesn’t count for everything but it is an advantage at Lansdowne Road.

“Despite our great recent record, we have total respect for England, and they haven’t done too badly themselves, after all. They are the type of side that you cannot afford to let loose. You’ve got to keep them pinned down.

“This Irish side will not go out with a defeatist attitude, we won’t go out to contain. We will go out to attack and, hopefully, go out and beat them."

Murphy may be the pride of Ireland and Leicester, but he may soon have to compete for the glory with girlfriend Lucie.

“Lucie is heading for America, to Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles, to record an album in the next couple of weeks. It will be out sometime in the autumn but she expects to have a single released sometime in the summer.

“Maybe I’ll get a bit-part in the video!" he laughed.