Murphy ready to face his Murrayfield demons

AS WAS the case four years ago, Ireland play Scotland in a World Cup warm-up fixture. But for Geordan Murphy, he hopes the symmetry ends there.

On a sunny August afternoon in Murrayfield in 2003, Murphy broke his leg and his World Cup dreams ended. His absence was keenly felt, the injury making sports headlines everywhere.

Then, Murphy was bringing a touch of flamboyance and thrill to the Irish backline and at the time was one of the team’s indispensables.