Murphy’s home away from home
The Kildare man is intent on sealing his starting place for next week’s do-or-die Heineken Cup clash with Toulon with a big game against Glasgow Warriors in tonight’s Magners League tie at Musgrave Park, and he’s proven a very wise signing by the Munster management.
They lured him away from Leicester last summer, even though he had also been a very useful cog in the Tigers machine over the previous five years or so. Murphy’s versatility — he has filled every position behind the scrum except scrum-half and out-half since his arrival — has helped him to earn the respect of the entire squad.
It helped, of course, that there are many similarities between Leicester and Munster where the ethos of the game is concerned.
“The foundations that they are built upon are much the same, very family-orientated places,” he says.
“People don’t really like them either, outside of the supporters. They’re in for a lot of stick, but that’s because they’re both very successful in their own right.
“I remember when I was talking to Cockers (Tigers coach Richard Cockerill) and told him that I had decided to leave, he had his own say where he thought I should go and he was full of admiration for this place.
“I think Leicester and Munster, on and off the field, are striving for success and that’s one of the main similarities. They see themselves as a rugby club first and foremost but outside of that they also want to be successful.
“I’ve come here and really enjoyed it from the first day I walked in. I was made to feel so welcome and I’m really loving it at the moment.”
Quite understandably for a sports-mad youngster growing up in County Kildare, he dreamt of making it big in some arena although he could have hardly envisaged a day when he’d be pulling on the red jersey of Munster. And yet he insists he never felt anything but deep satisfaction whenever an Irish side of whatever hue distinguished itself on the wider stage.
“I suppose I did follow Leinster but you were always supporting the Irish team and I remember when I was a student at Newbridge College watching Ulster in the European Cup final and being delighted when they won it,” he says.
“Then Munster began putting all those great performances together and you couldn’t but support them. There’s just something about this place and even from Kildare, I noticed it. First of all, though, I never thought I’d be a Leicester player, never mind a Munster player, so whatever comes your way, you take.
“The Munster and Leinster supporters do hop off each other and it’s always been there, but it stems now from the two Heineken Cup semi-finals between the teams. That has really put it to the front although I didn’t realise how much of an intense rivalry it was because I was in England for the past five years. Then I came back and we played them in the Aviva, I realised it was one of the greatest rivalries I’ve ever experienced.
“They talk about Leicester-Bath, Leicester-Wasps, but that game at the Aviva was something I’ve never experienced. No, I don’t think it’s over the top. It just adds to it all. On the pitch you’re the greatest of enemies, but afterwards you go upstairs and have a beer with the lads and go out with them and that creates a nice atmosphere.”
Just as Niall Ronan’s parents have adjusted to their Meath-born son going to Munster and have become well accepted members of the Red Army, so, too, have Murphy’s family rallied to his aid.
“Mum and Dad haven’t missed a game yet,” he smiles. “They’re loving being able to get down with the new road and stuff. From Rathangan, it’s about an hour, they were over in Galway, up in Belfast, and I can safely say all my family are Munster supporters.
“It was really nice having Christmas at home, something I was able to do only once while I was in England. I didn’t have to worry about flights, I had a week off and now I feel really refreshed and hopefully I’ll be able to show it over the next three weeks.”
While accepting that the final score flattered Munster in their most recent outing against Ulster, Murphy also emphasised: “The lads really pulled out and that last try by Mafs (Lifeimi Mafi) was fantastic, a full length of the pitch effort, and if we can produce performances like that for a little longer, we’ll be in a good place at the end of the season.”
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