Murray showing Lions pedigree, reckons Penney

Conor Murray’s emergence as a candidate for the Lions tour next summer has come on the back of a steady stream of improved performances, culminating in his dominance of Mike Phillips in Cardiff last weekend.

Murray may have gone ahead of the Welshman in the Lions pecking order — and now he faces the next big hurdle against the fleet-footed English pair of Ben Youngs and Danny Care at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday.

As always with the scrum-half position, much will depend on how the forward battle goes but should the Irish struggle in this respect, Murray still looks to possess the physical, football and defensive qualities to cope.