Murray has total belief in O’Gara

Picking Ronan O’Gara at fly-half against Scotland will not leave half-back partner Conor Murray with any sleepless nights between now and kick-off on Sunday, as the scrum-half has seen his Munster team-mate bounce back plenty of times before.

Ireland’s veteran out-half may have been overtaken by Jonny Sexton as the nation’s first-choice No 10 but a lacklustre performance as his replacement once the Leinster star had hobbled off with a hamstring tear against England 10 days ago, followed by some misfiring penalty kicks at Scarlets last Saturday, has prompted some to call into question his suitability as a first-choice back-up.

Both Paddy Jackson of Ulster and Leinster’s Ian Madigan have been breathing down the 34-year-old’s neck in training this week but scrum-half Murray believes O’Gara will break out of his slump in timely fashion if, as is expected, head coach Declan Kidney remains faithful to the Cork man when he names his team for Murrayfield today.