Munster’s fringe man Murphy on a mission to stake claim for senior call-up
The Kildare native racked up appearances for Leicester Tigers (99), Munster (80) and 11 more for Emerging Ireland but it’s his first big break as captain.
“I’ve captained teams at schools level a couple of times, but this is my first professional experience of it,” he said.
“It’s a massive honour, something I will probably look back on at the end of my career and really cherish. This is probably as close as I will get to winning a cap, to get that feeling.
“When Dan [McFarland, coach] spoke to me I was absolutely delighted and it makes it more special for me given the quality of the players that I’ll be leading out, guys that are really going to be pushing for places in the World Cup next year.”
Ireland’s opening game in this IRB Nations Cup was a lopsided affair with Murphy featuring in a side that routed Russia 66-0 before the tie was abandoned due to a thunder and lightning storm.
“We took our opportunities when we were given them,” he said.
“We were accurate. We had one set-piece after two phases and scored in the first minute and it all took off from there.
“Essentially, we’re trying to replicate exactly what the senior lads are trying to do. It’s all about learning new terminology, getting it all down and I think we did a fantastic job on that. A pre-tour get together in Ashbourne really stood to us when it came to getting our details right.”
Murphy believes the grand plan for Irish rugby is gradually coming together.
“Ireland have just completed a tour to Argentina, the U20s are in New Zealand and we’re here. Les Kiss is coming out here and Joe [Schmidt] is heading to Auckland to see what’s happening there. It shows he is putting in a structure so that guys can slot in and out and know the roles they have.
“In our case, a fair amount of players were involved in the accompanying tournament in Tbilisi last year and that has helped the group because it means you get to know the players around you.
“Last year, I think people are fuelled because they let that competition go, we didn’t perform as well as they expected against the Springbok A side. That desire is really driving this group. The guys really want to win this competition. It’s not an end of season jolly. We’re here to do a job.
“Five of the players came through to play in the Six Nations and eight travelled to Argentina so there is hope for the players. First and foremost we want to win the tournament but players will naturally see it as an opportunity, and another goal is that we want to help guys get on the plane over to England [for the World Cup] next year.
“It’s massive. There are opportunities and I suppose it’s quite a cliché to say that every time you wear an Irish jersey is an opportunity but, given the sense of the structures that Joe has put in, it’s really a fact. We took our first opportunity and there are two more.”
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