Conor Murray: We express ourselves in games, we’re not robots

Conor Murray walked gratefully in to the warmth of one of the business suites attached to the Portmarnock Golf and Links Hotel yesterday after an hour spent filming for a sponsorship gig on the freezing and windswept expanse of beach just a Garryowen away. 

It was the first time he, or any of Joe Schmidt’s squad, had been caught cold in over a year of rugby that has delivered 10 straight wins, the last against England three days ago leaving them on the cusp of another Championship and Grand Slam.

He talked at length about Wales, about tactics, and about... robots.

That last debate arose out of the mystique that has enveloped Schmidt, whose rigorous attention to detail on and off the pitch has, according to some, transformed those performing the actions into mere automatons, if highly talented ones.

Murray, understandably, held a more nuanced view.

“You don’t go out on the pitch as a robot and just do exactly what you’re told to do. You do have a game plan and, under any coach, there’s a game plan that you try and follow it as best you can.

“Look through the video and there’s times we go against the grain of play or do our own thing. If you see the little kick for Robbie (Henshaw’s try) ... people do back themselves and express themselves if they want to. You can do that within a game plan as well.”

Ireland’s conviction in themselves and their coach was never so pronounced as last Sunday when they sought and secured dominance of the skies over Ballsbridge after a week in which England repeatedly spoke about their hosts’ kicking and aerial game.

“It doesn’t depend on who you are playing or what they are saying,” said the scrum-half. “It’s still a tactic we will use to exit our half. Every team in the world uses it. It’s just seems like there’s more spotlight on ours at the moment,

“Maybe Robbie’s try coming from a kick is another reason why it is being mentioned, but it is part and parcel of the game now and if England did talk about it didn’t mean we weren’t going to do it anyway. It was always going to be part of our game plan.”

And will be again in Cardiff in two weekends’ time, he added, when the reigning Six Nations will look to claim an eleventh win on the trot and one that would leave them just a defeat of Scotland in Edinburgh away from a Grand Slam.

“It’s going to be the topic of discussion outside our group, Grand Slams and Championships, but I know how difficult it’s going to be to go to Wales against them. Their tails are up and they’re still in this competition.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Trimble has signed a new two-year central contract with the IRFU that will see him remain with Ulster through to the summer of 2017, which may go some way to easing the pain of a season wrecked by injury.

Trimble, the 2014 player of the year, has not played since October due go a toe injury that has proved frustratingly stubborn to heal.