Conor Murray anticipates contest to savour

Conor Murray believes tomorrow’s battle of the half-backs at Ravenhill will ensure the Guinness Pro12 interprovincial showdown between Ulster and Munster is a contest to savour.

Murray’s head coach Anthony Foley this week likened Ireland’s interprovincial derbies to mini-trials for Joe Schmidt’s Test team, particularly with a World Cup preliminary training squad set to be announced by June 18.

That means respective out-halves Paddy Jackson and Ian Keatley could be going head-to-head for a berth alongside first-choice Johnny Sexton and his Six Nations stand-in Ian Madigan, while Murray will pit his wits against Springbok fly-half Ruan Pienaar.