Pro12 final will be painful viewing for envious Conor Murray

For Conor Murray, the thought of having to watch Connacht and Leinster duke it out in a Guinness Pro12 final this Saturday fills him with frustration.

While the Ireland scrum-half prepares for next month’s three-Test series in South Africa with Munster on the training ground and in the gym, his rivals for the number nine jersey, Kieran Marmion and Eoin Reddan go toe to toe in the white heat of an end of season finale at Murrayfield, all three having been named yesterday in Joe Schmidt’s 32-man touring party to take on the Springboks.

Munster’s disappointing season, failing to reach the Pro12 play-offs has left the 27-year-old from Patrickswell on the sidelines, the only Irish province not to qualify for the league semi-finals. But having played in last season’s decider, Murray will cast an envious eye on proceedings in this season’s Edinburgh showdown.