Conor Murray: We’re pretty angry; we left it out there

In Conor Murray’s 49-Test Ireland career to date the worst defeats have been those he has had to dwell on.

The heartbreak of that November 2013 defeat to New Zealand at the Aviva marked the end of the autumn series that year and left the Irish players with 10 weeks to stew before the following year’s Six Nations. Likewise last October’s World Cup quarter-final hammering by Argentina.

This weekend, in the wake of last Saturday’s devastating final 20-minute collapse to South Africa, Murray will welcome the chance to mark his 50th cap by helping to engineer an immediate rebound from disappointment and claim a piece of history with a very first series win against the Springboks.