Conor Murray backs Ireland to go the distance with All Blacks

Conor Murray needs no reminding of those final, desperate minutes three years ago when Ireland’s hopes of a first victory over the All Blacks were dashed.

Yet time has brought the Ireland scrum-half perspective and motivation from that last-minute defeat in Dublin and Joe Schmidt’s players go into this Saturday’s reunion fixture at Soldier Field with the belief they can rise to the same heights that put them into a 22-7 half-time lead in 2013 and this time finish the job.

Against a team rightly lauded for its ability to stay mentally strong and keep executing at the tail end of games when opposing teams are fading, Murray knows Ireland cannot afford a repeat of that 2013 collapse to a 24-22 loss and he is convinced his team are now better placed to last the distance by staying on the front foot.