Murphy hoping for stout performance

Ireland full-back Geordan Murphy will be delighted if he is the Leicester Tiger buying his club-mates the drinks on Sunday night – because it will mean Ireland have beaten England to the Grand Slam.

The Irishman is ready to go head-to-head with five of his Welford Road colleagues in the RBS 6 Nations decider at Lansdowne Road this weekend.

English captain Martin Johnson, Neil Back, Graham Rowntree and Ben Kay will all start on Sunday – while Dorian West could make an appearance from the replacements bench.

Murphy said: “I will do everything in my power to help Ireland to victory.

“Some of the England players are my friends – but I hope they will be very disappointed, albeit still my friends, on Sunday night.

“We’ll go out, knock one another about, bash one another up and try to get the crucial scores. Everyone will be doing their best to win. All you can do is go out and do as professional a job as possible. After that, maybe we can enjoy a drink together.”

Murphy believes playing such a critical match in Dublin can only be helpful to the Ireland side.

“There is no doubt that the players get a lift playing at home,” he said.

“It doesn’t count for everything but it is an advantage at Lansdowne Road.”

He is, though, under no illusions that his side have a very tough afternoon ahead of them if they are to deny England the championship and land their first Grand Slam since 1948.

“England are probably the best team in the world, so we have to produce something very special to beat them. It’s always possible and it has been done as recently as two years ago – but it will still be very difficult.

“That said, we are in with a shout of completing the job. It has been a great season with 10 successive victories. But we’re determined to make it 11 and get the prize all northern hemisphere teams are remembered for. Finishing second is not an option.

“Despite our great recent record, we have total respect for England – and they haven’t done too badly themselves after all. They are the type of side you cannot afford to let loose. You’ve got to keep them pinned down.

“This Irish side will not go out with a defeatist attitude; we won’t go out to contain. We will go out to attack and, I hope go out and beat them.”