Conor Murray: 'Being written off does add to motivation'

It's the selection call that has divided opinion like no other in this new Andy Farrell era but Conor Murray and John Cooney put up a united and, it has to be said, relaxed front when they sat down together in front of the media at the National Sports Campus on Monday.

It seemed an odd ploy at first but the bonhomie between the pair, and a personal history stretching back a decade to their time in the same U20s setup, was immediately obvious as they were quizzed on their budding rivalry over the Irish No.9 jersey.