Murray has written himself into Munster folklore

Murray was described as a Munster “legend” following the announcement of his one-year contract extension.

Thu, 04 Apr, 2024 - 01:00

Simon Lewis

Conor Murray was described as a Munster “legend” following the announcement of his one-year contract extension as Denis Leamy labelled the veteran scrum-half one of the province’s best players of the last quarter-century.

Murray, 34, ended speculation about his playing future beyond the current campaign, with his central IRFU contract up this summer, by extending his time with Munster into a 16th season.

A British & Irish Lions Test player on three different tours, Murray picked up his fifth Guinness Six Nations winner’s medal last month in his 116th Ireland appearance but it was as a Munster man that the defence coach and former team-mate Leamy focused on as he welcomed the news of the Patrickswell native’s new deal.

“Conor is a legend of the province. He’s been an incredible servant to Munster, he’s Munster-bred and just to have him around, his experience, plus his playing ability, it’s great news, it really is,” Leamy said.

“He’s been around a long time and he’s been one of our best players for the last 25 years and that goes without saying I guess.”

Murray seems certain to be involved this Sunday when Munster travel to Northampton Saints for a Champions Cup Round of 16 knockout clash, despite having a planned medical procedure last week that caused him to miss last Saturday’s uninspiring 20-15 URC win at home to Cardiff.

Munster's Conor Murray. Pic: James Crombie, Inpho

Lock RG Snyman and wing Calvin Nash also missed that game through illness and a knee injury respectively and Leamy gave mixed news about their prospects of taking on the English Premiership leaders.

“RG trained today,” Leamy said on Wednesday. “He had a virus over the weekend. Yeah, he was huffing and puffing a little bit but we hope he’ll be fine. Yeah, we hope he’ll be fine.

“Calvin is still too early to say. He didn’t train today and it’s still early days to say whether he’ll come through or not.”

Asked whether Nash was 50-50 at best, Leamy replied: “I would say so. Yeah, I would say so.”

For Snyman, time is running out as a Munster player before a summer move to Leinster after an injury-blighted four years in red, in which he has managed just 13 appearances to date, only seven of them starts, just one of those at home, in Cork against Zebre last month.

That he has not started as yet at Thomond Park underlines his troubled time at the province but Leamy acknowledged what Snyman can bring to the table when he’s fully involved.

“I tell you, he speaks exactly the right amount. He doesn’t over speak, which is a skill in itself and he’s very good.

“He’s very measured and he knows the right time to interject and give his opinion, and when he does it’s always good stuff.

“He’s an outrageously gifted rugby player, isn’t he? He’s experienced, he’s a double World Cup winner. When he speaks, guys listen and he’s a very impressive person, a very impressive man and just his physicality and his ability on the ball, really gives you something.

"He’s a very, very good player. So, fingers crossed he makes it through the next few days.”