Conor Murray: 'He'll pick players that are playing the best. He doesn't look at age'

The Patrickswell native did take a positive from the fact Munster were moments away from a famous victory on the road and he backed his old side to win against Castres at Thomond Park tomorrow and ultimately advance to the knockout phase of Europe’s top-tier.

AGE NOT AN ISSUE: Irish rugby icon and Munster legend Conor Murray is pictured as Virgin Media Television announce that he will join its expert rugby panel as an analyst for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations Championship, kicking off on 5 February 2026. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

There might be a number of players within the system that are on the wrong side of 30, but international centurion Conor Murray is confident Andy Farrell won’t be overly concerned about the age profile of the Ireland squad.

A debutant all the way back in August 2011 against France in a World Cup warm-up fixture, the now-retired Murray was a few weeks shy of his 36th birthday when he picked up his 125th and final Ireland senior cap in a closing round win over Italy at the 2025 Six Nations. Last year also saw veteran Leinster prop Cian Healy bringing his professional career to a close, but of the 36 players who spent time with the Ireland set-up for the recent November test window, 15 of them were aged 30 or older.