Murray centre stage after revealing ‘hurt’ at rumours

Farrell passed fit to face Gloucester but Sexton set to miss Leinster’s Toulouse showdown

MUNSTER fans at Kingsholm tonight (7.45) will be backing Conor Murray after he revealed the hurt he and his family suffered when false rumours of a failed drugs test circulated during his injury absence.

The star scrum-half missed the first three months of the campaign with a neck problem and initially chose to keep details of the injury private, and this week he spoke for the first time about the impact the gossip had.

Speaking to members of the Defence Forces in Limerick this week, Murray revealed that he was particularly hurt by the rumours that he had failed a drugs test.

“The toughest part of this was the outside rumours that my friends and family would hear. Crazy stuff that I’d failed all sorts of drugs tests and they were just keeping it under wraps and letting me serve my ban. That kind of hurt a little bit,” he said.

Murray’s focus tonight will be on the task at hand and his team have been boosted by the inclusion of Chris Farrell after scans showed his knee injury is not as serious as first feared.

The centre is joined by Rory Scan- nell in the starting XV as Johann van Graan makes six changes to the team that beat Connacht as Murray, CJ Stander, Mike Haley, Dave Kilcoyne and Stephen Archer return.

Danny Cipriani is fit for Gloucester for whom controversial ex-Munster lock Gerbrandt Grobler starts.

Leinster, Ulster and Connacht name their teams at noon with Johnny Sexton set to be ruled out for the champions. Ross Byrne is expected to start against Toulouse.