ICING ON THE CAKE

Murray: England defeat would leave a sour taste but another Grand Slam would be oh so sweet!

CONOR MURRAY admits Ireland are highly motivated to avoid the slow puncture of marking their 6 Nations success without the Grand Slam icing on the cake.

Murray watched from up close on March 18 of last year as England celebrated their title victory at the Aviva Stadium last year.

He could vividly sense the loss the Red Rose felt at missing out on a Grand Slam, courtesy of Ireland’s win.

“Yeah, that’s something you don’t want to do,” said Murray, who is desperate to prevent a role reversal.

“You want it to all go well and be full of joy at the end of the game on Saturday.

“What happened with England last year was fantastic for us and the way they celebrated, the air was a little bit out of their tyres. “That’s not something I’m thinking about. I’m not thinking about the trophy or the presentation or anything like that.

“It’s about going over to Twickenham and putting in a performance that puts you in a position to win. “The way we reacted on Saturday when we knew we had won it [the title], it shows a lot about the group. “Then everyone is back in this week, excited, recovering well, ready to train and get stuck into the week. “It’s a massive week, an exciting week, a challenging week – but a week you dream of. You don’t want to leave any stone unturned.”

Nevertheless he confides that avoiding England’s fate is “definitely” a motivating factor after wins over France, Italy, Wales and Scotland.

“You want it to all go well and celebrate a victory along with that,” the 28-year-old stated.

“Because there the trophy is there, that performance against England away is as big, if not bigger. Genuinely, that’s the way the group feels.

“There are going to be a lot distractions – a lot of people looking for tickets and all that kind of carry on.

“It’s just about not worrying about that and focusing on the rugby, which is what we’re here to do.

“And all that hype and distraction can take care of itself. We don’t need to worry about it.”

In effect, Ireland still feel they have a Cup final to look forward to and Murray maintains that the preparations haven’t changed one iota.

He said: “We still prepare as we always do. I think you’ve just got to ask lads.

“It’s in their heads. Everyone knows what’s at the end of this week. It is a final.

“It might just add to the buzz, the excitement around the place, the nervous energy, whatever it is, that combines.

“The structure of the week doesn’t change. We are in a match week now. We are very used to this.

“It is just about dealing with the type of week this is.

“People have been talking about the Grand

Slam since before the first game – all my friends and anyone

I’ve spoken to has spoken about setting it up for Paddy’s Day.

“I think there’s enough intelligence in the room to know that we needed to look after those first four games, to look after them week on week.

“That wasn’t really mentioned really, it’s a hugely driven, determined group that we’re in and to win something like this was always in our minds.”

which were amazing. If I was going to win, I had said to a couple of guys that I wanted Tiger to win. “He is a phenomenon. I have never seen anything like it any sport. “I know he won’t be pleased with runner-up but I think this is very ominous for...