Bridgend ace who’s aiming for World Cup glory with Germany
HE’S the Welshman with the Irish surname who’s dreaming of playing in the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan...for Germany!
Bridgend centre Jamie Murphy made his international debut last weekend in what was to prove a memorable occasion both for him and German rugby.
When he came on with half an hour to go at the Sparda-Bank Stadium in Offenbach, the hosts were losing 38-20 to Lynn Howells’ Romania in the opening round of the Rugby Europe Championship.
But he was to share in a dramatic turnaround which saw Germany come from behind to claim a historic 41-38 victory over the Oaks in front of 3,000 ecstatic supporters.
It’s a result which has made qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time a very real possibility and Murphy admits he would love to be involved in that global jamboree in the Far East.
The former Ospreys utility back qualifies for Germany through his grandmother and mother, who were both born in the country, and he has been involved with the national squad for a couple of years now.
“I’ve been over for a few training camps before, but this was my first proper taste of match competition,” he said.
“Romania are ranked much higher than us and have been to the World Cup no end of times.
“Nobody outside of the camp gave us a chance, but we really believed we could beat them.
“We were 24-6 and 38-20 down, but it was just a really weird feeling. It always seemed like we could come back and win the game.
“That’s definitely how it felt when I went on. I didn’t really do much. I just cleaned out a couple of rucks and made a few tackles, but it was great to be out there playing international rugby. Standard-wise, it was at least top-end Welsh Premiership.
“I wouldn’t have said it was particularly quicker than that, but it was more physical. The Romanian pack was massive.
“It was pretty tense towards the end, but we came out on top and it was really good to be part of such a famous win.
“It was played in the football stadium in Offenbach, which is kind of next door to Frankfurt.
“There were at least 3,000 people in there and they were brillant, singing all game long. It was a pretty special feeling at the final whistle.”
The victory has laid down a marker that Germany need to be taken very seriously as contenders for World Cup qualification.
Rugby Europe Championship top dogs Georgia – their next opponents – have already booked a spot in Japan on the back of finishing third in their pool in the 2015 tournament in England.
So, that leaves Germany battling it out with Russia, Romania, Spain and Belgium for one guaranteed place in the finals, while there’s also a chance for the next best side to make it via either a play-off with a team from the Pacific Islands or the Repechage route.
“To play in the World Cup in Japan would be amazing. That is the dream,” added 29-year-old Murphy.
“I would be happy with my rugby career if that happened. It’s a once-ina-lifetime opportunity.
“Georgia have already qualified and are heavy favourites to win the Championship.
“Maybe we can finish second or third. We have got Spain and Belgium at home and, after that result at the weekend, people will be looking at us as favourites for those games.”
Next up is a daunting trip to Tbilisi tomorrow to take on powerful Georgia, who won 31-6 away to Belgium in their first group match.
“That is going to be incredibly tough,” said Murphy.
“It will be another level up from last week.
“They tend to get big crowds over there. I don’t know if it will be hostile, but I am looking forward to the experience.”
Despite his Irish surname and having been born and bred in Wales, Bridgend boy Murphy has always been aware of his German roots.
“My grandmother was born and brought up in Berlin and my mother was born over there, too,” he said.
“When I was growing up, I wanted to play for Wales, like any other kid, but that wasn’t to be.
“I knew there was a possibility I could play for Germany, so I made contact with the national coach three years ago. “I went over for training camps in 2015 and 2016, but this is the first time I’ve given it a real go.
“My German is not very good. I’ve been meaning to learn, but I’ve not got round to it. I’m very lucky that everyone here speaks English. Some of the Germans speak better English than I do!”
Since returning to Bridgend for a third spell, he has figured mainly at inside centre and has been combining playing semi-pro rugby for the Ravens with studying accounting and finance at Cardiff Met, where he is halfway through a four-year course.
And he is now also combining it with the little matter of trying to qualify for a World Cup. THE Dragons are on the hunt for a ground to stage their big end-of-season game against Cardiff Blues. But where will they end up? A clash with Newport County, who have primacy of tenure, has left the Gwent region with no alternative but to move the May 6 fixture away from Rodney Parade. It’s understood they are looking at three locations as possible alternatives – Ebbw Vale, Cross Keys and Caerphilly, with Pontypool ruling themselves out. Rugby correspondent SIMON THOMAS runs the rule over the contenders.