Murray confident Six Nations title is still within reach
WIN four games in succession, win the title. It’s not the cold hard maths Conor Murray has indulged in these past few weeks. That’s just as well. Recent history tells a different story.
The scrum-half may be a twotime championship winner, helping Joe Schmidt’s side to glory in 2014 and 2015, but the stark reality is that not since the 2009 Grand Slam campaign have Ireland strung together the run of spring consistency they now need to clinch the trophy.
They were beaten in rounds three and four respectively during their table-topping back-to-back seasons and not since their 2015 World Cup pool have four games on the bounce of any description been won, inconsistent Ireland winning just seven of their last 15.
A daunting challenge, then? ‘I haven’t thought about it,’ insists Murray, his one game at a time approach suggesting the opening day loss to Scotland hasn’t quite fully been put into overall context.
‘It [that challenge] wouldn’t bother me in the slightest — we have the hunger to go the distance. We’re disappointed the way we started the tournament and we bounced back last week (against Italy). Focusing on just our own performance, we played really well and have the ability to get those kind of results, but it’s week on week.
‘We’re highly motivated, really hyped for this game against France next weekend. There’s an opportunity to be within a shot of winning this championship — that’s what we’re striving towards. How do you look after that? Look after next weekend and the French. Then reassess and go again.’
Murray’s seven-match record against France — two draws and three wins in a row either side of a pair of losses nearly five years apart — draws envious glances from old-time Ireland legends whose careers passed with nothing but defeat after painful defeat against Les Bleus.
He knows he’s lucky. ‘That’s a lot better than older lads in the squad.’ He knows, too, there has been a change in mindset since his Test debut, a narrow 2011 World Cup warm-up loss at Bordeaux after Decan Kidney plucked the development contract Munster youngster from obscurity and flung him into the maelstrom of a Test squad battle where he beat off Peter Stringer and Tomas O’Leary to earn inclusion for the New Zealand finals.
‘It was a bit of the unknown back then, a lot more nervous. Your first cap is always a bit strange, but you grow in belief and confidence when you play a certain amount. I now know what this squad can do when we turn up and play well.
‘There will be fear, there will be nerves and things like that, but there’s huge belief — more than any other emotion I have on a game day. We can do good things when we click. We have the ability… but we fully understand the French seem a much better outfit this time around.
‘With the backs they have, with (Louis) Picamoles at No8, they have game-breakers. You saw it in the first two games, particularly against England. They lost, but broke a few times and looked really, really dangerous. They will punish you if you are in any way off or any way inaccurate, so it’s a massive week’s preparation.’
Having started 34 of Schmidt’s 41 matches in charge, Murray’s status as an out-and-out first choice is clear which is why he spent Friday’s open training session in Monaghan sat on a tackle bag rather than in the thick of it.
A tight adductor muscle was the reason. However, with the 27-yearold insisting he will be good to go tomorrow morning when Ireland get back on the practice pitch, the focus at half-back will be on who wears the 10 shirt.
For much of Murray’s career, Johnny Sexton has been his halfback partner. No debate. Paddy Jackson, though, has recast himself in recent times as a completely different figure to the kid the scrum-half saw suffer at close quarters when Kidney pushed him through too soon in 2013 as a raw 21-year-old.
‘Other players thrown in like that at that age and having a couple of setbacks, you mightn’t see them again. But Paddy is really mentally tough. He believes in himself, goes out and gets it done. He has a really calm way about him, but he is really detailed and understands the game. He really brings a calmness to those around him.’ Such tranquillity eluded the usually unruffled Murray (left) last month, though, his temper ignited by Glasgow’s Josh Strauss tackling his standing leg in a Champions Cup match with Munster, a row that left a cloud hanging coming into the loss to Scotland. Any regrets? No. He’d do it all again. ‘The pushing and shoving to put pressure on me is absolutely fine. That’s part and parcel, it was just the late tackle on your standing leg I’d an issue with. If something like that happened again I’d definitely react the same. Maybe I wouldn’t get as animated.
‘I’d just deal with it afterwards with the officials and go down the correct route because it’s wasted energy on the pitch.’