CONOR MURRAY
The Munster and I reland scrum half may have been late joining up with his fellow Lions but he’s wasted no time in making his presence felt
CONOR MURRAY is speed dating. Having only joined up with the Lions in London last Sunday the day before their longhaul flight to New Zealand, he has been on a mission to get on level footing with the 14 players who had a two-week pre-departure preparation and the 16 others who attended the second week at Carton House.
Catching up not only means getting stuck in at the training ground. He’s also putting himself about away from the rugby to strike up a healthy rapport with the class of 2017, be it roomsharing with Dan Biggar, being MC on the squad bus to and from training.
He’s no qualms telling tales either. Murray revealed that Kyle Sinckler told a joke en route to North Harbour that went down like a lead balloon, a joke so bad the prop will find himself on the receiving end when the fines committee doles out its punishments.
A veteran of the 2013 series-winning tour in Australia, Murray knows the value of every moment away from a pitch where everything is so very serious. Having a giggle is therapeutic, nourishment for the soul as Warren Gatland’s pride builds towards the June 24 Test series opener.
‘It has definitely been hectic,’ he admitted about the onus on him to fit in quickly. ‘The 11 involved in finals have just been catching up, trying to get as much information out of them in terms of the training and game plan. Just listening to what they have done and how well they gelled, trying to have a bit of fun to fit into the group.
‘New Zealand is such a hotbed, with rugby absolutely everywhere, so to be able to switch off with each other and have a laugh is massive. I’m a massive believer in that because when we are on the pitch, in the gym, we work hard and it is very professional, but you do need that switch-off time.
‘It’s a massive six weeks of intense rugby, so when we get a chance to have a coffee and chill out, or do a few activities, you have to do it and it has to happen naturally. The lads are getting on pretty well so far.’
Murray has yet to get his head around Munster’s embarrassing Pro12 final hammering by Scarlets last weekend. ‘You haven’t had time to think about it really,’ he said in Auckland before heading to Whangarei to watch yesterday’s tour opener from the stands.
‘The Munster lads left at home are probably dwelling on it longer. Scarlets just seemed to strike from nowhere and racked up a score.
‘Luckily for me, Pete [O’Mahony] and CJ [Stander], we got to come into this environment and straight into looking at another goal. You can’t afford to feel sorry for yourself.’
One player who’s caught Murray’s his eye is Maro Itoje, someone he twice didn’t get to play against when laid up with his eight-week shoulder injury.
At 22, the youngest tourist has his work cut out minding squad mascot BIL but everything else he has done has oozed class. ‘Doing units with the forwards and seeing Maro in action, he’s a specimen, a special talent.’
The Lions need that x-factor if New Zealand are to be beaten in the series for the first time since 1971. Just 14 of Gatland’s chosen 41 know what it is like to defeat the All Blacks in a Test – eight Irish from last November in Chicago and a half-dozen English from 2012 – and Murray hopes Ireland’s recent experience can rub off on those still waiting to savour such a breakthrough.
‘It’s great to know that it can be done, that if you play well and do the right things it can be done on the day,’ he enthused. ‘That is certainly something I would personally draw out of it when looking to play against the All Blacks.
‘It (Ireland’s approach) isn’t going to be our game plan or our blueprint to beat the All Blacks, but in terms of seeing that it can be done it’s going to give every player from every other nation a bit of hope. This squad is massively talented and the Test team you pick could be incredible. This squad is so, so strong, stronger than any of the British and Irish international teams.’
It needs to be. Compared to 2013, when the Wallabies were on a downward spiral and some warm-up fixtures were far too easy, the Lions’ schedule is relentlessly tough.
‘Warren’s just embedding in us that it’s going to be a lot tougher than Australia. You can just sense it from the whole organisation that it is going to be a lot different than four years ago, but everyone seems to be ready to up their game for that. It’s going to be a hell of a few weeks.
‘The All Blacks are there in your mind. I haven’t been in the squad that long, but it has been mentioned, maybe certain variations of plays we are going to use against them or you might try something in the midweek games which are going to be way tougher than in 2013.’
A tough call is how Murray sees the battle for the No9 All Blacks shirt, eventually leaning towards TJ Perenara over Aaron Smith due to his Hurricanes partnership with out-half Beauden Barrett. He intends on being the scrum-half opposing him.
That’s no slight on Rhys Webb or Greig Laidlaw. Murray’s ambition merely reflects how he wants to step up after twice subbing for Mike Phillips in 2013. ‘You can take a certain amount of confidence from four years ago because it was my first tour. I loved it, lapped it up and really enjoyed the experience. This time I’ve a different outlook on where I want to be.
‘The competition is red hot, but I have different goals in my head about how I want this to go and it’s OK to say you want to be the Test starter. You want to play the Tests because they are the games that are remembered.’