When Ireland needed a cool head in Chicago, Conor Murray was the coolest of all.
Every Irish fan was having the same terrible thoughts after TJ Perenara and Ben Smith ran in two tries in four minutes for the All Blacks.
Ireland had, of course, been here before. In 2013 Joe Schmidt’s men had a healthy half-time lead over New Zealand only to see it reeled in over the course of the second half.
Ireland had been leading 30-8 after Simon Zebo’s try but now the gap was back to 30-22 and you did not have to be the most pessimistic Ireland fan to fear the worst against a team whose 18-game unbeaten run had relied heavily on devastating second half performances.
Then Ireland won a penalty. Straight in front of the posts but far enough out to not be a gimme. Only problem was Johnny Sexton had gone down with cramp.
Up stepped Conor Murray and he floated the ball high over the bar to stop the rot and give Ireland some breathing room.
WATCH:
With Johnny Sexton injured, Conor Murray steps-up and kicks Ireland 11-points ahead. #NZLvIRE https://t.co/te2rYj7HZU— eir Sport (@eirSport) November 5, 2016
It turns out the scrum-half’s kick was even more impressive than first thought.
Those were Murray’s first points with his boot in 51 Test appearances for Ireland, so the pressure was clearly on the 27-year-old’s shoulders. But he would be okay because he practices kicking from the tee every day, yeah?
Not that week. That week, of all weeks, in Chicago, when he would be called on to take the most important kick of his career, he had not practiced a single kick at goal.
“He has been working away on his goal-kicking for a while now. He obviously hasn’t had to do it in a game but anyone who ever turns up to a game early will see him out there kicking goals. He is a very accomplished goal-kicker,” said Ireland’s skills and kicking coach Richie Murphy.
“It was a one-off that week because he hadn’t actually kicked during the week – he was carrying a little bit of a muscle [problem]. He hadn’t actually kicked, so for him to step up and knock one over was brilliant for us.”
While the performance of Murray’s opposite number Aaron Smith has been the subject of much debate in New Zealand, with Perenara likely to start in the Aviva on Saturday, Murray’s stock can only have risen Down Under – even if Murphy thinks the Munster nine was already on their radar before Ireland ended their 111-year wait in Chicago.
“I am sure they were already pretty wary of him as he was a major factor on the South African Tour and the win we had over there.
“I’m sure they have a lot of respect for Conor. As a nine he is one of the best in the business now. Physical in defence, good passing game, excellent kicking game, he reads the game very, very well. They would be wrong to take him lightly, really.”
He can also score tries like this.
WATCH:
What a try from Conor Murray! That is simply brilliant from the Munster man. #NZLvIRE https://t.co/T8gfUt1oA8— eir Sport (@eirSport) November 5, 2016
Imagine what he might do with a full, uninterrupted week of preparation?
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