We may be without Conor Murray for some time.
Conor Murray is the dominant scrum-half in Irish rugby. The Alpha 9 and the man Munster and Ireland fans have so many hopes pinned on.
The 28-year-old has barely looked back since establishing himself as Munster’s first-choice No.9 back in early 2011. Declan Kidney was so taken with him that he handed him his first ever start in that year’s World Cup.
Murray was good in 2011 but, from the 2012 tour to New Zealand, he has been phenomenally good. His box-kicking is rightly lauded but his defence, try-scoring and marshalling of both pack and backline are outstanding.
At Munster, the Limerick native takes on greater responsibility and leadership but he truly excels when he is placed alongside Johnny Sexton in the green of Ireland jersey. There is a symbiosis that makes them the best half-back pairing in world rugby, with all due respect to the All Black’s Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett.
After Murray had slung the pass to Sexton to drop the goal that broke French hearts, Murray told me:
“I think it was just a look really. You can judge by his body language, and then he just gave me a flick of the eyebrows to know he needed… The French perhaps thought we would go again with the forwards, so I think we timed it quite well.”
That they did and the Grand Slam was on. You can’t win them all by winning game one.
The Grand Slam included a third Six Nations title that both men have been starting half-backs for in the past five campaigns. Still, many feel there is an over-reliance on the Murray-Sexton axis.
Before the Australia tour, in which Sexton started twice and Murray thrice, James Downey told The Hard Yards:
“We rely heavily on Sexton and Murray. I know I’ve beat the drum heavily on this but I’d like to see Marmion play a good bit more and for Carbery to play a bit more 10…. The rest of the young lads are getting enough game-time across the backline but not 9 and 10.”
Joey Carbery will hopefully get that run at outhalf for Munster but he will have to do so without the country’s best scrum-half by his side. Munster’s Monday afternoon statement on the signing of New Zealand No.9 Alby Mathewson noted only that Murray was out of action ‘short-term’.
‘Mathewson will join the province (subject to being granted a valid work permit) for four months as injury cover for Conor Murray who has been ruled out for the short-term period.’
One hopes that Munster can swing that work permit now, but they must be pretty confident to share the news.
James Hart, Duncan Williams and Neil Cronin, awarded a senior contract after a good season in the Ulster Bank League, are already on the books but Johann van Graan has opted to approach the IRFU and ask for cover.
Getting a player in for four months would suggest that Murray’s injury, said to be a neck issue, may not be so short-term but the player, if he recovers in time, will be expecting to feature in the November internationals.
The fact that his neck is causing him grief again – something that has plagued Tyler Bleyendaal for the past four seasons – is a worry. Murray, in May 2017, admitted that his three months out with a neck injury, which restricted movement in his arm, had seen doubts seep in about his playing career.
To our mind, with a World Cup just 13 months away, Murray should take all the time away that he needs. No rush, no fuss. Just get it right and feel confident about it.
As for Ireland, this could see Luke McGrath, Kieran Marmion or John Cooney get a decent run of games in the green jersey against some top sides.
The shame, right now, is that van Graan felt the need to shop abroad again for a replacement. With most things, though, if Mathewson comes in and gets off to a flyer, few will care why he arrived in the first place.
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