Where would you be in sport without the odd boot in the backside to move you forward? At the start of this week, Conor Murray, who wins his 35th Ireland cap on Saturday, was not feeling much of that force. Rather it was more like lethargy, a dullness had settled on the camp having blown their grand slam opportunity in Cardiff last Saturday.
“After a defeat like that, you go through the whole 15 or 23 and there were players who were disappointed so we probably just needed time to get back into the flow of things and get over the defeat and to look forward to Scotland,” he says. “I suppose Monday and Tuesday was probably the last day of that while we were still feeling a bit sorry for ourselves.”
By the time darkness fell on Wednesday they had enjoyed a down day, with the words of their captain, Paul O’Connell, still filtering through their brains. The second-row, who hits the 101-cap mark for Ireland at Murrayfield, reminded them of a few things that needed fixing. So was Thursday another struggle out of bed, or were they ready to move on?
“Paulie did say one or two things on Tuesday and they were in your head on Wednesday when you were in your own space and then you just came and back and you were in Thursday fully focused,” says the scrum-half. “There was a bit of bite because the squad and players we have are very motivated and we want to win. There was a bit of a reaction from every player. There’s a sense we just want to get things right this weekend.”
It will not happen without Murray. His standing is illustrated by the ease with which he keeps a player of Eoin Reddan’s ability out of the starting lineup. Next month the scrum-half celebrates his 26th birthday, an age when many in his position feel they are arriving at prime time. Not a bad time, either, to be going to a World Cup, which is where Murray announced himself four years ago.
In the summer lead-up to that, the coach at the time, Declan Kidney, rounded up a herd of scrum-halves in his training squad. The unfeasible five, we called them. And young Murray was not in many supporters’ top three. A few months later, however, and he was No1, where he was been pretty much ever since. Now, with a grand slam and a successful Lions series, during which he played two Tests, on his CV, he is looking for more silverware.
“We got a taste for it last year [when Ireland won the Six Nations title] and that’s what you want to do, you don’t suddenly become less kind of motivated,” he says. “You want to win it again even more.
“You probably would say it was very disappointing the way the Wales game went, and all credit to them: they defended very, very well, and that 12-point lead we gave them was pretty important.”
Immediately opposite him on Saturday will be Scotland’s captain, Greig Laidlaw. While it is not exactly front-row confrontation, the battle of the nines at least affords you the chance to get a handle on what your opponent has to offer.
“He’s a good player,” Murray says. “I’ve played against him for a few years now. He’s the heartbeat of the Scottish team. He really gets things going and makes them tick. His kicking game is quite dangerous, especially at Murrayfield with the big dead-ball areas.
“When they get advantage, have a free play or are getting momentum they’ll try those little chips, 50-50 balls, into that area. That’s probably one of the big areas that us as a backfield unit – the back three and scrum-halves included – we’re worrying about and trying to defuse anything they put into the air.
“He has little microplays he likes to use around the ruck, so we’ve got to be really solid around there – the first three defenders outside the ruck – and just keep an eye on him because he brings his wingers into play off the blindside quite regularly and effectively. So, like any nine we’ve come across this season, they’re all threats around that area and we need to be nailed-on.”
Given that state of alert there will not be an uncontrolled charge after a mammoth score then? “There is no talk of points difference,” Murray says. “I know that might come into play because we will have seen Wales-Italy and it might change something, but I know the last time I played over there we lost.
“We’re getting better. We went 12 points down against Wales after 12 minutes and made things quite hard for ourselves. Had that not happened, we went quite well in the second half and towards the end of the first half. So we have confidence in our own ability and the way we can perform.”
It sounds like the start of the week was the end of the grieving. Time to move on.
