It’s hard to credit that his debut was all the way back in August 2011, almost 14 years ago. Wept. Cometh the hour on a humid, hot night in Bordeaux, Conor Murray was introduced for his first Irish cap as a replacement in a World Cup warm-up game against France. His uber cool temperament shone through. The then 22-year-old scrumhalf simply looked like he was born to play Test rugby.
He had barely emerged from the Munster academy to be thrust into their successful Pro12 title run-in at the end of the previous season and had seemingly been fifth in the scrumhalf pecking order in Declan Kidney’s expanded World Cup squad. But Murray returned from the World Cup as Ireland’s first-choice number nine.
There he remained, pretty much, for a decade until becoming a still highly valuable backup to Jamison Gibson-Park in the last three or four seasons. In that time Murray has constructed a compelling case to be titled Ireland’s greatest, as well as most-capped, scrumhalf, and for a period around the 2017 Lions tour and the 2018 Grand Slam, he was simply the best nine in the world.
As well as the 123 caps, a host of prized wins and three more World Cups, Murray has been a part of five Irish Six Nations titles, playing in all bar one of those 25 games. He was an ever-present starter in the 2014 and 2015 titles as well as the 2018 Grand Slam, played in all five game of the 2023 Grand Slam campaign, starting three of them, and was a replacement in four matches in last season’s successful Championship defence.
Murray was also Ireland’s first Lions scrumhalf since John Robbie and Colin Patterson in 1980, and played in all three Test series in 2013, 2017 and 2021.
His career, like that of Peter O’Mahony, came in the slipstream of Munster’s golden era but he has been in the vanguard of Ireland’s golden era. “In a nutshell, yeah,” he agreed on Thursday.
Having broken into the Irish team “as a bolter for the [2011] World Cup”, 14 years and 123 Irish caps later he confirmed his impending international retirement at the conclusion of this Six Nations in advance of Thursday’s open session in the Aviva Stadium. Needless to say, his phone started hopping with messages.
“One of my good mates said ‘You lived the dream’, and I really have. I feel really proud that I’ve been part of this team over the years and the coaches and the success we’ve had. I had the best days of my life in a green jersey.
“With Munster too, it’s my home province and we’ve battled and we’ve gotten close a few times. That will be something we might not do, you never know this year, but so far, we haven’t done the European triumph, which is something I grew up wanting to do.
“But I know I gave it everything for Munster and I will when I go back for the remainder of the season, and it would be lovely to get one of those cups,” said Murray, who will finish the season with his province before enjoying another year on foreign fields as a lifestyle change for his wife Joanna and son Alfie.
“I think Pete will say the same; we’ve been proud of what we’ve done for our home province, the one we grew up wanting to play for, dreaming to play for. I’ve had so many highs in a Munster jersey. I know there isn’t a European Cup there but there are so many class memories I’ll take with me.”
There have been low times too, not least the neck injury that sidelined him for the first half of the 2017-18 season and threatened his career.
“Definitely it was a worry. Meeting the surgeon a couple of times and he gives it to you straight in what could happen in terms of surgery and retirements and not being the same again.
“I think most players will go through something like that in their career. It’s just the nature of the sport.
“To kick on from that and get through that kind of storm, that was 2017 and we’re still here playing, I’m super proud of the resilience and sticking in there, and coaches backing you to get back to your best, and a lot of good times since then as well.”
He’s had to work both harder and smarter, he says, but has always retained his desire, enjoyment and hunger amid ever-rising standards and some occasional nastiness on social media.
“The highs are incredible and the joy and satisfaction you feel, but I’m proud of that. Overall, I’ve been really lucky in terms of lows, and injuries. I know I had the neck thing for a little while but over the whole of my career, I’ve been blessed with injuries and being fit.
“That’s a really important part of having a long career, presenting fit. Those tough times, every sportsman gets them. The longer you’re around, you’re guaranteed to get it so it’s just about riding them out and coming out the other side stronger.
“I think I’m hopefully a stronger person because of it and well able to take whatever comes my way. They’re really satisfying, coming back and maybe putting in a really strong performance when people have written you off.
“I’d say I’ve been really lucky. Everyone gets it and it’s great when you come through or show people what you’re made of but overall, I think I have lived the dream.”
