53 WEEKS ON from his making his international debut in Twickenham, Jordi Murphy looks set to win his third start in the green jersey when England visit Dublin this Sunday.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
The 23-year-old back row has consistently impressed at provincial level since making his Leinster debut during the 2011 World Cup and, four years on, is Joe Schmidt’s favoured option at number eight with Jamie Heaslip sidelined.
“Whoever we bring in has big boots to fill,” forwards coach Simon Easterby said at the squad’s Maynooth base yesterday, “but we’re pleased we’re building depth in that position and that’s important for every position.
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“We’d like two if not three players who could ensure they do not drop the standard when they come in. Jordi certainly maintained that against Italy, then Jamie came back in and had a pretty nasty injury against France.
“So we’ve got to react to that and we feel pretty confident we’ve got the personnel to slot into that position with Jamie being injured.”
‘Slot in’ is the phrase that works in Murphy’s favour here. While there are calls to reshuffle the back row by moving either Sean O’Brien or Peter O’Mahony from their flanker spots into the number eight jersey, Easterby admits that it’s preferable to limit the disruption when possible.
Alex Connolly / INPHO
Alex Connolly / INPHO / INPHO
“Pete played his last game for Munster at eight, so we know we’ve got a bit of coverage there.
“You’d rather keep people on the whole in the positions they’ve played regularly, but that’s not always achievable. We’re lucky we have those guys available to us as well.”
The former Scarlets coach added of Murphy: “I just think he’s a good footballer, he reads the game really well, he runs great lines, he can hit the gainline and he can muscle up but also get through tackles and offload, and he has that quality.
I saw him play in Coventry against Wasps and I thought he had a fantastic game and he’s continued that type of form. It’s a little bit quicker there’s a little bit less room at international level but he’s a good enough footballer and we’ve already started to see that adjustment from European rugby to Test rugby.”
Munster openside Tommy O’Donnell is expected to pass the return to play protocols and be fit to take a place on the bench — where he was originally named for the Six Nations opener against Italy before stepping in when O’Brien pulled out in the warm-up.
Having played and trained with Murphy for longer than most, Cian Healy noted that the Barcelona-born back row had already gained his team-mates’ trust in the position (and also provided us with a new over-familiar greeting for Ireland’s vice captain).
“It’s a concern to lose one of the lads and certainly someone as influential as Jim. But to have Jordi stepping in and have such a strong foot going forward from him and he’s been in the position already.
“It’s good for everyone to know that and good for everyone’s trust. The way we’ve all been training it’ll be a good strength.”
Easterby and Healy confident Jordi Murphy will 'muscle up' in Heaslip's absence
53 WEEKS ON from his making his international debut in Twickenham, Jordi Murphy looks set to win his third start in the green jersey when England visit Dublin this Sunday.
The 23-year-old back row has consistently impressed at provincial level since making his Leinster debut during the 2011 World Cup and, four years on, is Joe Schmidt’s favoured option at number eight with Jamie Heaslip sidelined.
“Whoever we bring in has big boots to fill,” forwards coach Simon Easterby said at the squad’s Maynooth base yesterday, “but we’re pleased we’re building depth in that position and that’s important for every position.
“We’d like two if not three players who could ensure they do not drop the standard when they come in. Jordi certainly maintained that against Italy, then Jamie came back in and had a pretty nasty injury against France.
“So we’ve got to react to that and we feel pretty confident we’ve got the personnel to slot into that position with Jamie being injured.”
‘Slot in’ is the phrase that works in Murphy’s favour here. While there are calls to reshuffle the back row by moving either Sean O’Brien or Peter O’Mahony from their flanker spots into the number eight jersey, Easterby admits that it’s preferable to limit the disruption when possible.
“Pete played his last game for Munster at eight, so we know we’ve got a bit of coverage there.
“You’d rather keep people on the whole in the positions they’ve played regularly, but that’s not always achievable. We’re lucky we have those guys available to us as well.”
The former Scarlets coach added of Murphy: “I just think he’s a good footballer, he reads the game really well, he runs great lines, he can hit the gainline and he can muscle up but also get through tackles and offload, and he has that quality.
Munster openside Tommy O’Donnell is expected to pass the return to play protocols and be fit to take a place on the bench — where he was originally named for the Six Nations opener against Italy before stepping in when O’Brien pulled out in the warm-up.
Having played and trained with Murphy for longer than most, Cian Healy noted that the Barcelona-born back row had already gained his team-mates’ trust in the position (and also provided us with a new over-familiar greeting for Ireland’s vice captain).
“It’s a concern to lose one of the lads and certainly someone as influential as Jim. But to have Jordi stepping in and have such a strong foot going forward from him and he’s been in the position already.
“It’s good for everyone to know that and good for everyone’s trust. The way we’ve all been training it’ll be a good strength.”
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