THE CONFIDENCE IN Conor Murray’s body language is quite something at the moment.
It comes across strongly on TV but to watch the Munster man in action live brings a deeper understanding of just how at ease he is.
Murray exudes a sense of belief and calm. While one or two challenges on his standing leg while box-kicking have understandably ruffled his feathers, the rest of the time the scrum-half has the strut of a perfectly-unruffled peacock.
Murray’s athletic capabilities feed into his confidence and we saw many good examples of his defensive excellence across his nine tackles for Munster in Saturday’s dramatic 20-19 Champions Cup quarter-final victory over Toulon.
The Limerick man’s frame is well suited to carrying the ball into contact too, which he did six times for positives gains against the French side.
His skill level is exemplary, with Murray’s passing now at an incredibly consistent level of high quality – just one negative pass in 52 efforts on Saturday – while his kicking game is always a strong point, pressuring the opposition constantly.
But what really separates Murray is that mindset of confidence and calm.
He is a complete rugby player and his moment of deep rugby intelligence in the 28th minute against Toulon was vital in Munster advancing into the semi-finals of the Champions Cup.
Click here if you cannot view the clip above
Even behind this brilliant try lies hard work.
Murray is very diligent in studying and working on the laws of the game and he often seeks out referee Johnny Lacey, who trains regularly with Munster, to discuss and work on specific areas such as the ruck.
Murray had almost certainly actively thought about or perhaps even acted out this kind of scenario before this moment unfolded.
It’s a truly rare picture on a rugby pitch and that’s certainly why it took a full seven minutes from Murray dotting the ball down to referee Nigel Owens correctly awarding the try following an extensive review with the television match official, Jon Mason.
So what exactly happens?
Toulon have recovered to gather an excellent Ian Keatley grubber kick after Jack O’Donoghue’s superb linebreak from a lineout, and the French side have a ruck a metre out from their tryline.
The ball is still in the ruck in the moment above, Toulon having cleared out after a close-in carry just after they claim Keatley’s kick.
Murray is part of the defensive line, in the pillar position to the right of Munster’s defensive ruck.
Murray must remain behind the ruck, which forms the offside line.
Specifically, the lawbook states that the offside line “runs parallel to the goal line through the ruck participants’ hindmost foot” [Law 15.4].
The wider angle above gives us a better view and shows us that Murray is – just – onside as he lines up where team-mate Rhys Marshall’s foot is poking out of the ruck.
Toulon hooker Guilhem Guirado is over the ball and he decides to scoop it up with one hand, readying himself to carry to the right of the ruck.
As soon as Guirado picks the ball up in the moment above, the ruck is over.
The ruck ending means that the offside line no longer applies, of course, and entitles Murray and his team-mates to come forward.
The lawbook states that a “ruck ends and play continues when the ball leaves the ruck” [Law 15.18] and Guirado picking the ball up here fulfills that criteria.
While it’s now clear that he was looking to carry the ball, some might have argued that Guirado might have been simply repositioning the ball at the back of the ruck, but it’s worth noting that referees have clamped down on that kind of play drastically this season.
It’s been particularly noticeable, for example, that scrum-halves have been using their feet to repositioning the ball in rucks before box kicks – a direct result of instructions from referees not to handle the ball in the ruck.
Guirado drops the ball almost immediately after picking it up, and it’s irrelevant here if it actually was knocked-on.
It’s entirely understandable that the match officials would consider that in their TMO review – this being such a unique situation in a rugby game – but even if it hadn’t gone forward, Murray’s try would have been entirely legal.
So even though Guirado looks to control the ball with his feet after it bounces, seemingly hoping to trick the match officials and Munster’s defence, this ball is now in open play.
Murray is, therefore, entirely within his rights to burst around what is no longer a ruck.
His brain is working fast here, recognising a situation that he or anyone else hasn’t really seen very often before.
Murray pauses briefly on his way to the ball, indicating to Owens that Guirado has lost the ball forward…
… before he stoops in to pick it up from beneath Guirado…
… and touches it down beyond the tryline and under the nose of his stunned opposite number, Eric Escande.
Utter confusion instantly reigns around Thomond Park as Owens sounds his whistle to consider matters, but Murray is insistent.
“It’s out, there’s no ruck once he picks it up,” declares Murray.
“Time out, time out, please,” says Owens as the review gets underway.
Owens asks for checks a possible knock-on from Andrew Conway before Toulon regather the ball, whether Guirado had played the ball out of the ruck, whether Murray was onside before that, and whether Murray touched it down.
Peter O’Mahony then approaches Owens and asks, “What point are you checking, just out of curiosity?”
Owens: “I’m checking, first of all, whether it’s a knock-on from your chase through, then I’m checking if the ball was out. If Murray was onside…”
O’Mahony cuts in: “Try.”
Owens: “If he was onside before the ball came out… I want to check.”
The TMO review is lengthy, but even as it begins, Murray is already way back downfield.
As calm and collected as ever, and confident that he has scored a legitimate try, Murray is already preparing himself for the next play.
Munster head coach Johann van Graan said last week that his side would need to “win the big moments” and “be smart” if they were to beat Toulon.
That’s exactly what Murray did to help his side into the semi-finals of Europe.
– First published 13.32, 3 April
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Absolutely brilliant analysis as always. Great intelligence from Conor Murray
Sure it’s the thinking man’s game!
@Rick McCoy: best scrum-half of all time!
@Fred McHugh: Peter stringer for me .Murray has excelled lately tho it’s true.
Great article, great try and a great player. He’s really one of the best players in the world at the moment and certainly the best scrum half and he showed why on Saturday.
IRB World Rugby player 2018 Conor Murray
@Aidan: As a Leinster fan, it would be a sin if he didn’t get it. Regardless of how the season finishes. He’s simply untouchable amongst the current best 9s and 10s IMO.
@Jodi: couldn’t agree more, best scrum-half of all time
Irish rugby will wait a long time before seeing a more intelligent half back pairing than Murray and Sexton. Both of them couple this with fearlessness and great skill.
What a dream final it would be if Munster and Leinster meet. Subplots aplenty but as a Munster fan I’d have to say Leinster look unstoppable.
As an Irish rugby fan I’m in heaven.
As well as his knowledge of the rules the execution is perfect. Probably the most important part of the scoring was him raising his arms and pointing towards the ref. In doing that the French scrum half looks towards the ref and when he looks away from the ball this allows Murray the time and chance to nip in and pick and place the ball.
For me this deception is so cool, calm and collected and brilliant in how he fooled the defender
Absolutely fantastic
It’s almost like he slowed down time for everyone else such was his incredible focus and speed of thought..the epitome of Sharpness. .
@Dave Fingleton: Dave, I like you., but you have changed since you retired from running that building society.
Not a rugby expert, at the time i thought no way is that a try, Murray’s thinking was lightning quick, step ahead of everyone, i’d say even own team mates not sure at the time. Good explanation there, kind of understand now!
To think he went to the 2011 world cup 3rd choice scrumhalf..
@Californialov3: At the time he, probably was. He’s 1,000 times the player he was back then. Leavy was third choice 7 no more than eight weeks ago…
@Californialov3: to think ROG didn’t even travel to the 87 World Cup. I just can’t believe it.
@Californialov3: to think he wasn’t as good 7 years ago.. imagine that
@Californialov3: Yep, he was only 11 ears old.
@Tomás O’Loughlin: And second choice at Leinster behind VDF! And now, he’s probably first choice for both! Although next season, all bets are off with Beirne back in Ireland, will be very hard to pick 4-8…
@Jodi: What a beautifully horrible problem to have!
The fact that even Nigel Owens looked a little bit confused says it all. Murray a step ahead.
A lot of the knockers across the water have been saying that there was no knock on and therefore etc etc.
Glad to find out there didn’t have to be a knock on.
Murray obviously studies the ‘laws’ while many watchers and other players just wing and shout out loud.
Fair play, it was vital score.
Well done Conor Murray.
@Gerry Ryan: absolutely. All knock on on would simply have meant advantage Munster and then Murray still would have scored.
I seem to remember another Irish player doing something similar a few years ago. Ruck near/on the line and the ball was moved back so that it was on the line which meant in goal and you can’t have a ruck in goal. The Irish player very cleverly dived in and grounded it for the try. Its a shame i can’t remember which player it was, pretty sure it was one of the back rows.
@Darren Byrne: It was chris Henry vs Ospreys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx2VhLNVZyk
@Liam Walsh: love the Osprey reaction: “¥$<€"
Pure genius…
Phenomenal piece of play & game management by Conor Murray, such a quick brain always alert, always one step ahead, fabulous player
His reaction time was so quick. I genuinely wonder at the time “what the f*** just happened”.
@borgig: *wondered
@borgig: its how he handles the ref and how Nigel etc give him the benefit of the doubt to upstairs is the key . Lots of refs just assume that’s offside , give the penalty and tough luck. Because it was Murray this sways the refs willingness to give it enough credibility to take a closer look . 7 minutes of a closer look isn’t given to many players . A bit like McCaw in his heyday ,’ it looks offside but Ritchie would never do that’ .
We thought that with ROG and Stringer. Hopefully we have more of the same after Sexton and Murray.
Thought it was pretty poor awareness of the rules from ref, assistants & TMO to be honest that they were so hung up on knock on or not. Even I was fairly sure ruck ends once you pick it up but was doubting myself then when they spent so long checking – thanks for clarifying
@Killian Fitzgerald: Disagree. They have to go through the ruling step by step and then come to a decision. First step was did Conway knock on, then they moved to did Guirado play the ball, then did he knock it on and lastly was Murray offside. If Murray was offside then whether the ball was knocked on or not would’ve been very important.
@Eddie Hekenui: Most of the time seemed to be wasted discussing whether Guirado knocked it on, which was irrelevant. The TMO seemed to only realise this at the end. Once he picked it up, it was ruck over.
@Alan Mulcahy: It wasn’t irrelevant though. If Murray hadn’t been onside it would’ve come back to whether that was a knock on or not. That’s why referee’s and TMO’s go through the checklist like that.
@Eddie Hekenui: but that’s not what happened Eddie, they decided quickly no knock on from Munster and Murray onside, spent an age decideing whether knock on from Guirado or not which was completely irrelevant at that stage
@Killian Fitzgerald: Watch it back. The very last thing they check was whether Murray was onside.
If he was really smart he wouldn’t have been waving his hands in the air and shouting at the ref, he would have just picked it up and scored.
@HenryHoneyBalls: waving at the ref distracted the opposition. Part of the plan.
@Stephen Kelly: Perhaps but are we expected to believe that there are scrum halves out there that dont know that if you pick up the ball at the back of the ruck the ruck is over?
Not sure Id describe it as “deep rugby knowledge” or any other superlatives as seen above. Great player though.
@HenryHoneyBalls: Given that Owens seemed unclear, then I think it is good rugby knowledge.
Good analysis. Thank you for highlighting that a knock-on is really irrelevant. It did go backwards.
The most important issue and the one that you fail to broach in this breakdown of proceedings is whether the ball ends up back in the ruck after making contact with Guirado’s left boot. Is it strictly illegal for the ball to reenter the ruck or is the ball playable for the opposition even if it does end up back in the ruck, due to it coming out? That’s the key issue in deciding whether or not a try should have been awarded.
I’d love to see Connor Murray get a gig as a starting rake in the NRL. The b,loke’s really going well at the moment and has all the tools in his locker to transfer them to the greatest rugby league club competition in the world.
@Henry SUVA: even if it goes backwards…its a knock on because you’ve dropped it from your hand. Same result.
@Range Rover:
I don’t think you understand. I’m saying that it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a knock-on but am pointing out that it went backwards out of his hands and was then propelled forwards off his left boot back (or nearly back) into the ruck.
The question that must be answered then is whether or not the ball is playable? Is it back in the ruck and off limits to the opposition or is it live and contestable?
Not surprised that Mat Rogers didn’t understand all the laws in rugby union!
@Range Rover: you need to brush up on your knowledge of the rules . Knock on only if it goes forward . Even Henry gets that !!!
@Henry SUVA: Once the person in scrumhalf position, or the back of the ruck, picks it up, then the ruck is over. So it is open play and contestable. If the person at the back then kicked the ball into his own player in front of him, then it should be considered as accidental offside
@Alan Mulcahy:
So you basically can’t re-use the same ruck set-up, if you take a sudden dislike to what’s in front and want to re-set? Makes sense I suppose
@Henry SUVA: There’s no real question of “back in the ruck” here, as a ruck is either still formed or the ruck situation is ended – it can’t be reformed unless as a new ruck.
As pointed out in the piece above, one of the ways a ruck can end is when the team in possession pick up the ball – as in this case.
The key question here is whether a new ruck has formed after the ball is dropped before Murray picks it up.
In order for a ruck to form you need 3 things: a tackle situation, an attacking player contesting and a defending player on his feet with his shoulder “bound” to the tackled player.
I’m sure I’m forgetting some of the details here, but regardless because there was no tackle (no one had the ball :)) there was no new ruck formed it’s got to be deemed as open play!
@Henry SUVA: Once he picks up the ball there can’t be a new ruck until there’s a new tackle situation.
Hope that helps.
hot take – does this really show the lack of awareness of the rules of the Toulon players?