Conor Murray played about 70% of Munster’s latest European Cup stand in a team that was getting battered back and holding on for dear life.
We often hear about scrum-halves being at their best when their team is on the front-foot. Murray put in a world-class performance of how to help one’s team survive, and thrive, so very firmly on the back foot. At times, Munster were going back at a rate of knots.
Peter O’Mahony and Andrew Conway got the bulk of the post-match plaudits, after Munster’s thrilling 20-19 victory, but every player that lined out on Saturday can be proud of their contribution.
On The Hard Yards, from 14:00 below, Murray’s role in the province’s quarter final role, and his smartly taken try, was discussed:
Credit: Sky SportsIn reality, that opportunistic score in the 27th minute was a key, but minor role, in Munster’s massive come-from-behind victory.
In that first half, Munster were living off scraps. They had 35% possession and 30% territory. That improved in the second half but Munster came out second in most of the main trackers of a team’s standing in the game – clean breaks, defenders beaten, ruck success and mauls won.
Munster hung on and made their punches count. Murray regularly had 100+ possessions for Ireland in the Six Nations but he only got his paws on the ball 69 times. He made six darts and passed the ball on 52 times while his 11 kicks always found touch or gave his teammates a fighting chance to reclaim possession.
Much like he was for his try, Murray often appeared to be playing the game at another level. Unhurried and thinking ahead amid the body-thumping fury all around. His reaction to Toulon putting his side under the pump was to up his game and play the conditions, and opposition, so well – snipes, kicks in behind, trusting the forwards and calling the ball on himself.
He put Rory Scannell and Sam Arnold through gaps, linked up well with Alex Wootton on one left wing thrust and rarely wasted possession when it came his way. At one stage, midway through the second half, the Munster scrum shunted the Toulon pack on their heels. Murray nipped in to steal the ball again and effect a turnover in French territory.
Just like Johnny Sexton found against Saracens, on Sunday, Murray was a marked man and the likes of Duane Vermeulen, Ma’a Nonu and Dave Attwood tried to get after him as much as they could. He took a few dings but came our relatively unscathed until the latter stages of an absorbing contest. He made nine defensive tackles and only missed one.
In the latter stages of the game, just before Andrew Conway took flight with his superb run for a solo try, Murray attempted to clean up – and keep Toulon under pressure – when Alex Wootton dropped a pass under severe pressure. In taking substitute Malakai Fekitoa down, however, he damaged his right shoulder.
Murray stayed down for a few seconds and was looked at on the pitch, soon after, before James Hart took his place for the final few minutes. His arm hung limp for a few phases of play and, watching on from the stands, he appeared to be in some distress and playing through the pain.
The main concern here is that Murray hurt the same right shoulder that he did in 2017 against Wales. That ‘stinger’ knock eventually ended up as being serious nerve damage and Murray missed 10 weeks of action.
Following the game, Munster director of rugby Johann van Grann spoke about his prized No.9.
“He’s always a worry, he always takes a lot of knocks. He’s bruised up like a lot of guys in the changing-room.
“He took a blow to the knee, one to the ribs and one to the shoulder. We’ll re-assess but at this stage nothing seems too serious.”
Murray headed out to South Africa on Monday morning with his Munster teammates and he will be hoping the bumps and bruises are nothing more than that.
