Ireland going from strength to strength — Former Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray believes the national side are going from strength to strength, pointing to the squad depth on display in Friday night’s 42-12 win over Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Murray was speaking on the Ireland Rugby Social podcast after Ireland opened their autumn Nations Championship campaign with a six-try victory.
Ireland have now won three of their four fixtures in the competition and face Fiji and South Africa over the next two weeks. Murray, a co-presenter on the podcast, gave his assessment of the performance and what it says about the team’s progress.
Keenan's hat-trick and all-round influence
Full-back Hugo Keenan scored three tries, but Murray was just as impressed by the intangible side of his game. He said Keenan is always going to stand out because of how much he communicates on the pitch, constantly organising the wingers and the back-field system to make life easier for those around him. Murray described him as the ultimate team player and said he looked fit, fast and explosive — back to his best.
New half-back pairing passes the test
Sam Prendergast and Craig Casey started a big Test together for the first time, and Murray felt they managed the game well. He noted that Prendergast has had a rocky beginning to his international career and has faced public scrutiny, but now appears to have absorbed that experience and turned it into a weapon. Murray said Prendergast looked sharp and appeared to have bulked up, while warning that there will be a target on his back because of his influence.
On Casey, Murray highlighted the control he showed. While Casey’s quick ball and ability to produce magical moments were already known, Murray said his passing was accurate and his kicking top-notch. He suggested that controlling a Test match was probably the challenge Andy Farrell set for him, and felt both half-backs were brilliant.
Forwards set the platform
Murray singled out Tadhg Furlong as a standard-bearer who delivers top performances consistently, and praised Andrew Porter for showing his quality after returning from an extended injury lay-off. He described Porter’s explosiveness in open play and fitness as making him like another back row on the field.
Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Beirne, Joe McCarthy, Ryan Baird and the back row were all commended, with Murray noting that Nick Timoney and Josh van der Flier are in a real battle for the number seven jersey.
Strength in depth
Murray said the current depth is really impressive. A year ago, with a good few injuries, people were wondering where the depth would come from, and Farrell had to blood a few players quickly. Those players are now in the squad and pushing others across the board, which Murray sees as a sign that Irish rugby is going from strength to strength.
Looking ahead, Murray said Ireland should beat Fiji and does not regard that as getting ahead of themselves — it is where Irish rugby is at now. He expects the players coming in next week to see a chance to perform and to want to be in Farrell’s thoughts for the South Africa game. That competitiveness is healthy, he said, because the guys facing Fiji are not just getting a run out but know they are in the mix.
Murray added that Farrell will still expect the same level of performance despite changes, even if combinations can cause a dip, and that there will remain a strong core to the team because Fiji must be respected and consistency and momentum matter.
