‘The longer you’re around the more s*** you hear’ – Conor Murray ‘taken aback’ by post-Twickenham abuse
Conor Murray: 'That clip didn’t even come up in the review, that’s how irrelevant it was.' Photo: Sportsfile
It was only for a fleeting moment, but Conor Murray did wonder if it was worth it any more. He thought of Owen Farrell and his decision to step away from England and considered whether to join him.
After all, there’s a quieter life available whether by continuing to play in France or retiring to a television studio where his calm communication style will be a big asset.
But, no, the veteran scrum-half looked at the offer on the table from Munster and the IRFU and knew staying was the right decision.
Sure, he’d have to put up with the abuse from those on social media who reckoned he’s finished, but if Andy Farrell thinks he’s still worth having in his 23 then there’s plenty of life left in the legs.
“The outside is very different from the inside in terms of how coaches see you or value you,” he explained.
“That’s an easy narrative on the outside: ‘It’s a World Cup cycle and that age profile player is gone now . . .’ – if you’re producing and are still an asset to the team or squad, then you keep going.
“I want to play rugby for as long as I can, it’s an unbelievable job and I’ve been really lucky to get to this age and still be feeling good and still be contributing to two squads.
“You just ignore it. The longer you’re around the more shit you hear from the outside, excuse my language.
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“You really learn what’s important and what opinions matter. The longer you’re around, the more stuff you hear that’s complete nonsense and an easy narrative to go by.
“What matters is the conversations you have with your coaches, your fellow players and your family – they were a big part of it as well. Loads of things.
“Outside noise is very irrelevant. Especially the last few years, you realise what’s true really.”
The thing about outside noise in the modern world is that it can easily penetrate a player’s sanctum.
He may not log on to any news sites to read the ratings but his social media direct messages are sitting in his pocket waiting to be checked and what arrived in the wake of Ireland’s defeat at Twickenham shook him.
For a large number of fans, Murray (34) carried the can for his 79th-minute box-kick that gave England the platform to launch the attack that led to Marcus Smith’s last-gasp drop-goal.
While it was unfair, it also went against Ireland’s own analysis.
“That was a weird one, yeah,” he said. “There’s no hiding from the abuse you get. You can’t get away from it but that clip didn’t even come up in the review, that’s how irrelevant it was.
“Genuinely, we’ve been around long enough to know how long you can hold on to the ball in your own ’22’, that was the right call; we’d do it again, it was what happened after.
“Chatting to Andy, we had a giggle about it, it was wild. Unfortunately, that’s just the way the world is. But I was taken aback by it, the level of messages coming into my phone.
“Just abuse, really, just: ‘What the f*** are you doing kicking the ball away?’. People who, in fairness, ‘support’ Ireland and are frustrated that we lost and they’re just looking for some way to vent and they see they can message you on Instagram.
“It was mad, but if I’d made a mistake or missed a tackle you’d think, not fair enough, but you could see the reason for it.
“But, genuinely, that didn’t come up in the review.”
Unsurprisingly, he’s never had anyone say anything to him in person but he’ll carry on regardless of what the keyboard warriors say. Tomorrow, he’ll make his 186th appearance off the bench for his home province in Northampton as they go on the road in their quest to end their long wait for a Champions Cup title – and Murray still feels like he has plenty to offer despite falling behind Craig Casey in the pecking order.
“It’s a huge game. We’re frustrated with the defeat [to Saints] at home, obviously. We felt we didn’t play to our potential, or near it really.
“We slogged through that game at home in Thomond. So, going over there now it’s a huge challenge but I think we can take confidence from what we’ve done in the last year, and in glimpses of what we’ve done this year.
“If we manage to put it all together, or close to it, we’ll have a good shot.”
The desire remains and that’s reason enough to shut out the noise.
