Finding the replacement for Ireland’s ‘phenomenal servant’ with three stars in ‘serious contention’
Ireland need to replace Conor Murray in their matchday 23.
Upon the final whistle at Stadio Olimpico on March 15, the curtain came down on the careers of three Irish legends.
Cian Healy, Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray.
Before the three men could even make their way down the tunnel after enjoying the moment with their friends and families, questions began about why Ireland‘s performance was so disjointed against the Azzurri.
One thing identified was the age profile of the squad, with a significant number of players over 30.
While the wing and centre have been identified as positions of particular concern, the positions of the three retiring players were not mentioned.
To be fair, Healy has not been the first-choice loosehead prop for a number of years, as Andrew Porter has been a fine replacement, and there are a number of options at flanker to replace O’Mahony, including Cormac Izuchukwu, Cian Prendergast and Ryan Baird.
Scrum-half question
However, should there be more concern about the future of the scrum-half position in Ireland?
Murray was a phenomenal servant for Irish rugby since breaking into the squad under Declan Kidney in the 2011 World Cup.
It could be argued that for a period under Joe Schmidt, the Munster man could have been considered the best scrum-half in the world and a key part of a period of unprecedented Irish success in the Six Nations.
For the past 25 years, it has been a position Ireland has had no concern over as Murray built upon the world-class legacy of Peter Stringer from the 2000s.
The two-time European Champions Cup winner was key to the development of Ireland as a modern rugby force, as he helped the country win its first Grand Slam in 61 years.
In the final couple of years of his Irish career, Stringer had to be content impacting the game from the bench, as Eoin Reddan and Murray were favoured.
Similarly, the eight-cap British and Irish Lion has adapted to this role under Andy Farrell, as the Ireland head coach has found a player in Jamison Gibson-Park that better suits how he wants his number nine to play and who could be considered a step-up in quality from Murray.
The Leinster man is the reason that there is not more concern around the retirement of Murray, as he has demonstrated that he is currently one of the best scrum-halves in the world.
He has been key to the success of Ireland under Farrell, his skill-set utilising the best qualities of the Irish attack, with a particular focus on quick ball from the ruck.
However, it must be noted that he is 33 years old.
So who are the other Irish scrum-half options?
Munster, Ulster and Connacht all have talented players in position: Craig Casey, Nathan Doak and Ben Murphy, respectively.
Casey has been part of the Irish setup for almost the last five years after Farrell initially called him up to train with the squad during the 2020 Six Nations.
He has since attained 18 caps, with 17 of these appearances resulting in victory.
While this may be considered an impressive record, it must be noted he does not seem to be trusted by Farrell for matches against the biggest opposition, opting instead for the experienced Murray, most of these appearances coming against Tier Two nations.
Reflecting on Farrell’s decision to not trust Casey in major Tests, instead opting for experience, does not bode well for his chances of being the long-term Ireland scrum-half, particularly following the decision to fast-track Sam Prendergast as the first-choice fly-half.
Both Doak and Murphy are yet to earn a cap for Ireland; they have demonstrated the ability and skills they have to the Irish coaches.
Doak demonstrated in his performance in Ireland A’s defeat to England A that he is a talented scrum-half and that his kicking game is a serious strength.
An issue for the Ulster man is his club.
Doak has been key in his short period at Ulster, playing either scrum-half or fly-half, yet this could be considered a dark period for the club as they struggle in the URC with the prospect of not qualifying for the Champions Cup next season being a reality.
To be considered the future number nine for his country, he will need to be competing at the highest level against the best to develop and prove he can do it at international level.
This is a problem shared by Murphy; however, there is more optimism in Connacht due to their attacking approach and just how he has been a starring player in their high-scoring and free-flowing rugby this campaign.
Ex-Leinster scrum-half
Murphy left Leinster to test himself, develop, and start games of rugby.
So far he has achieved these goals, which earned him a call-up as a development player for Ireland in their Six Nations campaign.
If he continues on the trajectory he is on, there is no doubt he is the long-term replacement to Gibson-Park as the scrum-half of Ireland.
While none of these options are similar in level of ability currently to the New Zealand native, there is room for improvement.
The three men will have the chance this summer to impress the coaching staff as Ireland tour Europe.
Gibson-Park, along with a number of key Irish players, will be expected to be part of Farrell’s Lions squad touring Australia.
This leaves the door open for Casey, Murphy, and Doak to impress against Portugal and Georgia, who will use this opportunity to be within serious contention for the Ireland number nine jersey once Gibson-Park decides to follow Murray’s example and call it a day on his international career.
