Enough of the pigeonholing, says Conor Murray

Enough of the pigeonholing, says Conor Murray - as he rediscovers his spirit of adventure

Conor Murray is going back to have a future - as he insists his days being pigeonholed are over as his 100th Ireland cap looms.

Murray will become the eighth Irishman to reach the century mark if he features against South Africa, the culmination of 11 years' work.

It will be a proud day for him but his major concern is showing people - and the Ireland coaches in particular - that, at 33, there is more to come.

Overtaken in the scrum-half pecking order by Jamison Gibson-Park, Murray also has Munster team-mate Craig Casey breathing down his neck.

They are perceived to play the fast tempo game that has got Andy Farrell's side to the top of the world rankings.

Regarded as the best scrum-half in the world when Ireland beat the All Blacks for the first time, Murray has been used more recently as a Test match closer.

Yet the Limerick man has never doubted that he has the game for Farrell.

"Not for a second did I ever doubt that I could play that way," he stressed. "That’s probably been a frustration of mine.

"Not feeling sorry for yourself, but that you’d be pigeonholed into that type of player. More often than not, that’s what was asked of you in a way.

“I always back myself. Thinking back to when I started with Munster, I was really backing myself, doing those creative things and playing with a bit of freedom.

“That’s my motivation – to show people that there's an awful lot more to my game than there has been. There’s plenty of evidence of that."

Conor Murray speaks to the press at the IRFU's high performance base in Abbotstown (©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)

Murray appreciates the more open feedback he gets from Farrell and attack coach Mike Catt.

"Sometimes previously – and you hear from other players as well – coaches can give them willy-nilly excuses," he said.

That's not the case now.

"To survive at this level, you can’t be happy with where you’re at," said Murray, striving to make a fourth World Cup.

"Pressure is put on straight away to try and get better.

"The game changes every year, the style played and, talking about that pigeon-holing thing, you have to look at different ways of approaching the game.

"The competitive spirit is still there.

"It's always my goal to be the no.9 in the Irish team. It takes a bit of getting used to (not starting). It refocuses you.

“My opportunities to start have reduced and it’s about having that drive."

Murray predicts a "brutal" encounter with the Springboks. It is one that he is relishing after mapping out the fixture list to see where the 100th game would fall.

"If it comes true it'll be a very proud day for me - for my family more importantly, with the commitment they've shown to be at pretty much all the games," he said.

"I couldn’t think of a better group of players to reach that milestone with, given how competitive we are, what we’ve done in the last year.

"It’s incredible, it's probably the first full year I’ve spent not starting and, oddly enough, it’s been the most enjoyable year or two.

"I’m in the middle of a two year (IRFU) contract and we know what’s coming up with a Six Nations and World Cup.

"If the 100 comes along the way it’ll be a hugely proud moment and it’d be a privilege, a cool list to be on.”

READ NEXT:

Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here