Conor Murray will start for Ireland against France in the Six Nations today after fears he would be ruled out of the blockbuster clash due to a family matter.
The scrum-half's father, Gerry, was involved in a road accident during the week, which saw him taken to hospital with serious injuries. Mr Murray, who is in his late 60s, was riding his bike near his home in Co Limerick on Tuesday afternoon when he was involved in a collision with a truck, with the road closed for around an hour and a half as emergency services attended the scene.
It is believed that the experienced cyclist was taken to hospital with serious head injuries, with his family travelling to Cork to be at his bedside as a source revealed that he was "lucky to be alive".
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It was thought that Murray Jr would miss the second-round tie against France following his father's accident, but after consulting with coach Andy Farrell, the Munster star has been selected for Saturday's blockbuster clash.
"He's (Murray) back in with the group and he's in good form and he’s looking forward to [Saturday]," said Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty. "We wish his dad the very best from the squad and a quick recovery. Conor's good, he's great, all considered."
The scrum-half starts again against Les Bleus after he was brought into the starting XV against Wales at the last minute following an injury to Jamison Gibson-Park. Farrell's side have already lost a number of key players including Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan and Robbie Henshaw, with Murray's return to camp a much needed boost for the title favourites.
Farrell has made just one change to his starting team, with Rob Herring replacing Sheehan at hooker. Stuart McCloskey and Garry Ringrose continue their partnership in midfield while the back three of Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and James Lowe is unchanged from the opening round.
In the forwards, Andrew Porter and Finlay Bealham will pack down either side of Herring, while Tadhg Beirne and James Ryan are again selected in the second row and Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier and Peter O’Mahony form an unchanged back row. With Sheehan out of the matchday squad, Ronan Kelleher is named on the bench.
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