Jordi sticks to plan despite reaching major milestone

Ulster's Jordi Murphy is tackled by Northampton's Piers Francis during their Heineken Challenge Cup quarter-final at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton. Photo: Matt Impey/Sportsfile

Michael Sadlier

April 29 2021 02:30 AM

Last Thursday, he decided that there was nothing else for it than to fire up the barbecue. After all, the weather was decent but Jordi Murphy had another more compelling reason to do something a bit different as it just happened to also be the day when he turned 30.

With his milestone moment coinciding with the in-form flanker being rested for last weekend’s Rainbow Cup opener with Connacht, you might have thought that Murphy would have kicked back as he arrived into the decade which will ultimately see him and his current job description part ways.

It didn’t quite work out that way though, largely thanks to the day job.

“It was very chilled,” Murphy explained. “As I had a big fitness session the following day, I stuck to two beers so it was pretty quiet.”

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Such is the way when there is important work to be done and there is no doubt that the, appropriately enough, 30-times-capped Ireland flanker is monastically dedicated to his craft.

Fitness session banked, Murphy came into work this week with several boxes to tick, such as to help the players involved move on rapidly from the dip in performance showcased in the Connacht defeat and focus minds fully on the task tomorrow evening when a place in the European Challenge Cup final awaits the winner at Welford Road.

And not forgetting his own preparation and the need to hit the impressive groove he has been in of late.

It’s only natural that Murphy is looked to at times like this. He is well acquainted with what it takes to win trophies from his years at Leinster and Ireland, while he has also bagged, even prior to moving north in 2018, that unwanted familiarity with the gut-wrenching regret of falling short.

Just the man to have around with the ultra-physical Leicester Tigers now sitting between Ulster and a first European final in nine years.

Murphy’s mileage, form and leadership skills — he had been skippering Ulster prior to Iain Henderson’s return — are all of significance in how Dan McFarland’s squad have been approaching their upcoming task.

“The best way for me to lead is to do it by example,” said Murphy, in terms of the graft he will have put in this week. “To try and train really well and be vigilant all week. Hopefully that confidence in myself and my own preparation will give other people confidence.”

Not being switched on is non-negotiable for both Murphy — who will make his 47th Ulster appearance tomorrow — and for those in his presence. Should he need to add his voice to the preparation then it will happen.

“If there’s something to be said, I’m happy to say it,” was how he put it. “If I feel like there’s something I want to bring up, I certainly do. I’m not afraid to talk. Sometimes you might think of something in the past where we could have done better.

“Or something we’ve done well or those positive things, because this week is all about building confidence among the group and that’s something I try to do. Nobody wants to hear the same voice all day long, so I try to pick my moments.”