RUGBY: JOHNE MURPHY INTERVIEW
Murphy ready for the next stage of life
“I’ve lived the dream. It’s been a blast!” was the simple tweet from Johne Murphy as he announced his retirement from professional rugby last week. He sat down with DAIRE WALSH to look back over his eventful and successful career
By Daire Walsh
FOLLOWING ten highly eventful seasons as a professional rugby player, Rathangan native Johne Murphy is set to embark on a new chapter in his life.
At the end of a frustrating 2014/15 campaign, the 30-year-old was released by Munster, and after a period of reflection, he ultimately announced his decision to bring his playing career to an end on August 27.
The idea of retirement is something that was on Murphy’s mind for number of months, and considering the injury problems he has encountered recently, he felt the time was right for him to step away from the professional game.
“I suppose it was something that I kind of spoke about for a while. The first kind of chat I had about it was at the end of November, start of December with Kate, my wife. It was just something that I wasn’t particularly enjoying last season. I was obviously enjoying the craic with the lads, and all that kind of stuff, but I was getting up in the morning and going into training, and not particularly enjoying being in there,” Murphy remarked.
“That was for different reasons, I suppose, and then a couple of things happened. When I got my shot against Glasgow, I bust my nose and I had to come off straight away because I couldn’t get it to stop bleeding. I came back then and I got back in the squad after my nose, and I was on the bench for the Saracens game away, and I broke my hand the Thursday before we flew out at a touch session basically. I don’t know how I did it, and then just a few things like that happened. I knew then for a while that I wasn’t going to be staying in Munster.”
However, before he arrived at his final decision, he did test the market to see if there were opportunities elsewhere. With the World Cup just around the corner, there was a possible offer on the table from a Top 14 club in France, but once that didn’t materialise, he opted against extending his playing career.
“We tested the market. There was a couple of offers and stuff, and I didn’t particularly see a progression, or of where they wanted to go, and how they wanted to do it. I was very much thinking towards life after then with things that I was doing and what I was getting involved in.”
“Then I said that I was going to take a month off before I got married. Just to see what happened, and see where we go. When we were away on honeymoon we got a call, and there was a possibility of a World Cup Joker spot out in France with a top team out there. Unfortunately for me, that didn’t materialise.”
When you combine his spells with Aviva Premiership outfit Leicester and Munster, Murphy made a total of 190 appearances, contributing 40 tries in the process. In addition to his Magners League (Pro12) triumph with the Red Army in 2011, he won four major trophies while lining out with Leicester.
These successes are something Murphy remembers with great pride, but it is the victories over international opposition with Leicester and Munster that really stand-out in his memory.
“I’m very fortunate I suppose. I’ve been involved in every final that you could be involved in, where I’ve played. That’s huge. I won a lot over in England, I won a Pro12 with Munster, but the special nights for me were probably beating the two international sides.”
“Beat South Africa with Leicester, and beat Australia with Munster. Those two evenings are special, because both sides were kind of nearly down to the bare bones in terms of we had good starting fifteens, and then you were into Academy guys.”
“Also, obviously, playing for Ireland against the Barbarians. I had just signed for Munster, so to experience Thomond Park like that for the first time. That was incredibly special as well. A nice evening for my family, and it was the closest I would ever get to a full cap, so those three evenings are very, very special.”
While Murphy never joined the strong Kildare contingent at Leinster, he did play alongside recently-appointed head coach Leo Cullen at Leicester, and is able to provide some insight into the qualities that the Wicklow man possesses.
“When I went over [to Leicester], I was at the very start of my career. He [Cullen] had come into Leicester, and he had to fill Martin Johnson’s boots. He was signed as Johno’s replacement, and it was something that he did incredibly well. Himself and Shane Jennings helped me a huge amount.”
“They thought me a huge amount about standards and work ethic, and to learn off those guys in the first two years of my career was massive for me. Leo always had a huge understanding of the game. Be it through line-outs, or general play. He’s an extremely intelligent man, and I think he’s going to be very good for Leinster.”
Although he may be retired, Murphy will be kept busy with a number of projects throughout the upcoming rugby season. He currently runs www.rugbycamps.ie (a tailor-made rugby focused camp) with Johan Taylor, and in addition to a coaching position with Naas RFC – who he may well line-out with at some point – he has become involved at schools rugby level with St Mary’s College.
“Well at the moment with Naas, I look after kind of defence and back play, and I’m probably going to play a small bit with them as well. My friends that I grew up with are playing there, and it’s nice to go back and really enjoy my rugby again after what happened last year.”
“I’m kind of looking after skills and a bit of general play with the [St Mary’s College] SCT and then I do stuff with the Transition Year students as well. Hopefully, with the stuff I’m doing with them, they’ll be able to improve their skill set, and go on a decent enough cup run.”
Much like his namesake (and former Leicester team-mate) Geordan Murphy, the former utility back has also played Gaelic Football in the past. He played regularly with Ellistown before his move to England, and at the time of speaking, he was getting ready to don the gold and blue jersey once again.
“I’ve been up for a few kickabouts the last couple of weeks. I think there’s a second team game tonight. I might feature for 10/15 minutes, just to see where I’m at. I love football, I played that up until the summer I left to go to England.”
“I certainly think my skills have certainly dropped off from where it was when I left when I was 19/20. It should be a bit of craic.”