RUGBY: JENNY MURPHY INTERVIEW
Naas RFC to benefit from Murphy’s experience
By Daire Walsh
EXCITING times lie ahead for Naas RFC, after it was recently confirmed that the club would be fielding a senior women’s side from the beginning of next season.
This is a massive step forward for the Forenaughts outfit, who have been operating a girls’ section – under the guidance of long-term club member David McKeown – for the past eight years.
While a head coach for the side is yet to be announced, they have recruited Grand Slam-winning star, Jenny Murphy, to form part of their backroom team. The Kildare native is currently recuperating from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury she picked up in a recent All-Ireland League encounter, but is nonetheless eager to embrace this new challenge.
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s an exciting time within the club. I’ve met some of the girls on a few occasions before. Just briefly before the World Cup. The enthusiasm of David [McKeown] in there and what they’re trying to do, it’s definitely exciting to get involved with something like this,” Murphy remarked.
Though Murphy has never officially been an active member of Naas – she lined out for Richmond in the UK before joining forces with Old Belvedere in south Dublin – she has been a regular visitor to the club grounds over the years.
Indeed, it was during a visit to Forenaughts on last year’s Women’s World Cup trophy tour that she got a sense of just how much the game is growing within the surrounding areas.
“I was blown away by the numbers. The pitches were absolutely packed and it was only when you went a bit closer that they were all girls from minis. Young girls, scrum caps and gum shields too big to fit into their mouths. All the way up to 18 and above.
“It was actually unbelievable to see the biggest kind of grouping of female rugby players I’ve seen in Ireland, while doing the World Cup trophy runaround. It was just so nice and they were all just mad to get going and really kind of passionate about it. Hacking lumps out of each other and with smiles on their faces. It was really, really lovely to see.”
Given she has been a regular fixture within the Irish midfield in recent seasons (prior to her sabbatical for this year’s Six Nations), it is expected that defence will be a major part of Murphy’s remit.
That said, she is more than happy to slot in to any role the incoming head coach has in mind, and will also look to draw on her own experiences of coaching.
“I’m a qualified PE teacher. That’s what I studied over in the UK and when I was over there, I got a coaching badge from the RFU. Just an underage one. From here now, I was working with Derek Maybury with the women coaches within Leinster. That was brilliant and really insightful.
“Hopefully while I’m doing this, I’ll also be able to work on coaching badges this year as well. This year and last year, I was also coaching the senior boys team in Sandford Park in Ranelagh. I have experience in this role before, but there’s always something new to learn and just looking forward to this at the moment.”
To date, Murphy’s last appearance on the international stage was against Australia in the 5th-8th place play-off at the Women’s World Cup last August. She maintains a burning desire to represent her country once again and is hoping to be in the frame for the 2019 Six Nations Championship.
With a lengthy rehabilitation programme in front of her, the hard-working centre acknowledges there will be a balancing act between her on-field and off-field commitments.
“Obviously my time with Naas is going to be a bit limited. It won’t be too frequent, because David knows that I obviously want to get back into playing rugby. With the injury that I have, it’s going to be nine to 12 months of rehab and intense rehab at that. That’s going to take up a chunk of my time.
“Hopefully I’ll be in decent enough nick by the time pre-season starts, so I can be of some use. I still have ambitions on the pitch, but I also want to get started with working with players in a different role as well. It’s kind of a balancing act, but it has been supportive so far, so I’m not too anxious about anything like that.”
In the absence of Murphy, Ireland finished third in the recent Six Nations – courtesy of back-to-back home victories against Italy and Wales.
It was a period of transition for the squad after last year’s World Cup, following the retirements of stalwarts like Marie-Louise Reilly, Nora Stapleton, Ailis Egan and Sophie Spence.
Additionally, Murphy felt that Alison Miller’s injury in the opening moments of the win over Italy was a major set-back for the side. Though defeats to France, Scotland and England ultimately placed them out of contention for top honours, she is hoping to be part of a bright future for women’s rugby in Ireland.
“It was always going to be a transition period and obviously with some of the injuries the girls had. I think Ali Miller was a massive loss, the early stages of the Six Nations. She’s not only going to bag you tries, but she’ll definitely raise the standards and stuff on the pitch as well. The girls definitely bounced back from that and put in some performances,” Murphy acknowledged.
“Ultimately, they can do even better and succeed even more. It’s going to be exciting times, hopefully they’ll be able to get a few more games in this year. Which will be great to see and hopefully next Six Nations, if I’m fit and kind of playing decent rugby, I can put my hand up to get selected again.”