AFTER IRELAND GOT their 2015 Six Nations Championship campaign under way with a 26-3 win over Italy this afternoon, Conor Murray admitted it took his side longer than they’d have hoped to score the game’s first try.
However, the man of the match said it was satisfying to see their hard work finally pay off and the scrum half knows a massive step up in performance is needed when France come to Dublin next week.
“For the first 50 minutes, they got a line speed against us and managed to kill our attack pretty efficiently,” he told RTÉ after the game.
“But we just had to stick to our guns and eventually we broke them down. The pressure helped us get a little bit of a lead and to not concede at the end was very important as well.
“I suppose there was a bit of inaccuracy on the backs’ part. The forwards were giving us a good platform in the first half and we knocked on a few balls and a few balls went to ground.
“That’s annoying for us as a backline, but the second half we managed to hold on to the ball for longer periods and that pressure eventually told which is satisfying.
“This was our first run out, you know there’s always going to be mistakes and plenty to work on going into next weekend, but we got the win and managed to put a few points on the board which is a good start.”
One player who admits he is unlikely to start next weekend is Ian Keatley, despite being 100% off the tee.
“Johnny’s back next weekend. He’s done an incredible job for Ireland over the last couple of years, so I think he obviously has that position.
“But myself and Ian [Madigan] might have a little battle to get on the bench. I’m just delighted to get the win today and I’m just looking forward to next week. We’ll see what happens.”
