ANDY FARRELL SAYS he is “in awe” of players like Conor Murray as the scrum-half prepares to win his 100th Test cap for Ireland this weekend.

The 33-year-old – who made his debut against France in 2011 – has been named to start at scrum-half against South Africa on Saturday, his first Test start since the win against Argentina during the 2021 November international window.

And the Ireland head coach today played a glowing tribute to the Munster player ahead of a milestone occasion which will see Murray become just the eighth player to reach 100 Test caps for Ireland.

“I am in awe of these people,” Farrell said.

“It’s pretty special because we all know that to be able to get to that type of career, what it takes… Whether you are a coach or a player you see all the ups and downs and all the pressures that come in from all sorts of directions and you see everyone wants to move on to what they perceive to be the next best thing.

Somebody who stands up to be counted time and time again, to get to a point like that, I’m in awe of it because the hardest thing is to stay at the top. Of course there are ups and downs but the biggest compliment I could play Conor – he’s a legend of Irish rugby and his abilities are second to none – is that he is a top, top class bloke. I don’t know anyone who has a bad word to say about him.

“We are all obsessed with rugby but when it comes to how he has managed himself throughout his career – and there are big things still to come – he is classed as a fantastic human being by his peers.”

With Murray in from the start, Jamison Gibson-Park is named on the bench. Gibson-Park and Leinster teammate Hugo Keenan – who starts at fullback – have yet to play any rugby this season due to injury, but Farrell says he isn’t concerned about their lack of minutes ahead of Saturday’s clash with the reigning world champions.

“Calculated (risk) is probably the right way (of putting it),” Farrell said.

“When you weigh everything up, the personnel that you’ve got, the injuries and then people coming back into camp. It almost goes back to zero for us, how they apply themselves, the confidence not just in themselves but how it transfers to their teammates. Each individual is completely different and that’s what makes the world go around.

When you talk about someone like Hugo, we could talk all day about him really, but he is the fittest in the team. We will start there, but he is the most diligent as far as his work in the team as well and that is not just across his own work but everyone else’s as well. Some people can hit the ground running and be very good. Other people take three or four weeks and we believe Hugo is in a good space to start on Saturday.”

Farrell also backed Ulster winger Robert Baloucoune to shine as he looks to win his third cap. The 25-year-old made a try-scoring debut against the USA in July of last year before winning his second cap against Argentina in November.

“He offers something a bit different, that’s about it,” Farrell said.

“It takes all sorts and everyone manages their careers at different stages. Rob has been in camp four or five times and it has been stop-start with injuries etc, and then he has gone back to learn his trade.

“We would have loved for him to come to New Zealand. A trip like that would have been priceless for him and one of the reasons we put him on the Emerging Ireland tour was for the experience.

“When you have an opportunity like this to see how Rob handles the big occasion, to be able to do that in a good side is pretty important as well. We feel he is ready, that he can offer something different.

“You look at different ends of the scale, this is how Conor’s career started. It’s up to Rob and his teammates helping him to grab the opportunity and show what he is about at the top level.” 

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