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Ireland still in the hunt - Murray

Conor Murray drives Ireland on

Conor Murray has his sights set firmly on the Six Nations title after helping Ireland to a 19-9 victory over France in Dublin on Saturday.

Scrum-half Murray scored the only try of the game as Joe Schmidt’s side moved top of the table, his half-back partner Jonathan Sexton adding 11 points on his international return.

Ireland dominated in the key areas of the clash, performing well up front and making good ground with ball in hand.

While England could regain top spot with victory over Italy on Sunday, Murray knows Ireland are still very much in the fight for the title, especially given the two sides meet on the final weekend at the Aviva Stadium.

“We had a few chances on their line and didn’t manage to convert, but with the way the weather was it was always going to be difficult but I think we stuck in the fight,” he told ITV Sport.

“To beat France 19-9 at home is great. To have missed a few opportunities is a little bit frustrating, but we are still in the hunt for this championship.

“[Winning] was important at the start of the week, a win and nothing else would do and we managed to do that. Now we’ve a week off to rest up and look at Wales, so we are still in the fight.”

Murray also had praise for the returning Sexton, his accuracy from the tee proving crucial as the Irish ended France’s hopes of topping the table next month.

He added: “Jonny slotted in really well, that 70-odd minutes will put him in good stead for the next [few] weeks which is going to be really, really tough against the Welsh and English.”

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SK 2 hours ago
Jean de Villiers: ‘Next year will be the acid test for this group’

It seems to me that a core of players will make it to 2027 if they stay fit. Siya, PSD and Eben are all part of that core. The question is who else? De Allende may not make it which is why Rassie has started playing Am at 12 and has Moodie as his back up at 13. Also Esterhuizen is an established 12 already in the mix. Even Pollard has played 12 so Rassie keeping all his options open. Willemse can play 12 but his defence is sometimes lacking. Mgomezulu can also play there and he is a good physical player who makes his tackles. De Allende though is so hard to replace. He tackles, he turns over, runs over players and he distributes. Rassie is making plans for all positions in a similar way. At tighthead and loosehead we have seen the Bok depth this year with injuries to multiple players and yet the scrum stood strong and dominated. At hooker he has used 4 or 5 different players. Bongi will not likely make 2027 but the young guys are coming through. Willie has been tapped as a future coach and right now is a player coach. His swansong will come next year but Fassi is now a solid option at 15 to complement Damian and challenge him. At wing there is endless depth right now. In the loose forwards there are already some established options for 2027 and Louw has now stepped up with Hanekom coming through. At lock injuries to multiple players saw Nortje step up and Moerat is now an established player. Ruan Venter also a good back up and some good youngsters coming through at the Bulls. Springboks finding solutions but question is will this squad be experienced enough come 2027. Lots of change still to come and lots of learnings still to be had for many of these young players.

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