Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray has admitted that a difficult season with Munster has been made even more trying by witnessing the successes enjoyed by his side’s inter-provincial rivals.
However, the 27-year-old is taking solace in what the form of his international team-mates at Connacht, Leinster and Ulster could do for Ireland in the summer tour of South Africa.
Munster finished in sixth place in the Guinness Pro12 table and saw their involvement in the European Rugby Champions Cup come to an end in the pool stages.
Reflecting on a weekend spent watching Leinster - at the expense of Ulster - and Connacht advance to the Pro12 final, Murray told RTÉ Sport: "It’s really hard to view.
“That’s my initial emotion when I am watching those games.
“And, obviously, I watched the games with a few of the Munster lads, it is quite tough to view.
“But you’ve got to respect them, have a reality check, and say you weren’t good enough to make it this year and fair play to the other provinces.
“You’ve got to admire the lads for going out there and playing really well and getting the business done, which is something we haven’t done this year.
“It’s tough viewing, but with a neutral head on, it’s great to have two Irish teams in the final, and again, it’s only going to bolster Irish rugby.”
“He’s a great fella” Conor Murray on Andy Farrell
Murray’s focus has now switched to addressing Ireland’s lamentable record on South African soil, and he noted: “Something an Irish team has never done is won down in South Africa, so that’s a huge challenge, something that we’re really excited about.”
The Limerick native was also keen to accentuate the positives of an indifferent Six Nations campaign for Joe Schmidt’s side, saying: “We’d a poor enough Six Nations, but with a lot of positive notes to end it on, and a lot of youth coming through who left their mark as well.
“I think there’s a different make-up to the Ireland team at the moment.
“It’s going to be a really interesting Tour and one that excites me.”
The addition of Andy Farrell to Ireland’s backroom team is one that Murray has endorsed emphatically.
“He’s a great fella,” the former St Munchin’s star enthused.
“I worked with him in 2013. He’s just a really, really good coach and a fella who’s been there and done it, a tough guy, who makes you want to run through walls for him.
“He’s been down in Munster over the past couple of weeks while we’ve been off, taking a few sessions here and there to embed a few of his ideas.”
