Munster and Ireland scrum-half, Conor Murray has finally revealed what caused his troublesome neck injury. A hiccup.
The Munsterman opted at the start of last season to keep the medical details regarding his injury private, leading to all sorts of rumours and speculation as to what the injury was.
Looking back, Murray now believes he was wrong in being so secretive, agreeing that the Munster season ticket holders who fork out hard earned cash to watch their team and star players deserved to know what was going on and when he was likely to return to action.
Murray was speaking to the Guardian newspaper ahead of his 30th Birthday and Munster’s Champions Cup Semi-Final v Saracens this weekend.
“I took a few bangs against Australia in the deciding Test last June”
“I was a bit sore the next day but nothing that would ring alarm bells. We went to the States, came home and I was fine driving to a wedding. But I had hiccups and felt a muscle go, like a tear. I thought: ‘Gee that’s sore.’ “
“But it died down, I went to the wedding and played golf the next day. Then the second morning I woke up and couldn’t move. My neck was in spasm. The physios agreed the disc was on the edge of slipping and maybe the hiccup shifted it.
“I didn’t want to release anything,” he continued, explaining why he left the public in the dark over what had happened.
“It was my decision because the medical staff didn’t know how long it would last or what needed to be done. In that window there’s a void and people fill it with gossip. But as long as my family and I, my coaches and teammates, knew exactly what was going on, I was fine.
“In that three-week void, WhatsApp groups flicked them all over the country. Even my friends in London or abroad heard rumours and sent them to me. Steroids, a failed drug test or the injury’s so terrible he’s retiring.
“It’s the right of the player to withhold whatever he wants but I now think there’s a responsibility, especially at Munster where rugby means so much. I know how much the season ticket holders pay, so they deserve to know when players will be back.”
It’s been 11 years since Munster last lifted the European Cup. In 2008 Munster toppled Toulouse in Cardiff. Munster and Ireland legends such as Paul O’Connell, Alan Quinlan, Ronan O’Gara & Peter Stringer lined out that day to taste European Glory but Murray is yet to achieve that honour and is hungry for success.
“It would be incredible,” he said. “I’ve been lucky with Lions tours and Six Nations wins and I wouldn’t trade them. But winning the European Cup with Munster would be unbelievable. It means the world to me.”
“As a young fella, my thing was the Heineken Cup. Wow. I was there with my dad when Munster won it the first time in Cardiff in 2006. And I watched the 2008 final on the big screen in Limerick. There were tens of thousands and I was blown away.
“I also remember going into school after Munster lost semis and finals and people spoke about how they were crying at home. Munster and the European Cup is instilled in you. It means an awful lot here.”
You can relive the 2008 Victory with highlights below:
