OBITUARY: Con Murphy, who died yesterday, holds a unique place in the annals of Irish rugby, being the only man to have been capped for Ireland prior to and after the second World War. He was 88.
He made his international debut in 1939 when he played in all three championship matches - Ireland beat England and Scotland but lost the Triple Crown match to Wales. War then called a halt to all official internationals until 1946-47. But when internationals were resumed, while Con was now well over 30, it was he who filled the full-back berth against France in January 1947 and he was named captain of the team. He was captain again against England a fortnight later when Ireland scored a famous 22-0 win, a victory that is still the most comprehensive Ireland has attained against England.
But that was to be his last appearance in the Ireland jersey, for despite leading the team to that record win, he was dropped for the next match against Scotland. He retired the following season.
There is no doubt the war deprived him of many caps, but he played for the Irish XV four times against the British Services side - the nearest approach to internationals during the war years - and played in all four unofficial matches (known as "victory internationals") in 1946. He also played for the Barbarians.
A very accomplished all-round sportsman, he was also a junior soccer international and a talented golfer.
Born in September 1914, he was educated at CUS and joined Lansdowne after leaving school. For the next 70 years, Con devoted much of his life to Lansdowne and the club has never had a more loyal and dedicated servant.
He made his senior debut for Lansdowne as a teenager in 1933. He held down the full-back berth on the team for the next 14 seasons. He made his debut for Leinster in 1937 and for the next 10 years was first choice for the province.
He was twice captain of Lansdowne in 1939-40 and in 1944-45 and was president of the club in 1966-67. But his contribution to Lansdowne went way beyond that. It was said of Con that not alone did he not miss a Lansdowne match for 50 years after he retired as a player, but never missed a training session
He was a revered figure to generations of Lansdowne players. For 50 years he acted as touch judge for the senior side, filled the role of team manager and was PRO for many years. He was ideally suited to those positions with his friendly and affable manner. His outstanding contribution to the game was recognised when he was inducted into the Rugby Writers of Ireland-Guinness Hall of Fame.
- Edmund Van Esbeck
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