The Offload: Murray locks in progress; Ringrose shows class; Cheika’s latest success

Murray comes good

Mack Hansen commandeered the headlines for his two tries in Connacht’s 36-14 victory over the Scarlets at the Sportsground but one of his young team-mates, secondrow Niall Murray, has made a very impressive start to the United Rugby Championship.

The Athlone native followed on from a very good display against Leinster, in which he pinched some lineout ball, with another against the Scarlets. The 23-year-old former Ireland underage international lies third in the overall standings with four lineout steals, but there is so much more to his game as he demonstrated, not least his athletic quality and good hands.

Murray, whose younger brother Darragh is in the Connacht academy, played Gaelic football and soccer until the age of 16 before getting a trial with the Connacht Under-17 team, where he was asked to switch position mid-game. He started the match as a centre but was approached to play secondrow and hasn’t looked back. He is a fine prospect.

His sporting career might have taken a different path as a teenager. He explained previously in an interview: “I was offered to go to Florida to play Australian rules. I attended an AFL combine set up in Dublin by Tadhg Kennelly.

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“Three people were selected and I got chosen to go on the trip to Florida to play with the team during their pre-season. I eventually could have moved to Australia to play. I was playing with the [Connacht] U18′s at the time and was just starting up so I decided to keep going with rugby instead.”

If he continues to develop as a player with the same progress he has made to date, then Murray may soon attract the attention of the national selectors.

Ringrose a top all-rounder

Garry Ringrose has been in superb form this season. And the latest instalment, his performance in the victory over Munster. The 27-year-old offered an excellent all-round display in terms of attack and defence, while also managing a second cameo as a wing this season.

His footwork, acceleration and lines of running caused huge problems for Munster and provided his team with several great attacking positions; the only minor cavil that his tendency to step in rather than look out possibly cost his team an early try. He more than atoned with his overall display, a highlight of which was his beautifully timed run and offload, the definitive intervention in the build-up to Rob Russell’s try.

Ringrose was equally assured in defence, making several excellent reads, snuffing out counterattacking opportunities for Munster, one thumping tackle on Dan Goggin, a highlight. He’s selfless when it comes to the team and he’ll often force an opposing player back inside to blue-shirted tacklers when, within that context, can look like a missed tackle.

When Ciarán Frawley went off, Ringrose switched to the wing in the subsequent reshuffle, a position in which he came off the bench against the Sharks to score two tries and win the man of the match award. He won’t want it to be a permanent home but it does underline his quality as a player and a team man.

Check out Cheika

Former Leinster coach Michael Cheika has guided the Lebanon team to a Rugby League World Cup 32-14 pool match victory over Ireland. Cheika, who guided the Irish province to their first Heineken Cup win in 2009, during a five-year (2005-2010) spell in Dublin agreed to coach Lebanon in 2020 specifically for this tournament, the country where both of his parents were born before emigrating to Australia in the 1950s.

It is not his first foray into Rugby League as he had a consultancy role with the Sydney Roosters in 2020. Cheika, who was previously head coach at Leinster, Stade Francais, the Waratahs and Australia before taking over Argentina earlier this year — he was previously an assistant coach with the Pumas — said of his decision: “I think it is twofold, to be able to do something for Lebanon in that regard in my chosen area, which is footy, I think that is an opportunity that is too good to let go.

“Obviously my experience with the Roosters, it got me really interested in League and the technicalities and how they coach. To get the opportunity to go to two World Cups in different sports, it has really been great development for me and great learning.”

The squad which includes an NRL contingent of Mitchell Moses, Jacob Kiraz, Adam Doeuihi and James Roumanos among others, needed to beat Ireland having lost to New Zealand, albeit impressively 34-18. Ireland face New Zealand in their final game with it all to do to make the playoffs.

By the numbers

£500,000,000: The cumulative debt of the English Premiership rugby clubs with Wasps alone owing £112.3 million, while Bristol Bears were next with £51.2 million. The club with the least amount of debt is the Exeter Chiefs at £13 million.

In quotes

“Wasps’ demise is indicative of a wider issue. Clubs that have been able to be sustainable are the ones who have owned their own grounds. If you have your own stadium, you can control what goes on within its walls. There’s an important point to stress here: owners who buy clubs cannot do so for some moneymaking scheme. They must buy clubs because it’s their passion.” — Former Connacht, Wasps, Ireland, Wales, and Lions coach Warren Gatland.