Johne making a name for himself

Pool Six: John O'Sullivanon how the unusually-monickered Irishman has belatedly made a mark at Leicester

What's in a name? In the case of Leicester Tigers wing Johne Murphy, it's a curiosity that suggests an affectation in spelling but the truth is a great deal more mundane. Christened John after his father, his mother needed a way to differentiate between the two and so opted to refer to her son as Johne as his middle name was Edmund.

The media tend to adapt his name to the phonetic "Johnny" and spell it accordingly; but not any more having been appraised of its origins.

It's not the only thing that makes the 23-year-old Naas-born, Newbridge College-educated, Ireland A international stand out in his playing career.

In his third season at the Tigers, he has enjoyed more game time for the first team than any other player at the club. This may be partially attributable to a long-term injury to Alex Tuilagi and the broken nose sustained by Seru Rabeni a fortnight ago but it also illustrates the esteem in which he is held at Welford Road.

"I suppose I have only missed one game this season, away to Toulouse, and it's probably down to versatility in terms of being able to play fullback, wing and even centre. Alex being injured has given me more opportunities but my goal at the start of the season had been to make the match squads: I like to think I would have accomplished that anyway."

A friendship with Geordan Murphy's younger brother and a conversation with the Ireland fullback pre-empted a trial period at Welford Road three seasons ago. He hasn't looked back. "I had been playing rugby from the age of eight at the local club, Cill Dara, and after finishing at Newbridge College went to study Arts at UCD.

"I played with Lansdowne for three years and during that period I managed to get a Leinster Under-21 cap. There was a game between the Leinster Academy and the Leicester Academy and Geordie had said that if I was playing he would get Leicester to have a look at me. I was invited for a three-week trial that was extended to a year.

"At the end of my first year I tore my cruciate knee ligament and that required surgery so my progress was hampered but the club was very supportive."

Their faith has been rewarded as Murphy initially impressed in the A team the following season before breaking into the first team panel.

It culminated last summer in his selection for the Ireland A squad that competed in the Churchill Cup, playing on the wing against the New Zealand Maoris and fullback in the Bowl game against Scotland. He'll be hoping to continue his career at that level if he's chosen to face the England Saxons on Friday, February 1st.

The game takes place at Welford Road but it'll be the first time Murphy will have a reason to sit in the away dressingroom. His immediate priority is tomorrow's game against Leinster in the Tigers' den.

"There is a massive amount of pride at stake and we definitely want to finish second in the pool," he says.

"To be honest, Leicester was a pretty miserable place to be when we returned to training after our defeat against Edinburgh. We let ourselves and the fans down in that game. Leinster bullied us at the RDS, set the tone in terms of the physicality that day, and sent us back where we came from.

"The match offers us an opportunity to take a positive step forward with regard to the rest of the season. We are third in the Premiership and in the semi-finals of the EDF Cup. On a personal level I am concentrating on trying to improve as a player."

Murphy's contract is up at the end of the season and he's aware of interest from several parties but for now, he's happy to keep focusing on doing what he does best: playing rugby.