Getting To Know Ryan Murphy

As he enters year three of the Munster Academy programme we talk to Ryan Murphy about his return to the rugby routine and hopes for the coming season.

A back-row forward, Ryan played his schools rugby with Presentation Brothers College, Cork and captained the side to a Schools Cup Final in 2011 against Rockwell. Representing Ireland at U18 Schools and U19, he also played in the 2013 U20s RBS 6 Nations and subsequent Junior World Championship in France the following June.

After securing a place in the Greencore Munster Academy at the start of the 2012/13 season, Ryan made his first appearance at Munster A level in November 2012 in an Interpro game against Leinster and has gone on to make five British & Irish Cup appearances.

Returning this summer after a four week break the Dolphin RFC man and his academy colleagues began pre-season training on Monday and despite the month long break, it wasn’t long before the Cork forward was itching to get his heart rate up in the gym.

“You take about a week and a half off before the guilt begins to build and then you start tipping away, getting back into it, because the last thing you want to do is come back in an absolute state. Minding yourself in your down time makes all the difference when you return to training.

“This week was pretty light to ease us back into it. We had a fitness test just to get our bearings and next week we’ll hit it all guns blazing. You find that after one day you are back into your normal routine – making sure you’re fresh, eating healthily and foam rolling before sessions. After all it is what you’re used to.”

Just like all professional athletes, Ryan knows the importance of complementing training with good nutrition.

“I always have breakfast two hours before training to make sure it’s fully settled so I don’t feel uneasy while running. It’s important to get a good solid meal and breakfast time and have some top-up meals pre-prepared which I can eat between various sessions each day. I then have a shake straight after the last session and eat a good meal once I get home.”

So how does entering year three compare to previous years for Ryan?

“When going on to year three of the academy there is the added pressure of it being the final year – are you going to be able to step up and get the Development contract or will you have to look elsewhere at the end of the season? You can use this as a motivator but to a degree you also need to keep it to the back of your mind so you are fully concentrated on training well.

Ryan also believes that his time in the academy has made him a more rounded individual as well as a better rugby player.

“We’ve had a lot of one on one sessions aimed at getting a proper life balance between training, family and college. Just recently I completed a college course and am looking to do another after the summer. Combining training with study has been great, preparing me for more aspects of life going forward.”

With the seven academy representatives included in this year’s Ireland U20s squad for the Junior World Championship in New Zealand, Ryan reflects on his own JWC campaign in 2013 and how it benefited his rugby career.

“It was huge, you get to pit yourself up against the best players in the world at your level. We had a tough pool last year with Australia, New Zealand and Fiji so it was backs to the wall from the outset. While not as physically demanding as the AIL because you were not tackling gown men, the pace of the game was so much faster.

“I remember ten minutes into our first game against Australia, waiting for a second wind that almost never came. It was not as stop start as what we were used to, instead it was constant intensity, undoubtedly aiding our conditioning and opening our eyes as to what’s required at top level rugby.”

Finally we asked the former PBC schools captain what aspect of his game he planned to focus on specifically this season.

“There’s not any one area in particular. On a general scale of things you want to raise the level of all aspects of your game, to make sure the coach can’t come to you and say this is why you you’re not being picked or why you will not be given a Development contract. You want to make sure you have everything down to a T and to kick on from there.”

Ryan and the rest of the Academy players will train with the Munster Rugby Senior squad next week when the first group of players return.