A purgatorial day in Cardiff city centre. Sexton watch is well under way. He worked his adductor at training in Sofia Gardens and reportedly ran 3.5km.
Donnacha Ryan, Jordi Murphy, Nathan White and Keith Earls were in front of the microphones – all of them were under instructions not to speak about the Sean O'Brien case.
No additional oxygen for the one-week suspension which caused consternation across the non-Irish rugby community as Scottish pair Jonny Gray and Ross Ford are banned from the remainder of the tournament for tip-tackling a Samoan.
The general vibe coming from Ireland about O'Brien only missing the World Cup quarter-final is that it's not worth appealing as it could have been worse, especially considering the noises made by France. The minimum suspension should have been a fortnight but O'Brien's good behaviour saw a week shaved off.
This creates a domino effect, which way remains open to conjecture.
Rhys Ruddock bounded into Sofia Gardens yesterday morning; a natural-born blindside flanker who 11 months ago was honing in on a starting Ireland jersey when impressing, albeit at openside, in that defeat of the Springboks.
Wear seven
The same day
Chris Henry
had a stroke. The Ulster flanker now seems nailed on to wear seven against
Argentina
on Sunday.
Jamie Heaslip
will be the number eight so long as he can lace his boots with number six filled by either Iain Henderson, Ruddock or Murphy.
Henderson will start, be it in the second row alongside Devin Toner or Donnacha Ryan’s promotion will see him fill the role of fallen colossus Peter O’Mahony.
Jordi Murphy will feature at some stage. Not much ruffles Jordi’s feathers. A phenomenal schoolboy captain from Blackrock College’s superb 2009 outfit, Henry’s form and O’Brien’s fitness have thus far reduced his World Cup interests to an 80-minute hit out at six during the 44-10 defeat of Romania.
“If I get a chance I’m looking to take it with both hands. It’s exciting being involved and that Romania game was great but there is a tough side to it as well, training away and not getting as many games on the weekend but it’s been said, and I’ll back it up, it’s a big squad effort.”
He has been forced into doing Sergio Parisse and Thierry Dusautoir impressions in training.
“I thought I did alright (against Romania), didn’t play out of my skin, and the coaches went with a different team a week after and I had to take that and support the lads.”
That can’t have been easy for this 24-year-old high achiever.
“I’m not one, when told I’m not involved, to go around with a huff on me. I’ve got to do everything I can to make the boys the best prepared team on the weekend by simulating the attacks they would face for the defences.”
This week he’s probably Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe while being able to be a little bit more of Jordi Murphy as well.
His is a modern Irish rugby players’ record – in 13 caps (six starts), he’s been on the winning side 10 times for a 76.92 win percentage.
Murphy’s an inch smaller than O’Mahony’s 6ft 3in frame and only few kilograms heavier so he might be employed in the lineout capacity all but perfected by the Munster captain in recent weeks.
“It’s one of the parts, if anything, I’ve tried to emulate from Peter. That’s definitely one of the things that he brings to the squad, that expressivity in the air and read time. I’ve been trying to learn from him in the last while. If I get a go hopefully I will be able to do it justice.”
Born in Barcelona to Irish parents, a day before St Jordi’s day, he’s “pretty fluent” in Spanish.
“I suppose if I hear a trigger call that might be at the front of the lineout...I might have a word.”
Either way, Murphy has an idea of what to expect on Sunday after touring Argentina in June 2014.
“I got my third and fourth caps (on that tour). Obviously an abrasive and dangerous team. We went over there and they would have been missing a few of their starters but a lot of other players stepped up.
“Like, for example, (Nicolas) Sanchez was in and around the team but he was pretty outstanding. I just remember having a sore body after the two games. I would be expecting not much difference this weekend, if I get a go.”
Purgatory for all. Waiting for St Peter to smile and call you through the gate. Or down to the valley below.
