Birth name | Jordi Murphy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 22 April 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Barcelona, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 106 kg (16 st 10 lb; 234 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Blackrock College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Jordi Murphy (born 22 April 1991) was an Irish international rugby player. He played for provincial and United Rugby Championship side Ulster as a loose forward, and played for the Ireland national rugby union team.
Murphy was born in Barcelona to Irish parents, Conor Murphy and Nicola Carroll. [2] He was named after Catalonia's patron saint St. Jordi, [3] a decision which was influenced by the nurses on duty the night of his birth as the following day was the St Jordi's Day festival. [3] Murphy moved to Dublin at the age of nine where he attended Willow Park primary school. [2]
Murphy played rugby with Blackrock and was part of a successful junior side which won the Leinster Schools Junior Cup in 2006 against Gonzaga College. [4] He later went on to captain the senior side who won the Leinster Senior Cup in 2009. [5] Blackrock triumphed over Terenure in the final with an 18–9 victory making it their 66th senior title. [6]
Murphy was part of the Leinster Academy and played for Leinster A on 18 occasions representing them in British and Irish Cup and against the other three provinces. [5]
At the beginning of the 2011–12 Pro 12 League season Leinster had 14 players unavailable for selection as they were representing Ireland in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. [7] With a depleted squad and some impressive displays this led to Murphy getting his first senior appearance in their third game of the season. The match was a 19–23 home defeat against Scottish side Glasgow Warriors with Murphy coming on as substitute in the 45th minute replacing Dominic Ryan. [8] In the following league match on 24 September 2011 he made his first competitive start for Leinster in 15–10 away victory against Scarlets in which Fijian Isa Nacewa scored all of the Leinster points. [9] The match was Scarlets 5000th game in the region's 139-year history. [10]
Murphy scored his first try for the province against Cardiff Blues in a nine try victory. [11] In the same match he also picked up the man-of-the-match award. [11] On 15 December 2012, he made his Heineken Cup debut late on against Clermont Auvergne, replacing injured team-mate Shane Jennings. [12] Towards the end of the season he was named Powerade Young Player of the Year at Leinster Rugby's Annual Awards Ceremony held at the Mansion House in Dublin. [13] Only a matter of days later Murphy captained Leinster 'A' to victory over Newcastle Falcons in the final of the British and Irish Cup. [14]
Murphy moved to Ulster for the 2018–2019 season. [15] In his first season with the province he made 18 appearances and 227 tackles, with a 94% tackle success rate. [16] He made 16 appearances in 2019–2020. [1] He sustained in injury in May 2021 during a Pro14 Rainbow Cup match against Munster, which kept him out until February 2022. [17]
In April 2023, Murphy announced his retirement from professional rugby at the end of the 2022–23 season. [18]
Murphy represented Ireland at Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 levels. [5] In the summer of 2013 Murphy was selected for an Emerging Ireland squad for the 2013 IRB Tbilisi Cup. [19] He went on to play in all three matches against Georgia, South Africa President's XV and Uruguay. [20] [21] [22] Ireland ended the competition as runners-up with Murphy providing an assist in the final match for a Niall Annett try. [22]
He gained his first senior cap for Ireland as a second-half replacement against England at Twickenham in the 2014 RBS 6 Nations on 22 February 2014, winning further caps that year against Italy (8 March) and Argentina (7 June and 14 June). He was a member of Ireland's successful 2015 Six Nations squad, starting in two test matches (Italy, England) and coming on as a replacement against France, Wales and Scotland during that campaign. In September 2015 he was selected as a member of the 31-man Ireland squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Murphy scored Ireland's first try in the historic 40–29 defeat of New Zealand – then back-to-back world champions – on 5 November 2016 at Soldier Field, Chicago, but was stretchered off later in the game with what proved to be an ACL injury to his left knee. [23]
Despite returning to the national team, scoring a try in the final warm-up game (against Italy) [24] prior to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, coach Joe Schmidt did not select Murphy as part of the squad for Japan, opting instead to fill the final back-row slot with Murphy's former Leinster teammate, Rhys Ruddock. [25] However he was subsequently drafted into the squad, arriving in Japan on 29 September, following the broken foot that Jack Conan suffered in training. [26] Murphy slotted straight into the No. 8 role for Ireland's 35–0 win over Russia, but was taken off after 27 minutes, with Ireland up 14–0, following a dislocated rib, [27] and was replaced by CJ Stander. [28]
Murphy studied business at Dublin Institute of Technology. [29] In 2009 he received Blackrock's sports personality of the year award presented to him by Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll. [30] He is the grandson of Irish Olympian, Noel Carroll. [31] Murphy became a father with the birth of his daughter, Lily, on 11 December 2020. [32]
Club | Season | Pro14/Rainbow Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Tries | Pts | Apps | Tries | Pts | Apps | Tries | Pts | ||
Leinster | 2011–12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
2012–13 | 15 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 15 | |
2013–14 | 18 | 5 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 21 | 8 | 40 | |
2014–15 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 10 | |
2015–16 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 10 | |
2016–17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
2017–18 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 3 | 15 | |
Ulster | 2018–19 | 11 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 15 |
2019–20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 5 | |
2020–21 | 12 | 4 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 20 | |
2021–22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
2022–23 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 5 | |
Career total | 128 | 22 | 110 | 43 | 5 | 25 | 171 | 27 | 135 |
Leinster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
Ronan John Ross O'Gara is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. O'Gara played as a fly-half and is Ireland's second most-capped player and second highest points scorer. He is currently head coach of La Rochelle in the French Top 14.
The Leinster Schools Senior Challenge Cup is the premier rugby union competition for secondary schools affiliated to the Leinster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), and was first held in 1887.
Cian Eoin James Healy is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Leinster and the Ireland national team.
Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton is an Irish former professional rugby union player who played as a fly-half and captained the Ireland national team from 2019 until 2023. He also played club rugby for Leinster and Racing 92.
Donnacha Ryan is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. Ryan spent most of his career representing his native province Munster, spending 13 seasons at the club, before moving to French club Racing 92 in 2017, where he spent the final four seasons of his playing career before retiring and joining the coaching team at La Rochelle ahead of the 2021–22 season. He played primarily as a lock, but could also play as a flanker.
Niall Ronan is a retired Irish rugby union player, who played for Leinster, Munster and Ireland during his career. He played as a flanker.
The IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series, previously known as the IWRFU Interprovincial Championship, is the top level women's rugby union competition in Ireland. It is organised by the Irish Rugby Football Union. It is the women's equivalent of the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. The competition takes place every December and features four teams representing Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The competition effectively acts as a selection trials process for the Ireland women's national rugby union team that competes in the subsequent Women's Six Nations Championship. Since 2016 the IRFU has also organised a similar under 18s competition.
Felix Jones is an Irish rugby union coach and former player. He played primarily as a fullback, but could also play on the wing. In October 2015, Jones was forced to retire from rugby due to a neck injury. He moved into coaching after retiring from playing, and is currently a coach with the South Africa national team. He is the great grandson of Alfred Edwin Jones.
The Irish Exiles is a rugby union representative team featuring players selected from the Irish diaspora, many based in Great Britain. The team was established in 1989 by Tom Kiernan. It was officially recognised by the Irish Rugby Football Union and during the 1990s was effectively a fifth provincial team along with Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht. Between 1992 and 1993 and 1995–96 the Irish Exiles entered the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. The Irish Exiles also acts as an academy system for players from the Irish diaspora who wish to play for the men's national team and other IRFU national teams including the women's national team, the men's sevens team and the women's sevens team.
Andrew Joseph Conway is a former Irish rugby union player who played as a wing or fullback for United Rugby Championship club Munster.
Tadhg Vincent Furlong is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Leinster and the Ireland national team.
Fiona Coghlan is a former Ireland women's rugby union international. Coghlan represented Ireland at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Women's Rugby World Cups. She also captained the Ireland team that won the 2013 Women's Six Nations Championship. In 2013 Coghlan was named The Irish Times / Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Year after captaining Ireland to their first ever Six Nations, Grand Slam and Triple Crown titles. Coghlan was a member of the first Ireland teams to defeat France, England and New Zealand. She was the Ireland captain on the latter two occasions. In addition to captaining Ireland, Coghlan also captained her club team, UL Bohemians, her provincial team, Leinster and was captain of the first ever Barbarians women's team.
Sophie Spence is a former Ireland women's rugby union international. Spence represented Ireland at the 2014 and 2017 Women's Rugby World Cups. Spence was a member of the first Ireland teams to defeat England and New Zealand. She was also a member of the Ireland teams that won the 2013 and 2015 Women's Six Nations Championships. Spence is a British Nigerian who qualified to represent Ireland through her mother, who was originally from Lisburn, County Antrim.
Barry Daly is a retired rugby union player who last played for Leinster. He also played for UCD in the All Ireland League. Daly was awarded his first fully professional contract ahead of the 2016–17 season.
The 2017–18 PRO14 was the seventeenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It is the first season to be referred to as the Guinness PRO14 Championship, with the addition of two South African teams.
Hannah Tyrrell is an Ireland women's rugby union international. Tyrrell represented Ireland at the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. She was also a member of the Ireland team that won the 2015 Women's Six Nations Championship. Tyrrell is also an Ireland women's rugby sevens international. She has also played two other football codes at a senior level. As a women's association football player, Tyrrell played for St Catherine's in two FAI Women's Cup finals and played for Shamrock Rovers in the Women's National League. She also plays senior Ladies' Gaelic football for Dublin in the Ladies' National Football League.
Jeamie Deacon, also referred to as Jamie Deacon, is an Ireland women's rugby union international and an Ireland women's rugby sevens international. Deacon represented Ireland at the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. Deacon is also a former Ireland women's field hockey international. Between 2007 and 2009 she was named three times as an NFHCA All-American while playing field hockey for Michigan State Spartans. She also won Irish Senior Cup and Women's Irish Hockey League titles with UCD.
The 2020–21 PRO14 was the twentieth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the fourth season to be referred to as the PRO14.
Connacht Rugby and Leinster Rugby are two Irish rugby union provincial teams that possess a rivalry that dates back to their IRFU Interprovincial Championship clashes during the amateur era. That rivalry has continued and even intensified since the emergence of the professional era in the late 1990s. Connacht and Leinster comprise two of the four Irish provincial teams competing in the Pro14. As such, the two sides regularly face each other during the regular season, and occasionally during the knock-out rounds.