Richie Murphy: 'It's been a little bit of an unsettling period'
For new Ulster Rugby boss Richie Murphy, coaching is very much a vocation. It can mean long hours and plenty of pressure, but he wouldn’t rather be making a living any other way.
Murphy has been coaching for some 25 years, having started out in his late 20s after a knee injury curtailed his playing career as a goal-kicking fly-half.
Now he’s a month into a new role at the helm of Ulster, having come on board in the wake of Dan McFarland’s departure.
It’s a position that comes with a lot of scrutiny, especially when results don’t go your way. But, as for whether he is still enjoying coaching as much as ever, he instantly replies: “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t!
“I love rugby. The idea of working in an office job doesn’t really appeal to me.
“I have no problem being on my laptop at 10 o’clock at night and then getting up at 6 o’clock in the morning and going to work.
“It’s probably a bit of a vocation all right, coaching rugby.
“But it’s something that I really enjoy.
“Being around the players on a daily basis keeps you young and I am definitely excited to see what we can do over the next while.”
Born and raised in county Wicklow, Murphy played at No 10 for Greystones, Clontarf, Carlow and Old Belvedere, while also representing Leinster.
With his knee problem forcing a change of direction, he began coaching at club level.
From 2003, he worked for the IRFU, initially at development and Academy level before being brought in as a kicking coach at Leinster.
He then spent the best part of a decade as a member of the Ireland coaching team, going on to take charge of the U20s in 2021, winning successive Six Nations Grand Slams and reaching the World Championship final last year.
Now he’s embarking on a new challenge in Belfast.
“It’s definitely a different role,” he says. “But the U20s was a really good stepping stone for coming up here in terms of shaping the way I wanted it and forming a very tight bond between the players.
“That gave me a lot of confidence stepping into a role like this.”
The 54-year-old Murphy could hardly have had a more testing initiation in his new job.
First there were two BKT URC games out in South Africa – hard-fought defeats against the Hollywoodbets Sharks (22-12) and the DHL Stormers (13-7).
Then came successive trips to France in the EPCR Challenge Cup – a notable 40-17 last 16 victory away to Montpellier followed by a 53-14 quarter-final exit at the hands of Clermont Auvergne.
“It definitely feels like it was a tough start, even just to be away for those four weeks,” says Murphy.
Now Ulster are back on home soil and back on BKT URC duty, with Cardiff Rugby the visitors to the Kingspan Stadium on Friday night.
“We are coming off the back of a difficult enough four weeks on the road – two weeks in South Africa and then two weeks back and forth to France,” said Murphy.
“It’s been a difficult period for players and staff and obviously with the turnover of coaching it’s been a little bit of an unsettling period.
“But I don’t think you get an easy week when you are in professional rugby. While we all love it, it is a bit of a grind. “You are turning up every week and trying to re-invent and add on so your team is always going forward.
“If you stand still, everyone else will go past you. It’s an interesting role.”
He continued: “We know what we need to do in relation to the next number of weeks and we are hoping to get a good start on Friday night.
“I’ve only been here four weeks, so we are at the very early stages of it, but everyone is pulling in the right direction and wants to see Ulster Rugby succeed.
“We have got some tough games coming up, but it’s also something to be excited about. We can go and chase trying to get into the quarter-finals.”
Ulster currently lie eighth in the table – the final play-off spot – with five rounds of matches to go.
“There are definitely two or three teams that are clearly out in front at the moment and everyone is trying to chase them,” said Murphy.
“You can see how tight it is from 11th up to fourth. There is probably a lot of movement going to happen over the next number of weeks.
“The competition is extremely strong, with big names and big opportunities to do things you don’t normally get to do.
“I spent my first two weeks in the job in South Africa. Going to Durban and playing the Sharks in their stadium, it’s an incredibly tough place to go at this time of year in the heat, but it’s also an incredible experience for young players to play there. The Stormers ground in Cape Town is also a very special place. The atmosphere and the games are very different to what we have up here.”
Murphy’s title is interim head coach, so does he have ambitions to continue in the role beyond this season?
“I have loved my time with the U20s and would be quite happy to go back to them if that happens,” he replies.
“But I’m also very keen on the idea of a longer term thing in Ulster. It’s a job that I’d really like to do and I suppose that will come down to whether Ulster want me or not.”
Comments on RugbyPass
How did it end a draw. South Africa didn’t score any points as far as I can see
2 Go to commentsNo doubt this will be a fantastic occasion and I plan to be there, but I think the bean counters have won out over the rugby brains. In my opinion, it is foolhardy to give the Black Ferns the experience of playing in front of 60,000+ at Twickenham a year before they might be playing there in a World Cup Final. Better to play France at Twickenham and Black Ferns at Kingsholm. The difference in takings would be miniscule.
1 Go to commentsDom kant
191 Go to commentsBen is a little incel desperately trying to stir the pot and stay relevant. We used to get mad at his articles. Now we just feel sorry for him
191 Go to commentsPerhaps we may need to put an asterisk on NZ’s ‘87 WC win since the Boks weren’t there. You know, just as a reminder. Poor Ben Smith. Go cry somewhere else.
191 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
2 Go to commentsThanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
2 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
2 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
191 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to commentsClose games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
191 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
156 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
191 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
191 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
191 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
191 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
191 Go to comments