With the return of the URC this weekend, also came the birth of a possible new Irish rugby dynasty, as Ulster head coach Richie Murphy and his two sons delivered outstanding performances across Irish rugby on Saturday.
While Richie's achievement with Ulster against the reigning URC Champions was no mean feat, the former Ireland U20s coach was full of praise for his two sons who also delivered outstanding performances.
It was a night remember for Richie's eldest son Ben, as his opening half performance delivered two tries and set up another in a narrow loss to Munster in Thomond Park.
While Ben's two-try debut may not have been enough to secure the win, his younger brother Jack made sure to make it 2/3 wins for the Murphy clan, as he starred for Queens in their AIL win over Shannon.
Jack who had made headlines as the starting out half for the Ireland U20s last season, kicked two conversions as Queens beat Shannon 19-13 in a tense AIL 1B game.
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Richie Murphy Hails sons after impressive day for the family
After capping off his two son's impressive performances, with a win of his own in Belfast, Murphy was full of praise for the two lads.
I was at the Queens game, so I saw that. That was a great win for them against Shannon in the AIL, a lot of our academy players were playing in it, so it was nice to get along and get a look at them.
Ben's game I haven't seen but my phone blew up about ten minutes into the game so I knew something was going on, so I was kind of following like that but I wasn't watching it. Delighted for him, I think they narrowly lost in the end which is a pity and I know he won't be happy because of that.
"Honestly, I thought it was incredible the way the lads just stuck at it!" 🗣️@UlsterRugby head coach Richie Murphy speaks with our studio panel after tonight's late victory against Glasgow Warriors ⚪ pic.twitter.com/ZPBCw3jw2I
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) September 21, 2024
The performance of his two sons was capped off by an outstanding outing from Ulster, who delivered a defiant performance to overcome Glasgow.
Despite having much of Ravenhill on the edge of their seats for the final minutes in Belfast, Murphy's young side which featured no fewer than four debutants, managed to hold Glasgow at bay and secure a one-point, 20-19 win.
Speaking to the Premier Sports panel after the game, Murphy hailed his side's ability to dig deep.
I thought it was incredible the way the lads just stuck at it.
We didn’t play our best rugby by a long way. We were put under a lot of pressure from a really good Glasgow team, but we stuck in it, which is something we are trying to build, and to get the win at the end was really special.
The lads rolled up their sleeves and, in the end, got the job done. I’m really happy to come away with the win because we were playing against a really good side. But we are going to have to learn quickly, because that’s not going to be good enough on most nights.
While the opening win was a welcome improvement in Belfast, Ulster's journey is getting no easier, with a two-game tour of South Africa next on the cards, where they'll be without many of the youngest stars who'll be taking part in the Emerging Ireland tour.
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