Conor Murray ready to give Italians a pain in the neck

The Irish management have not yet assessed number eight Jamie Heaslip for Ireland's opening match of the Six Nations Championship against Italy. Training at their base in Kildare was postponed on Tuesday morning because of a frozen pitch, which delayed practice.

But Sean O'Brien is available for selection after his first match back against England Saxons last week and Conor Murray says he has no fear of facing a physical Italian pack following a disc problem in his neck.

"It's not possible to make that assessment (on Heaslip) until we train this afternoon and know where he is. Until that we can't make any call," forwards coach Simon Eastery explained this lunch-time.

O’Brien though faces fitness issues rather than any problems with his shoulders, which underwent reconstruction and have kept him out of the game for months.

"I think he's good," said Easterby of O'Brien. "In his own assessment he blew up a little bit (against Saxons). You would do, not having played a game or rugby for as long as he did. He's not a bad guy to have around now. Certainly having him in the mix for selection is not a bad thing especially after losing Chris Henry and Rhys Ruddock after the Autumn. Chris was ill and Rhys broke his arm."

Murray's availability is a huge boost for Joe Schmidt as he faced selecting an inexperienced halfback line. Scrumhalf Murray will partner either his Munster colleague Ian Keatley or Leinster's Ian Madigan.

As well as hurting his neck in a tackle against Zebre, Murray also sustained concussion. He is now fully recovered from both injuries.

“I got injured against Zebre with Munster in the Pro12 about four weeks ago now,” said Murray. “I just overextended it and required a couple of weeks out. It was probably a bit too soon for those two European games with Munster. I was probably a little bit touch and go, maybe could have got back.

“But speaking to the specialists and doctors, they advised against. So I’ve rehabbed it well, did a bit of contact on Friday in the Aviva, and did a bit more yesterday. I came through really well and I’m feeling good again. I’m fit to play.

“It was a disc problem in my neck, but it’s gone down. There was no hassle over that, it’s all settled down. It’s my first time. I kind of ran into a fella’s chest and just squashed myself, which wasn’t the smartest idea. I won’t be doing that again hopefully.”

Murray said that he has gone through all of the concussion protocols and done the necessary physical work to ensure his disc injury will not be a concern in a match expected to be incredibly physical. The Italian side traditionally come out strong in their first game of the championship.

“I’ve done my contact, I’ve done my bag work, I’ve tackled a few of the lads and I feel good,” said Murray. “I’ve gotten through that first contact fear, if you want to call it that.”

The number one pick at nine said that he had no concerns about who would be picked at outhalf for the match. While Keatley is the player he is more used to playing with at provincial level, Madigan was handed a chance to impress last week in Musgrave Park against England Saxons.

The Wolfhounds lost that scrappy match and while Madigan kicked well, it was a difficult match for him to control or shape as the England defence came up hard.

“The two Ians that might be going for the 10 spot this weekend, they’ve been in and out of the team in training,” said Murray. “They’ve been getting their reps in and doing really well and I’ve no issue with whoever gets picked.

“We all have our roles within the team, we all understand how Joe wants us to play the game and I don’t think it’s going to affect any of us, even the lads coming in. I don’t think anyone has to change the way they play or change the type of player they are. They can still express themselves, it’s just we have to have a good understanding of the game plan and how we want to approach this Italy game.”

Murray added that while the Irish squad did derive confidence from their wins against Australia and South Africa in the November Series, the landscape has changed and several new faces me be involved.

“I know you’ll say we are defending champions blah, blah, blah,” said Murray. “But this is a whole new season. There are potentially new players in our team. It’s going to be a completely different task and we’re in the right mindset for that.”