Conor Murray facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Conor Murray

Murray representing Ireland during the Six Nations
Full name	Gerard Conor Murray
Date of birth	(1989-04-20) 20 April 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth	Limerick, Ireland
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	93 kg (205 lb; 14 st 9 lb)
School	St Munchin's College
University	University of Limerick
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2010- Munster 199 (195) Correct as of 18 January 2025 National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2009 Ireland U20 8 (24) 2011– Ireland 121 (115) 2013–2021 British & Irish Lions 8 (5) Correct as of 23 November 2024

Gerard Conor Murray (born 20 April 1989) is a famous Irish rugby union player. He plays as a scrum-half for the United Rugby Championship team Munster and for the Ireland national team. He is known for his amazing skills and leadership on the field.

Early Life and School Rugby

Conor Murray was born in Limerick, Ireland. He went to St Munchin's College, where he played rugby. He was on the same school team as his future Munster and Ireland teammate, Keith Earls.

Playing for Munster Rugby

Conor Murray started his professional rugby career with Munster. He made his first game appearance for them in April 2010.

First Years with Munster (2010-2015)

In his first full season, Conor won the John McCarthy Award for Academy Player of the Year. He quickly became an important player for Munster. He played in the Heineken Cup, which is a big European club competition. He even won "Man-of-the-Match" awards for his great performances.

In 2011, Munster won the Celtic League Grand Final, and Conor was a key player in that victory. He scored his first try for Munster in 2012. He helped Munster reach the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup in 2013.

Conor signed a new contract with Munster and the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) in 2013. He won the 2014 Munster Senior Player of the Year Award, showing how important he was to the team. He also captained Munster in a game in 2014.

Conor Murray playing scrum-half for Munster, with teammate Simon Zebo.

Later Years with Munster (2016-Present)

Conor continued to be a star player for Munster. In 2016, he signed another three-year contract. He scored two tries in a game against Edinburgh in 2016.

In 2017, Conor won the Rugby Players Ireland Players' Player of the Year Award. This award is voted for by other players, so it's a huge honour! He also played his 100th game for Munster in the 2017 Pro12 Grand Final.

He kept playing well, even scoring a try in a big European Champions Cup quarter-final win in 2018. In 2021, he played his 150th game for Munster. In 2023, Conor helped Munster win the United Rugby Championship final against the Stormers.

Playing for Ireland

Conor Murray has also had an amazing career playing for the Ireland national team.

Early Ireland Career (2011-2014)

Conor first joined Ireland's training squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He made his debut for Ireland in August 2011 against France. He then played in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, starting in some important games.

He played in the 2012 Six Nations Championship, but an injury kept him out for some time. He scored his first try for Ireland against New Zealand in 2012. Conor continued to be the main scrum-half for Ireland in the following years.

In 2014, Conor was a key player when Ireland won the Six Nations Championship. This was a big achievement for the team.

Ireland's Success (2015-Present)

Conor was part of the Ireland team that won the 2015 Six Nations Championship again in 2015, making it back-to-back wins! He also played in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, scoring a try against France.

In 2016, Conor scored a try in Ireland's historic win against New Zealand in Chicago. This was Ireland's first ever win against the All Blacks! He continued to earn "Man-of-the-Match" awards for his great play.

A huge moment came in 2018 when Conor started every game as Ireland won a Grand Slam in the 2018 Six Nations Championship. This means they won every single game in the tournament! He also helped Ireland win a series against Australia for the first time in 2018.

Conor Murray playing for Ireland during a 2023 Six Nations match against Italy.

Conor played in the 2019 Rugby World Cup and continued to be a regular starter for Ireland under new coach Andy Farrell. He was even named in World Rugby's Men's 15s Team of the Decade for 2010–2019, which is a massive honour!

In 2022, Conor earned his 100th cap (game appearance) for Ireland against South Africa. This is a huge milestone for any rugby player. He also helped Ireland win their first ever series in New Zealand, which was an incredible achievement. In 2023, he was part of the Ireland team that won another Grand Slam in the 2023 Six Nations Championship. He also played in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Playing for the British & Irish Lions

Conor Murray has been chosen to play for the British & Irish Lions three times. This team is made up of the best players from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

Lions Tours (2013, 2017, 2021)

He was first selected for the Lions tour to Australia in 2013. He played in several tour games and came off the bench in the test matches, helping the Lions win the series.

In 2017, he went on his second Lions tour, this time to New Zealand. He started in all three test matches against the All Blacks. He even scored a try in the second test, helping the Lions win a historic game against New Zealand. The series ended in a draw.

Conor was chosen for his third Lions tour in 2021, to South Africa. He was even named the new captain for a short time after the original captain got injured, which he called an "unbelievable honour." He played in the test matches, helping the Lions win a test against South Africa. This made him one of only ten players to have won a Lions test match against Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Gaelic Football Background

Before becoming a professional rugby player, Conor Murray also played Gaelic football. He played for local teams like Patrickswell and for Limerick in youth competitions. This shows he was a talented athlete from a young age!

International Tries

Here are some of the tries Conor Murray has scored for Ireland and the British & Irish Lions:

Try	Opposing team	Location	Venue	Competition	Date	Result
1	New Zealand	Christchurch	Rugby League Park	2012 Ireland Tour	16 June 2012	Lost
2	New Zealand	Dublin	Aviva Stadium	2013 November Tests	24 November 2013	Lost
3	Italy	Rome	Stadio Olimpico	2015 Six Nations	7 February 2015	Won
4	France	Cardiff	Millennium Stadium	2015 Rugby World Cup	11 October 2015	Won
5	Wales	Dublin	Aviva Stadium	2016 Six Nations	7 February 2016	Drew
6	England	London	Twickenham Stadium	2016 Six Nations	27 February 2016	Lost
7	Scotland	Dublin	Aviva Stadium	2016 Six Nations	19 March 2016	Won
8	South Africa	Cape Town	Newlands Stadium	2016 Ireland Tour	11 June 2016	Won
9	New Zealand	Chicago	Soldier Field	2016 November Tests	5 November 2016	Won
10	France	Dublin	Aviva Stadium	2017 Six Nations	25 February 2017	Won
11	New Zealand	Wellington	Wellington Stadium	2017 British & Irish Lions Tour	1 July 2017	Won
12	Italy	Dublin	Aviva Stadium	2018 Six Nations	10 February 2018	Won
13	Scotland	Dublin	Aviva Stadium	2018 Six Nations	10 March 2018	Won
14	Scotland	Edinburgh	Murrayfield	2019 Six Nations	9 February 2019	Won
15	Italy	Rome	Stadio Olimpico	2019 Six Nations	24 February 2019	Won
16	Scotland	Dublin	Aviva Stadium	2022 Six Nations	19 March 2022	Won
17	Samoa	Bayonne	Stade Jean-Dauger	2023 RWC warm-up	26 August 2023	Won
18	South Africa	Pretoria	Loftus Versfeld	2024 Ireland rugby union tour of South Africa	6 July 2024	Lost
19	South Africa	Durban	Kings Park Stadium	2024 Ireland rugby union tour of South Africa	13 July 2024	Won

Awards and Honours

Conor Murray has won many awards throughout his career:

Team Honours

• Munster
  • United Rugby Championship:
    • Winner (2): 2010–11, 2022–23
• Ireland
  • Six Nations Championship:
    • Winner (5): 2014, 2015, 2018, 2023, 2024
  • Grand Slam (winning all Six Nations games):
    • Winner (2): 2018, 2023
  • Triple Crown (winning against England, Scotland, and Wales in the Six Nations):
    • Winner (3): 2018, 2022, 2023
• British & Irish Lions
  • Tours:
    • Tourist (3): 2013, 2017, 2021

Individual Awards

• Munster Rugby Player of the Year:
  • Winner (1): 2014
• Rugby Players Ireland Players' Player of the Year:
  • Winner (1): 2017
• Midi Olympique World Player of the Year:
  • Winner (1): 2018
• World Rugby Men's 15s Team of the Decade:
  • Winner (1): 2010–2019

See also

In Spanish: Conor Murray para niños