Why 'all business' Jordi Murphy deserved role as Ulster captain for win in Glasgow, explains Dan McFarland

Ulster coach impressed by his latest skipper's business-like approach

Well done: Ulster’s Craig Gilroy celebrates scoring their second try with captain Jordi Murphy

Jonathan Bradley of Belfast Telegraph (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

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February 22 2021 08:31 AM

The only time Jordi Murphy was asked to captain his native Leinster, the weather intervened and the game was postponed. He jokes now that by the time the fixture was rearranged the powers that be had come to their senses.

Taking the metaphorical armband for Ulster's 19-13 win over Glasgow was, therefore, the first time the Ireland international had skippered a side in his professional career.

Leading by example, the 29-year-old had a key hand in preserving the vital victory, snatching a turnover as the hosts tried to launch a last-minute comeback against Ulster's 14-men.

Going back to the sport's resumption in August, Murphy had found himself less involved than he'd likely have cared for, named on the bench for last season's PRO14 final and starting only four of the first nine games of this campaign.

But having built up a strong run of performances through December and January, Dan McFarland felt sure he'd earned the role of captain.

"He's been really good," said the head coach after Friday's win over his former employers.

"He was outstanding over the Christmas period. We went to Connacht missing a lot of senior players through injury and we needed guys like Jordi to stand up. I thought he was absolutely outstanding that night.

"He's played a lot of good, front-foot ball this last while, both in attack and defence and he's getting a few turnovers."

With Iain Henderson having spent most of the season on international duty or out with injury, Sam Carter, Billy Burns and Alan O'Connor have also filled in for the club captain at one time or another during this campaign.

McFarland stresses the key thing he asks of his rotating skippers is that they lead in their own way.

"The common word is authentic - basically be yourself, don't try and be somebody else," said the coach. "You're asked to be a captain for a reason and there are plenty of different characteristics that go into leadership.

"Alan O'Connor leads in one way and does that brilliantly, Iain Henderson leads in another and does that brilliantly.

"The bottom line is you need to influence the people around you and Jordi does that in his business-like way. He's very straight down the line. He knows what needs done, knows what needs done next and he knows his role.

"If he was a top-level employee somewhere, he would be coming in with a briefcase and a perfectly worn suit - all business.

"That's Jordi and it rubs off on the people around him. He wants to do his job and wants to do it really well. That's leading by example and he deserved the role of captain."

In what was the side's first competitive outing since January 8, rust was to be expected in a first-half that was scoreless until the 36th minute.

But when Nick Timoney went over for Ulster's third try in the 63rd minutes, hope of an invaluable try-bonus that would have saw them keep pace with Leinster at the top of Conference A briefly flickered, then faltered.

Under the circumstances, McFarland was pleased just to return home with the win.

"We've just come to Glasgow, a place we haven't won in five years and taken a great victory," he said. "The only thing we can deal with is the week-to-week basis, we just need to keep winning.

"That's the bottom line, we need to keep winning. Would we have liked the bonus point? Of course we would have, but we're playing Glasgow away so I'll take the win.

"It looked like two teams that were coming off the back of five weeks out. There was no lack of intensity in the physical sense.

"(Glasgow) came firing out of the blocks and looked like a team who had a hunger.

"There was just a lack of cohesion, probably a little bit in the discipline, but certainly in the way we attacked in that first-half.

"That sort of tidied up in the second-half and there was some great play and I'll include (our) try just before half-time.

"If both teams had the same rhythm in the first-half that they had in the second then you'd have had a bonus point game.

"Whether we'd have won it or not, I don't know."

Ulster are back in action on Friday night when they welcome Ospreys to Kingspan Stadium, now trailing Leinster by five points with four games remaining before the conference winners are crowned and advance to the final.

Why 'all business' Jordi Murphy deserved role as Ulster captain for win in Glasgow, explains Dan McFarland

Ulster coach impressed by his latest skipper's business-like approach

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