Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Connacht's Josh Murphy.James Crombie/INPHO 'I loved the experience of the year off but I was delighted to come back' Josh Murphy has been a key man again this season for Connacht. 6.01am, 10 Apr 2025 Share options IT WAS AS if Josh Murphy was never away. Despite having a year out of rugby last season, the combative flanker returned to the Connacht ranks for the start of this campaign and picked up where he had left off. There was no easing back in. 30-year-old Murphy instantly established himself as an important player again, starting the first four games of Connacht’s season and delivering punchy performances. He hasn’t let up since, featuring 16 times in all and making 13 starts at blindside flanker or lock. Having finished his medical degree, Murphy needed to do a year-long internship to fully qualify as a doctor. So he took a year away from Connacht, did the internship at a Dublin hospital, and is now back at his first career. “It was a very different world,” says Murphy ahead of Connacht’s Challenge Cup quarter-final clash with Racing 92 in Galway on Saturday. “I loved the experience I had in the year off and that’s what I want to do when I’m done with rugby. But I was absolutely delighted to come back. It probably gave me a bit more freshness to come back and attack it. “As I’m getting older, it probably gave my body a bit of a rest as well. I’ve absolutely loved it and you don’t get to play rugby forever so I may as well enjoy it while I’m here.” Despite not being with Connacht, Murphy didn’t completely stop playing rugby for the 2023/24 season. Instead, he turned out for Clontarf and helped them into the All-Ireland League Division 1A semi-finals. Advertisement Murphy in Clontarf colours last season.Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO “Everyone expects you to go back and be the best player on the team immediately, which is absolutely not the case,” says Murphy. “It’s a very good standard and the basics in rugby are still transferable from Clontarf to Connacht. “You have to remember you’re not going to be the best player and you just have to fit into a team of 15 lads. It’s a very good standard and a very enjoyable league, it’s very competitive. “I would have loved to get over the line and win an AIL. Hopefully they can do it this year, but I loved it. The training intensity was probably a nice rest on my body to not have to do as much training week-on-week but match-wise, it was great to be able to stay in the contacts and not lose that side of the game. So I really enjoyed my year there.” It was also nice to get back into the grassroots of the game. Murphy played for his native Leinster more than 60 times before moving to Connacht in 2022, so he has spent a long time in professional rugby. Getting back into a proud community club was a nice change-up. “It’s amazing,” he says. “I was in UCD previously and then in Clontarf when I went back. It’s class, it’s the whole community. Everyone is in for the game on Saturday, they’re back for J1s or 20s games on Sundays. “They have the bar open all night for you and it’s a class community feel. I think it means a lot to the community there with the club, just like it does here with Connacht which we probably saw a few weeks ago in MacHale Park. That’s why you play, for the community side of it.” Murphy made sure to return to Connacht last summer in good nick because “you need to make sure the lads don’t think you were taking the piss” but praises the province for easing him and others into the pre-season. His medical career is back on hold now, although he is “trying to keep my toe dipped in” so he can show potential future employers that he has been keeping his skills up to date. Murphy on his way to a Challenge Cup try.Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO For now, his hands are full leading the charge for Connacht. Murphy is an abrasive player who never takes a backwards step and relishes getting physically stuck into opponents. Sometimes it’s a little difficult to imagine him treating patients on he ward. “I don’t think I’m a different person when I’m a doctor,” he says. “They’re very separate things. “People ask me, ‘Are you not worried about getting hit? Are you not worried about this?’ It’s very separate, it’s sport. In a way, there’s the same intensity or you need some sort of stress in your life, which you get as a doctor. So they’re similar in that respect – if something serious is happening, you have that slight bit of anxiety around it. “But as far as big games like this, getting to play against big lads, they’re separate things. I’ll worry about being a doctor when I’m a doctor.” The big game he’s referring to is the huge clash with Racing as Connacht look to continue their bid for the Challenge Cup trophy. It remains to be seen what kind of team Racing bring over to Galway, but they possess plenty of star names in their squad. “It’s why you play the game,” says Murphy. “If it was easy, everyone would probably do it. You want to be playing against the best and you want to beat the best. “These kind of games are the reason you play, to be in games that matter like this against some of the best players in the world.” Murray Kinsella Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'I loved the experience of the year off but I was delighted to come back'”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'I loved the experience of the year off but I was delighted to come back'”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. 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