Pretty confident – Conor Murray makes bullish claim about Ireland’s status ahead of Rugby World Cup following Samoa win

CONOR MURRAY insists Ireland are in a good place going into the World Cup, despite a tough final warm-up game against Samoa.

Ireland made it 13 wins in a row with a four-point victory over the Pacific Islanders in Bayonne on Saturday.

And that 17-13 win came just 24 hours before Andy Farrell confirmed his 33-man tournament squad.

The performance was lacklustre as Ireland trailed in the first half, with the lineout struggling.

But they sealed the win with a big lineout steal in the final minute.

And Murray believes that eking out results like that is why Ireland should be confident going back to France next week.

The experienced Munster scrum-half said: “I think we’re in a pretty good place given where we have been over the last two years and what we have achieved.

“We never get carried away with ourselves. Going into a World Cup doesn’t count for much.

“You have to bring your best rugby when you get to the tournament and it kicks off for real.

“But I think what the team knows is how good the team can be.

“We also know how hard we have to work to get to that level and be there every week.

“So the summer series was good and people got hit outs and we feel match fit now.

“But it’s a different animal by the time the World Cup comes around.

“We know how much pressure there’s going to be and how the atmospheres are going to be.

“So the group is in a good place and we feel pretty confident as we know where we’re at given what we’ve come through.

“There is a really good mood in the camp and we showed some good signs against England of what we’re capable of. And warm-up games are always going to be a little bit like that.”

OFF THEIR BEST

But he acknowledged that Samoa was a game where Ireland were well off their best.

Yet it was an important encounter with a view towards the September 16 Pool B clash with Tonga in Nantes.

Murray added: “Tonga are a similar type team and we would expect to be a lot better. I think that goes without saying.

“If we execute a couple of those lineouts in the 22 and we get a score it’s a completely different story.

“But it didn’t happen for whatever reason and we ground out a win. I thought it was impressive the way we did.

“We stuck together when things weren’t going well.

“Faz mentioned it. We’re on a