Conor Murray under fire from fans for 'terrible, terrible' call

Ireland veteran Conor Murray's late-game decision to box kick the ball away in the dying minutes against England at Twickenham has sparked widespread criticism among Irish rugby fans.

The match - which saw heavy underdogs England secure a narrow 23-22 victory over Ireland in the Guinness Six Nations - was sealed by Marcus Smith's dramatic stoppage-time drop goal.

It was maybe England's standout performance under Steve Borthwick and it also dashed Ireland's hopes for back-to-back Grand Slams.

Despite Ireland being the overwhelming favourites, England's frenzied performance, marked by tries from Ollie Lawrence, George Furbank, and Ben Earl, turned the tables on the visitors.

As the game reached its crescendo, Ireland appeared to regain control with James Lowe's try in the 72nd minute, setting the stage for what many expected to be a carefully managed endgame. However, Murray's decision to kick, relinquishing possession in the crucial final minute, has become the focal point of fan frustration and disbelief for many.

Fans took to social media to express their dismay, questioning the rationale behind Murray's choice at such a critical juncture. One fan lamented the lack of tactical acumen in holding onto possession and running down the clock, while another branded the decision as "criminal," questioning the judgment of Ireland's senior players in such pressure-cooker situations.

One fan asked: "I’m asking, not griping: Why didn’t Conor Murray hold possession and run through couple of clock-eating phases with Ireland’s last possession?" Another fan said: "Conor Murray kicking the ball away with a minute to go is criminal.. what the absolute **** are we doing.. so called 'senior players' ****ing the game away." Another irate Irish fan wrote: "Full blame on Conor Murray there, or whoever made that call to kick with a minute to go, handing the ball to England - terrible, terrible decision! "

There were many tweets in the vein on the matter.

The chorus of disapproval crescendoed with accusations squarely aimed at Murray for handing the initiative back to England, a move that ultimately led to Smith's winning drop goal.

Others defended Murray, pointing out that in modern rugby holding onto possession in your 22 can present more risk of conceding a penalty than simply punting the ball back to the opposition and hoping to force an error of them.

Tim O'Connor - a respected Irish rugby account on X - wrote: "It’s not 2008 any more. You can’t run off over a minute of time, against much better defences, with “Use it!” and the breakdown contest. The best you’ll get is a caterpillar ruck closer to your line. Get it out down-pitch, chase, trust your defence. It won the last two RWCs."

Former Ireland hooker turned pundit Bernard Jackman pointed that Murray's kick was the least of it in terms of poor defensive play by Ireland. "Lots of talk about the last 2 minutes and whether we should have kicked it off or not. But Ireland will be very disappointed with these two phases of defense. England were down to 14 and to concede that much ground from a 4 man lineout on the first phase and not get more players far side on phase two was poor. Good England attack though."

Ireland can still claim the championship if they manage to beat Scotland next week at the Aviva Stadium.