Conor Murray speaks after captaincy announcement

In the wake of an eventful British & Irish Lions vs Japan test in Scotland, Conor Murray has spoken about being handed the captain’s armband for the tour after Alun Wyn Jones was ruled out with a damaged shoulder. 

“We’re very disappointed to lose Alun Wyn,” Murray said, speaking to lionsrugby.com. “He’s been brilliant for the first two weeks. I’ve known him from the past two Tours and he’s been incredible. It’s a huge loss. 

“Warren asked me just before the cap ceremony and it was surreal. I still don’t have my head around it, but it’s something that is an unbelievable honour. 

“It’s something that I never thought would be possible. What kind of puts me at ease is that we’ve such a good leadership group that it means I can continue being myself. 

“There’ll be a little bit more responsibility, but I don’t think it should change anything around the camp. I think that’s one of the most important things – that I remain myself, and I assume that’s why Warren asked me to do it. 

“I didn’t think about it long. I said, ‘absolutely, it’ll be it’ll be a massive honour thank you very much for this opportunity’. So, no. Then you kind of think about how big it is and then obviously my phone has gone a bit crazy since it was announced. 

“I’ve been lucky enough to be on a couple of Tours already, so it’s something that I’ve said to myself that I’m going to enjoy and take every moment and really, really enjoy the experience. It’s something that I’m going to relish and enjoy rather than feeling daunted by it. 

“I know a lot of the lads here already, it’s a group that you can feed off. When it was announced I got a big round of applause and the boys were congratulating me. It feels really close.” 

Murray will become the 13th Irishman to lead a Lions touring party.