Irish international star, Jenny Murphy, has a long list of accolades to her name, not least being part of the fourth best ladies rugby team in the world.
The talented player, who is now also an Athlete/Mentor for the Sky Sports Living initiative in Irish schools has not just had rugby success but indeed soccer and gaelic successes too.
The Kildare woman, who hails from near Kilcullen, looks back on an amazing four years that saw her go from supporting the Irish rugby team in the stands in the 2010 World Cup to lining out in an Irish jersey herself in this year’s World Cup.
An inspiration to players and young people across the country, Jenny also explains how her work with Sky Sports Living has become a massive part of her life.
“I suppose it all started years ago when I began playing GAA with the local gaelic team in Kilcullen,” she began. “From there, I started playing soccer on the local boys team and when I got too old for that, I looked around and jumped on board with Peamount.”
Jenny Murphy and Lynne Cantwell celebrate (Pics INPHO)
“At that stage I was playing county football with Kildare too, and then Peamount started going from success to success and we ended up qualifying for the Champions League which was a massive occasion,” she continued.
“After all of that, I moved to London in 2008 to study to be a PE teacher in Twickenham. That’s where the rugby bug bit!” she laughed. “I wasn’t at anything one evening in early 2010 and I saw the college girls training so I decided I’d give it a go. I probably would never have touched a rugby ball if I hadn’t moved to London – it’s crazy how these things work out. I decided to stick with it and played with the college team and it all just snowballed from there – it was a happy accident!
“From those beginnings, I joined a social team nearby who were very supportive, but told me I’d need to go to one of the bigger clubs to get the training I was looking for and that’s how I came to join Richmond RFC, who are one of the top ladies teams over there and I got lucky enough to play for them.
“Then, in 2012, I got chosen to play for the Irish Exiles team and I never dreamt that I’d actually get to play or ever wear a green jersey. The coach had faith in me though and I ended up getting called up for the 2012 campaign which was amazing. It was a massive surprise as I never in my wildest dreams thought that it would be possible to wear the Irish jersey.”
“If you rewind just two years before that, I was at the ladies World Cup in 2010 as it was held in Twickenham and I had watched Ireland play. I was sitting in the stand thinking, ‘Wouldn’t that be amazing? Imagine being out there wearing the Irish jersey’. Little did I know that by the time the next World Cup came around, four years later, I’d actually be lining out on the pitch with them.”
Jenny celebrating the Inter Provincial win with Marie Louise Reilly. (Pics INPHO)
“It’s amazing how quickly things can change in such a short space of time. Looking back on it now, that was totally bizarre. I was still playing with Parnells in London and that season, the 2012/2013 we won the All-Ireland intermediate championship, we also won the Leinster Inter provinical and that was the year of the famous Grand Slam too so what an absolute high!
“That’s definitely my most memorable season to date, from gaelic to rugby, it was just amazing – the best I’ve ever had. From there, I began playing with the Ireland’s seven squad and even though we were the underdog, we managed to qualify for the World Cup in Moscow last year where we finished in the top eight, so that was a massive achievement,” she continued, adding that she moved home to Ireland in 2013.
“This year then, all the focus was on the 15 game obviously with the World Cup in France, and I haven’t been allowed near a gaelic or soccer ball at all!” she laughed.
Jenny, who plays her club rugby with Old Belvedere now, added that winning the AIL for the first time with the club was another major highlight of her career.
“We won it for the first time last year, so I’ve been really lucky. It’s been a string of trophies in a row, but that one is particularly special to me. That was a really big occasion for all of us in the club, and many girls had been waiting a long time to get their hands on that trophy.”
Looking back on this year’s World Cup, Jenny admits that she’s still feeling raw from the England game that saw Ireland bow out of a spot in the final.
“The World Cup was amazing. In fact, any game that you put on a green jersey is a big moment. The highlight of this year had to be the New Zealand game of course. That was the stand-out game, if we’d played that way against England or France we would have got a better result, but I’ll always look back on the New Zealand game with a smile.
“I’ll always remember the England game the most though, even if it’s for all the wrong reasons. But it will keep me going for Six Nations this year as it shows that you can’t rest on your laurels, you can’t always go back to New Zealand. The England game will make me lift heavier, run harder – and to be honest, I’m still a bit raw from it. It will become my motivation.
“The support we got was mind-blowing. The amount of people who came to France and then who came to Dublin airport was just unbelievable. It’s a testament to the Irish support. They always get behind any bit of success and drive it on. I don’t think the Irish people know how important they are to us. They practically made it a home game for us in France every time.”
Jenny at the launch of the Sky Sports Living initiative. (Pics: INPHO)
“Hopefully our recent success will have younger girls considering playing rugby. There are so many benefits to it – to any sport. And that ties in with the work I’m now doing. I’m a Mentor with Sky Sports Living. They’ve set up the Sky Sports Living for Sport Initiative in Ireland and last year we visited over 100 schools and we hope to double that this year.
“Basically, a number of us athlete/mentors go out to secondary schools around Ireland trying to help 11 to 16 year old students. We share our challenges and achievements along the way, and we are there to encourage the students.
“I absolutely love my job. It’s great. They have been so good, they really support my training and then the opportunities that I get visiting the schools are unbelievable. I am a qualified teacher but with this, you engage with the kids on a different level, you can be friendly and more conversational with them. They are really interested in what I did and how I’ve lived my life.
“It’s all about showing them the lessons that you can get through sport and how this can positively impact on your life. I know I keep mentioning it, but the England game is a big example for me. I’m showing them that it’s not always easy, you are going to fall and fail but it’s how you get back up that matters. If they can learn something like that from me, my job has been done well.
“It’s about building their confidence and self-esteem. Some of the students are really shy when you first come in, and even seeing them raise their hand where before they might not have done is a major boost. You leave the school feeling uplifted. It’s a brilliant buzz to get, you feel like you have done something worthwhile and really helped out and the students seem to get a lot from it too.
“It’s not just for kids who are interested in sport – sport just happens to be the medium that we give the message. I would encourage all schools in Ireland to get on board with this – it’s a free initiative and I know I would have loved something like this when I was in school.
“I’m loving every minute of my job and the fact that they support my training and my goals on the pitch as well is just an added bonus.”
Jenny is an Athlete Mentor on the Sky Sports Living for Sports scheme, which uses sport stars and the skills learned through sport to help young people build confidence and develop life skills. Click here for more information.
