The group of children were attending a very special RaboDirect PRO12 Master Class hosted by Leinster Rugby. A competition was run through social media channels where three young winners were chosen, with each child bringing along some friends.
Each RaboDirect PRO12 club is running a Master Class, with the Irish provinces Italian and Scottish clubs hosting theirs this week, with the Welsh regions hosting theirs next week.
Competition winner Niamh Tester, aged 13 from Drogheda, County Louth brought along a group of four friends and cousins. She was bubbling with enthusiasm about the day, "they did a great tour, we were not expecting how they would have everything set up for us, proper in the dressing rooms like they would for the players, it was brilliant!"
Niamh's friend Louise, also 13 caused a few giggles when she presented Murphy with a gift bag containing a present of some dog biscuits for the player's dog Kobe.
As a result the player was happy to discuss matters canine as well as rugby related, "I got a Labrador Retriever about eight months ago, he is ten months old. His name is Kobe. I guess it is after Kobe Bryant I suppose but I just liked the name, I thought it would be a good name for a dog."
With a chuckle, he continues, "He is great, he is actually a bit nuts! We have just started Good Dog Classes last Saturday, we have just had our first class but I can already see quite a change in him."
It would seem canine companions are all the rage amongst many of the Leinster squad, with Jamie Heaslip's furry friend Jay-Z something of a star in his own right through his frequent appearances on social media.
Murphy adds, "Loads of the boys have dogs, Issac Boss has one, so does Brendan Macken, a few of the boys do. We go for the odd group dog walk every so often. Actually, I will probably go for a walk this afternoon with Brendan it is such a nice day and bring along the dogs."
Commenting on the afternoon's activities, Murphy was just as enthusiastic as the younger participants, "It was great come out and play a few games - "Stuck in the mud" and then a game of Tag rugby. I think everyone enjoyed the day, me especially!"
The 22 year-old was born in Northern Spain and his first name comes from the patron saint of Catalonia - Saint Jordi.
Talking about his childhood, he explains how rugby helped him to settle into life in Dublin after his family's return, "I lived in Spain until I was nine years old. I moved back to Ireland with my parents who are both Irish and it was obviously a bit of a change and a bit of a shock but I went into school and played rugby on my second day and got straight into it."
"Rugby is a big team sport, so you get pretty close to anyone you are playing with, there were classmates, who I didn't really know but when you are playing rugby with them you get to know them well, so rugby was a massive help for me."
Fast-forward to 2014 and after making his Ireland debut off the bench against England, Murphy played his part in Ireland's RBS 6 Nations winning squad. He believes that the RaboDirect PRO12 has been key to this break though onto the international stage, "it has helped my career massively."
He expands, "You are not going to go in playing for Ireland straight out of school. So, to get a good few RaboDirect PRO12 games under my belt last year and to be playing decently well, it has definitely been great to play in every week, it is our bread and butter.
"It is also great to be playing in such a competitive league, to be playing against so many top players, so many internationals and even players from overseas. Week in week out the games our tough and I think it has benefited me hugely."
Often when interviewing players in a post match mixed zone, there will be plenty of distractions such as other journalists and television cameras but the only interruptions to Murphy's interviews were from the young RaboDirect PRO12 Master Class attendees seeking out autographs.
This was a good reminder about what the day was all about and Murphy had some very apt advice for young players, "Just go out and enjoy it!"
His words are good ones for any young rugby enthusiasts to heed, "I did not think I was going to make a career out of rugby until my last year of school or my first year out of school, so just go out enjoy yourself and it does not matter what level you are playing at, it is just great to be part of it, whether it is club or school, it is just fantastic to be involved in a sport like rugby."
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