Murray has gone from strength to strength for Munster since making his debut in the 2009-10 season and is now among the first names on the province's teamsheet - indeed it's easy to forget he's still only 25.
In his first full season with Munster, Murray won the John McCarthy Award for Academy Player of the Year and he won the man-of-the-match award for Munster in their European Cup round four match against Scarlets on December 18, 2011.
This season he has played an integral part in Munster's march to the European semi-finals and the RaboDirect PRO12 play-offs and Penney in particular has been glowing in his praise.
"If he's not the best in the world right now he's not that far away. Conor is a bit of a genius. He really is a special talent," said Penney of Murray in October.
For Ireland, he was already amassed 27 caps and last summer he played an important but often understated role in the British & Irish Lions' success in Australia, appearing off the bench in both Melbourne and Sydney.
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