And while the Leicester captain has confirmed he is yet to make a final decision on his Ireland future, he indicated that he was approaching the end of the road.

“I haven’t made a concrete decision yet but I'm heading that way," said Murphy.

"I'm weighing up my options at the moment and I'll probably make a call on it just before the Six Nations."

With a number of senior Ireland players such as Ronan O’Gara, Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell nearing the end of their careers, Kidney’s Six Nations squad is expected to have a new-look feel to it.

But Murphy doesn’t expect wholesale changes.

"I do not think many of them will hang up their boots," he added.

"If you are based in Ireland, you are centrally contracted so it would not be smart to retire.”