The Irishman is ready to go head-to-head with five of his Welford Road colleagues in the RBS 6 Nations decider at Lansdowne Road this weekend.

English captain Martin Johnson, Neil Back, Graham Rowntree and Ben Kay will all start on Sunday - while Dorian West could make an appearance from the replacements bench.

Murphy said: "Some of the England players are my friends - but I hope they will be very disappointed, albeit still my friends, on Sunday night.

"We'll go out, knock one another about, bash one another up and try to get the crucial scores. Everyone will be doing their best to win. All you can do is go out and do as professional a job as possible. After that, maybe we can enjoy a drink together."

Murphy believes playing such a critical match in Dublin can only be helpful to the Ireland side.

"There is no doubt that the players get a lift playing at home," he said. "It doesn't count for everything but it is an advantage at Lansdowne Road."