Spooked.

Ronan O’Gara has made an interesting observation following Munster’s Champions Cup semi-final loss to Racing 92 last Sunday.

Writing in his Irish Examiner column, O’Gara reckons Murray was more ‘spooked’ by Zebo’s absence from the starting line-up, that he was by the opposition itself.

Murray has a poor game by his standards, particularly in the first-half, with the scrumhalf clearly frustrated with how the game was going. He’s normally very cool in those situations, with his ability to control a game and dictate the pace one of his best assets.

O’Gara says it’s the first time he’s ever seen Murray ‘that rattled’ in a Munster jersey?

“The consequences of dropping Zebo were manifold but the most fascinating one was how it spooked Conor Murray,” O’Gara said.

“It was the first time in a Munster jersey I’ve seen Murray that rattled, and a lot of it could have been down to not having Zebo there.

“There was a different chemistry in the backline with Zebo excluded, and by ‘different’ I don’t mean better.

“A lot of Conor’s discomfort came down to the fact the telepathic relationship he has with Zebo was removed from the equation.”

Does O’Gara have a point? Murray and Zebo have linked up time and time again for some wonderful tries in the past and are best friends off it.

With Zebo leaving Munster at the end of the season, will Murray’s form at the province be affected?