Murphy has missed the last two Guinness Premiership fixtures, while injury also forced Herring to sit out the defeat at Newcastle last Sunday.
“It’s great to be back involved,” says Murphy. “It’s never nice missing out, whether that’s because of injury or selection.
“I’ve been in the squad for 28 games this year so to miss two games on the bounce is obviously very disappointing. I’m feeling fit now though and I can’t wait to get back out there.
“We’re coming to the end of the season now and everyone wants to be able to play their part. We’ve haven’t done as well as we would have liked this year but today’s game is massive in terms of our season. We’re desperate to qualify for the Heineken Cup and I’m really pleased to have a chance to help us to do that.
“We’ve also still got a shout of making it into the top four and that’s another big incentive. We know we’re relying on a result elsewhere, but we have to make sure that, if Irish do us a favour, then we stick to our side of the bargain.”
Herring, who has made 10 appearances for Tigers in 2007/08, echoes Murphy’s sentiments as he looks to build on some impressive performances in his last few Tigers outings.
“Every player wants to be involved on a matchday,” says Herring. “It’s what you train for day-in, day-out.
“It’s frustrating being injured and I’m not the best when it comes to watching matches because I want to be playing and doing my bit.
“It would have been pretty disappointing to say the least to have to miss the last league game at Welford Road. The fans here are top draw and there’s nothing better than playing in front of 17,000 of them. There’s always a good atmosphere and I’ve been looking forward to Saturday all week.
“It was hard not being able to try and help the guys last Sunday when we lost at Newcastle. It’s tough not playing when the team is winning but sometimes it’s even more frustrating when things aren’t going your way. You want to be out on the park doing whatever you can to help turn things around on the day. Hopefully, we’ll be able to put in good performance against Quins and it’ll feel good to be a part of that.”
