In a tournament full of as many great moments as the recent World Cup, a handheld sign in the crowd wouldn’t ordinarily rank very highly.
Unless that is, the sign was held aloft by none other than Peter O’Mahony’s mother, reassuring those watching that she was looking after her son’s famous lawn while he was away. If that wasn’t enough, O’Mahony won his hundredth cap that day in a dominant win over Scotland that propelled his team into a quarter-final.
As we all remember, that quarter-final didn’t go Ireland’s way and O’Mahony was soon back in Cork and able to tend to his immaculate lawn, which features prominently on his Instagram. He recently revealed that he contemplated stepping away from international rugby at this time and few would have begrudged him more time in his beloved garden.
However, when Andy Farrell called and offered O’Mahony the chance to take over the captaincy from the retired Johnny Sexton, there was only ever one outcome. Like Cincinnatus and his plough, O’Mahony has set aside his shears and answered the call, as he has so many times before.
Lesser men than O’Mahony might hesitate at the prospect of taking over from a leader as formidable as Sexton, but this is hardly the first time the Munsterman has been tasked with filling a legend’s shoes. O’Mahony took over the Munster captaincy from All Black legend Doug Howlett when he was just 24 years old. Icons of the game, including Ireland captain Paul O’Connell, suddenly looked to him to lead them.
Anyone who thinks that might have fazed him clearly hasn’t been paying attention. Personal accolades followed, even if trophies at club level initially alluded him. O’Mahony even kept Lions captain Sam Warburton on the bench for the opening test match against New Zealand in 2017, assuming the leadership in his absence.
There have been disappointments along the way too: O’Mahony was dropped after that opening Lions test, he has been a part of three successive World Cup quarter-final exits and has been forced to watch as his club rivals Leinster collect trophies at will. The latter of these disappointments will have been eased by Munster’s URC victory last season, in what turned out to be O’Mahony’s last game as captain.
His career has not been without its critics either, though most would privately admit they would love to have him on their team. His abrasive style and propensity to make non-flattering remarks to opposition players have made headlines in the past. His defenders would point out that it is impossible to play as close to the line as O’Mahony does without occasionally stepping the wrong side of it.
Ultimately, both arguments have their merits but a player’s legacy is only ever truly decided when they have left the field for the last time. This week’s announcement proves that day hasn’t arrived yet.
At 34, some feel the captaincy has come too late for O’Mahony and should perhaps have been better suited in the hands of James Ryan or Garry Ringrose. There will be questions about whether or not he will still be around to do the job at the next World Cup in four years time. The player has made no such public commitment and his IRFU contract is due to expire at the end of the current season, though renewal talks are thought to be underway.
He would never admit it in public, but O’Mahony may well have his sights set on something much closer than a World Cup. The Lions tour to Australia is now just eighteen months away and will be coached by the same man who has just asked him to captain his country. Ireland has already produced more Lions captains than any other nation and O’Mahony could be in line to extend that record. Somebody had better ask Mrs. O’Mahony to clear her schedule next summer – the grass might need cutting.
Written by Joe Santamaria
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