Early riser O’Mahony continues to scale heights
Ireland flanker has always been destined for greatness
PETER O’MAHONY has never seemed young. From his first emergence into public recognition, experience and durability informed the play and the words of the Cork Con loose forward.
He is 28 years of age and he wins his 46th cap this afternoon, so the numbers are starting to add up to a Test veteran.
But long before now, O’Mahony has had the cut of the established leader about him.
This impression is certainly informed by the fact that Rob Penney made him Munster captain when Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara and the rest were away at the 2011 World Cup. O’Mahony was 21 years of age.
He is the outstanding candidate to succeed Rory Best as national captain, and it would make sense if he were in that position before next year’s World Cup.
There is nothing flashy about him, either. It is difficult to picture him walking around pre-match with a pair of oversized headphones squatting over his ears, like Jamie Heaslip used to do, or trilling on social media about the latest coffee bean he has discovered.
In fact, one of the shout-outs on his Twitter account is to a clothes manufacturer for some gear that he could use during the shooting season, one of his passions away from the pitch.
And on the subject of early kick offs, O’Mahony is resolutely old school, too. He harks back to his days in the AIL when addressing the topic. ‘I used to love the All-Ireland League kick off, half two,’ he says. ‘Half two or three o’clock is my kick off so I won’t be campaigning to get anything changed at the moment.
‘Look, three or four is fine, five o’clock I’d put up with, but these half seven or eight o’clock kick-offs for me are nightmare stuff.’
His career in the league was limited because his talent was such he was absorbed into professional life at Munster. But his time with Cork Con was enough to make him appreciate those early afternoon starts, which is exactly the schedule Ireland have followed in their three home matches this season, today the third of three 2.15pm kick offs. Next week’s finale in Twickenham is only slightly later at 2.45pm. There are occasional complaints about the timing, given that sections of the support must endure shortened drinking time, and so might be less inclined to cheer. But the atmosphere against Wales was terrific, helped by a scintillating match. A 2.15pm start means players have to be up earlier and eat their pre-match meals before lunch time. O’Mahony can live with that. He doesn’t give the impression, after all, of being a man who will happily idle away time inside the four walls of a hotel room, no matter how luxurious it might be. ‘You might get back to bed for an hour or so, but you’re up into the day and you’re at it and before you know it, you’re doing the walk-through and your pre-match meal is done, and you’re into the run in. ‘For me, it’s much better.’ This time last year, O’Mahony was out of the starting team. A hamstring injury sustained on European duty left him struggling in the competition for places. He played 12 minutes against France, 17 more against Wales, before an injury to Jamie Heaslip in the warm-up saw O’Mahony go into the team for the last match of the 2017 championship against England.
The game ended in a famous victory; Heaslip never played again.
O’Mahony is familiar with the wreckage of serious injury, but the 12 months since he got his chance to return to the side have featured some of the best rugby of his career.
He captained the Lions in their opening Test against New Zealand and if there was disappointment in missing out on the squad for the subsequent Tests, he showed his class and has continued to display it, in red and green.
‘It took me a long time to get back to where I wanted to be, but in the last couple of months I’ve really enjoyed myself,’ he says.
‘And with the provinces doing so well, we all want to be in finals. And the last few weeks here have been enjoyable. And that’s key for professional rugby: you have to enjoy what you are doing.’
He has done so in a rejigged Irish back row this spring.
With Sean O’Brien injured until this weekend and his Leinster return, it was Josh van der Flier who started in Paris before injury interceded. Jack Conan ran at No8 against Italy, but the biggest impression made beyond the established pair of O’Mahony and CJ Stander came from Dan Leavy.
The Leinster flanker is tough, made from similar stuff to O’Mahony. They have different personalities — Leavy’s self-confidence is practically visible — but they are part of the best back row in the competition.
Scotland, of course, will seek to contest that status at Lansdowne Road.
‘He’s been very impressive,’ O’Mahony nods. ‘I can speak from first hand (experience): he’s a pain in the h*** to play against and that’s a great compliment from a back row. And he’s been super to play alongside the last few weeks; he’s been a great voice.
‘He’s one of the young fellas to come in but he’s doing an incredible amount of learning quickly, and I’m doing some learning off him as well. The way he plays the game, it’s obviously very physical and intense but it’s very smart, and he’s been brilliant for us the last three weeks.’
He is the outstanding candidate to succeed Rory Best