O’MAHONY A PASS MASTER
Flanker ‘in a battle’ for Paris spot
PETER O’Mahony i s relishing the battle of trying to win a starting spot for Ireland’s Six Nations decider against France in Paris next Saturday.
The Munster flanker came on as a second-half replacement for Caelan Doris against Italy and made an instant impact.
The 31-year- old, earning his 68th cap, came up with a stunning underhand offload to set up Bundee Aki for Ireland’s sixth try.
It was a standout moment in a comfortable 50-17 victory which left Ireland on the brink of a f ourth Six Nations ti tl e in seven years.
‘ Was i t my best pass i n an Ireland jersey? I’ve had a couple of good ones, but it would be top three,’ O’Mahony said with a smile.
‘It’s enjoyable to be able to make a difference.
‘I enjoyed my time on the pitch at the weekend.’
There has been a renewed emphasis on skills in Ireland’s training camp, leaving O’Mahony comfortable with his ability to throw the offload. ‘It comes down
‘We’re in a battle every week’
to work. You can’t just do that at the weekend without there being a lot of practice involved,’ he explained.
‘I suppose with the group that’s taken over… I remember the first the first day at the High Performance Centre, straight into skills. [That] was the first thing that we got into and we’ve just come out of it there [this morning] too so we’re constantly practising it.
‘It’s bound to become part of your game.’
Despite his brilliant cameo, O’Mahony faces a fight to get back into the starting side.
‘You have a battle on your hands every week. I’ve had 68 battles. I’ve worked as hard as I could to get a jersey, whether on the bench or starting. There’s nothing taken for granted.
‘The back row has never been anything but the most competitive position on the pitch. We’re in a battle every week to get a jersey. I’m hugely enjoying it and learning from it.
‘The performance of the starting back row on Saturday was second to none and from a team point of view, you couldn’t be prouder of the way the team worked and particularly the back row. It’s a battle to get any jersey in this team.
‘Do I deserve to start? I suppose you’d have to ask the coaches, it doesn’t matter what I think.’
O’Mahony knows that the bench could play a vital role for Ireland on Saturday.
‘Being a competitive athlete in the environment we are in, everyone wants to play and that’s not always possible,’ he said.
‘I have to say, it’s an incredibly enjoyable environment and we’re bouncing off each other and enjoying it.
‘I’d be sitting here lying to you if I said I didn’t want to start but at the end of the day there are 23 people who need to take to the pitch at any given time.
‘There’s a massive emphasis put on our bench to come on and make a difference.
‘There are guys who have been out there for whatever, 55, 60, 65 minutes and you’ve got to make a difference when you come on. That’s the pressure we put on ourselves.’
Ireland head to Paris knowing if they manage a bonus-point win they are guaranteed to claim the title.
‘I think the form has been good, we’ve been quite analytical with regard to our performance, trying to pick out what we can work on and improve on,’ added O’Mahony.
‘It’s a different animal going to Stade France on Saturday night and competing for a Six Nations title, we know we are going to have to be better than l ast Saturday.
‘It’s cup final week, you don’t need any more motivation than to be winning trophies with your national team. To win in France is a different animal to lots of these games but we understand the challenges ahead.’
John Cooney has made his return to the squad as Jamison Gibson-Park reported a tight hamstring after his Test debut off the bench on Saturday.
Ulster scrum-half Cooney was somewhat unlucky to have been left out of Andy Farrell’s original 35-man squad, considering his form during the first three games of the Six Nations.
Keith Earls could be available for the Paris trip as he recovers from a back issue, but Garry Ringrose will miss the rest of the international window due to the broken j aw he sustained at the weekend.