MUNSTER DUO HAVE EARNED TOTAL FAITH OF FARRELL
CAREER-LONG team-mates for province and country, rugby has demanded different skills of Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony.
On the pitch their roles are very different and, off it, their approaches contrast sharply, too. O’Mahony can be taciturn to the point that it can, occasion, feel like a pose, a useful way of deflecting too much in the way of inquiry. Before the Six Nations opener against France in Marseille, he was asked about his future.
His Ireland central contract runs out at the end of this season, and there has been so much speculation about his Munster future that the old line about no smoke without fire began to seem relevant.
With no deal in the offing from Munster, and his stepping away from captaining the province in the midst of this, speculation about where he would play next season started to intensify.
‘Look, I knew these questions were going to come,’ he said before the French match.
‘For me, it’s about the Six Nations talk at the moment. There’s been enough said.’
Murray was before the media ahead of tomorrow’s Test against Wales in the Aviva Stadium, and when talk of the future arose, he took a different tack to his old friend. ‘I’ll go until you’re told otherwise … as long as possible,’ he said.
Reports that the pair will be given new contracts by Munster, with those deals topped up to an extent by central funding, is a practical solution that benefits the province, but which is at least in part a consequence of the ongoing trust that Andy Farrell has in the pair.
Farrell showed that when choosing O’Mahony to succeed Johnny Sexton as captain.
The coach eschewed the option of picking a leader for the long-term, with the 2027 World Cup in mind.
That is of a piece with his dedication to planning for what comes next in the short term, but it was also reflective of his relationship with O’Mahony, and his respect for the veteran.
‘A no-brainer for us really, in the sense that some people walk in a room and make the room feel right ,and Peter is certainly one of them,’ was how Farrell explained that call.
The coach’s loyalty to his senior players is well established; it’s been a cornerstone of his time leading Ireland, and his commitment to Johnny Sexton, O’Mahony, and Murray in particular has been repaid, while Bundee Aki’s is playing the best rugby of his life, weeks away from his 34th birthday.
Even a player like Murray, who has long since been supplanted by Jamison Gibson-Park as a starter, remains relevant. It was no surprise that he was chosen as Gibson-Park’s understudy on the bench for the Welsh match, rather than Munster’s starting No9, Craig Casey.
When explaining his team selection for the Welsh game yesterday evening, Farrell was phlegmatic about his veterans. If they’re fit and good enough, he will stick by them.
‘It’s the appetite, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘It’s the hunger, it’s the fight, it’s the want. I know from experience that if it gets to a point where your body can’t do it anymore, it becomes obvious and it affects the mental state anyway, because you concentrate so much on looking after yourself, that your skill-set goes down the drain.
‘It’s how the body’s feeling, and then the mind will follow. These guys are super-fit, look after themselves extremely well. Why would you give up? Why would you give up fighting if you’re thoroughly enjoying it and you’re able to?’
The rumours about new deals for O’Mahony and Murray swirled yesterday, with little detail around specifics, such as the length of any new contracts. It would be a surprise if they went past another season, but an arrangement whereby the IRFU centrally pays some of the deal makes life a great deal easier for Munster. Both players have been centrally contracted for most of their careers, which means that Munster did not have to pay their salaries, as the money for central deals is paid by the IRFU centrally.
Even on reduced terms, new contracts paid solely by Munster would have demanded significant investment.
The value of O’Mahony as Farrell’s on-field leader was emphasised by the coach revealing the flanker’s nerves before he led Ireland out against France.
‘We asked the question after the French game who was nervous and how you were feeling, and quite a few of them put their hand up,’ said Farrell.
‘It was nice and honest, and Peter was one of those. It was a big occasion for him obviously.
‘He’s normally very nervous no matter what, anyway. He’s always on the edge. That’s what makes him feel right.’
As long as they remain fit and in form, Farrell will not discount them. But this is elite sport and there are no guarantees.
‘It’s just down to form, isn’t it?’ shrugged Farrell.
‘It’s down to form, and fight and want, and whether you’re able to do that.
‘I keep open-minded as far as that’s concerned.’