Peter O’Mahony
THE fear is that O’Mahony will be beaten not by any rival but by his own body. He applies such wincing physical force to his duties on the field that repercussions are inevitable – as they were once again last weekend.
When he is on the field, though, he is marvellous. The Corkman cannot be overlooked when Joe Schmidt picks his next captain – which should happen in time for next season.
He re-established his value to Ireland in that match against England – and the prospect of him not being picked when fit must have reduced to nothing after that – and Munster team-mates feed off his attitude and his style.
He is a player not considered a Lions Test starter now, but he will make a big impression on Gatland.