Peter O’Mahony’s bid to make tour of South Africa

Peter O’Mahony will decide in 10 days whether he will be fit enough to make a surprise return to rugby on Ireland’s three-match tour of South Africa next month.

The Munster and Ireland flanker has not played since tearing knee ligaments at the World Cup in October and it was expected that he would not take to the field again until September, but he now has a chance of making the summer tour.

“I am very, very close and I’m nearly back training with the squad. I won’t say ‘never’ but I will have to make a decision over the next 10 days, see what the story is. I have been given every opportunity but I am just going to see how training goes over those next 10 days and make a call on the rest of the season then,” O’Mahony said at the Zurich IRUPA awards in Dublin last night.