Peter O'Mahony savours Munster's URC title win but remains hungry for more
HUNGRY: Peter O’Mahony with fellow Ireland internationals Iain Henderson and Ross Byrne.
There was never a time when Peter O’Mahony did not walk tall, every inch the leader of men.
Yet if the Ireland flanker could possibly appear to have grown even more in stature these past few weeks it may be because of the huge weight lifted from his shoulders since leading Munster to the URC title.
This month brings the 10th anniversary of O’Mahony’s elevation to the captaincy of his province and what better way to mark that moment and begin a World Cup pre-season campaign than with a long-awaited winner’s medal as a Munster player.
Of course, O’Mahony’s trophy cabinet is hardly a barren wasteland. The Corkman will begin Ireland’s pre-tournament campaign on 94 caps in a Test career that has seen the back-rower play his part in two Grand Slam successes, two further Six Nations championships and a Triple Crown. It hardly speaks to underachievement for the 33-year-old.
Yet a selfless career in the red of Munster had not, by his own admission this week, garnered any material reward in terms of silverware, until May 27 of this year that is.
Munster’s run to the URC title was nothing short of remarkable, their Grand Final victory in Cape Town in the Stormers’ backyard the culmination of six-game stint away from home that had begin with a Champions Cup Round of 16 shellacking by the Sharks in Durban but did not see O’Mahony’s side taste defeat from that point on.
The skipper was not alone when he lifted the huge cup that night at DHL Stadium, having chosen fellow veteran and Ireland squad mate Keith Earls to share the hoisting duties as the pressure of a dozen trophyless years evaporated in an instant.
“Yeah, it was nice. It was more relief for me than anything,” O’Mahony said this week as he helped launched Canterbury’s new Ireland World Cup jersey.
“It's been 10 years since I was asked to captain Munster and obviously, very little to show for it. It was one of the proudest memories of my career, lifting it with Keith having gone through a lot together. Obviously I could have picked a big chunk of guys to do it with but I thought he was a fitting man with everything that's he's done for the club.
“Coming back in here (to Ireland training camp), it was two or three weeks after it, it was in the back of the memory a little bit. We're kicking on and a couple of powerful meetings in here at the start, you flip the page fairly quickly. But it was great, obviously, a huge leap. Hugely proud of it.”
That huge leap has also come with valuable lessons learned, O’Mahony added. It's tough, though. It's tough on the body, even being away from home for that long and the distances that we were doing, the long haul stuff is tough and takes a toll on you.
“But it gives you a good sense of how to navigate trips and navigate hostile environments, the Aviva, being away in South Africa. I thought the two weeks in South Africa (in the last two regular season league rounds) was a turning point for us big time, it stood to us massively.
"Having taken a beating from the Sharks, to go back over and beat the Stormers for the first time in a long time at home and then to get the draw (versus Sharks), probably should have won that game, I thought that gave us a massive amount of belief that we could go and do something special, and it stood to us.”
O’Mahony believes the run to the final and the silverware that followed will continue to stand to the Munster squad, even when he and fellow old stagers have left the building and hung up their boots.
"I was delighted for a lot of the older fellas who've been at it for a long time, Stephen Archer, Murr (Conor Murray), Earlsy, I'm leaving out a few guys now, but I'm even more chuffed for the younger group who've kicked on, and I think it will give them a great bit between their teeth for the next few years and a great hunger.
“I know hunger is the best sauce but when you get your teeth into it once, you want more of it, and I think that group have had a great experience now. When there's a group of us that leave over the next few years, they'll have a real appetite for it and I was delighted for them.”
Cork
32
94
: 3
2018, 2023
2014, 2015, 2018, 2023
2018, 2022, 2023
British & Irish Lions: 2017, New Zealand, 1st Test captain.
177
15
since July 30, 2013
BKT URC champion 2023.
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