'A selfless player that gives everything to his team-mates' - Farrell and Sexton heap praise on centurion O'Mahony

The Munster man is in line for his 100th Ireland cap against Scotland.

TRIBUTES: Head Coach Andy Farrell and Jonathan Sexton. INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton have paid tribute to Peter O'Mahony's selflessness and leadership qualities as the back-rower was given the green light to earn his 100th Ireland cap this Saturday.

The 34-year-old flanker will become Ireland's 10th Test centurion at Stade de France on Saturday night after being named by head coach Farrell in the team to face Scotland in the final game of the World Cup pool campaign.

O'Mahony was one of 13 starters retained from the 13-8 victory over South Africa in their penultimate match in Pool B 12 days ago, with hooker Dan Sheehan and lock Iain Henderson promoted from the replacements while Ronan Kelleher and James Ryan drop to the bench for a match that will decide which two teams in the group advance to the quarter-finals a week later.

The bench also sees a return from injury for back-rower Jack Conan while Stuart McCloskey has been handed his first appearance of the tournament, replacing fellow centre Robbie Henshaw as outside back cover.

All eyes will be on O'Mahony, however, as the Munster captain becomes the third player from his province to reach the 100-cap milestone in the past 11 months after Conor Murray and Keith Earls.

Both head coach and captain Sexton offered heartfelt praise to O'Mahony at Thursday afternoon's media conference at their new team hotel north of Paris following the squad's departure from Ireland's training base of the last five weeks in Tours.

"We can sit here all day the two of us and talk about what he brings, what he means to us all, what type of bloke he is, what type of family man he is, but we'd be here the whole press conference," Farrell said.

"To sum him up, he's selfless. You guys would see the performance on the pitch and it's heroic from Pete. You can see what it means for him to play for Ireland. But we obviously see behind the scenes and he's definitely, 100 per cent, one of the best I've ever seen at making the dressing room feel right.

"And it's not just a skill. It's him being himself because it's genuine and I'm sure Johnny would echo this, that there's no better man that you would want sat at the side of you in the dressing room at the weekend than Peter O'Mahony.

"He's a selfless player that gives everything to his team-mates, a fantastic team-mate, top-drawer as far as a team-mate is concerned and he backs that up with consistent performances week in, week out for Ireland and for Munster."

Sexton, four years O'Mahony's senior, has been the flanker's Test team-mate for almost a dozen years and the captain said: "He's been a great friend of mine over the last however many years we've been playing together, probably 10, 11, 12 years, I'm not sure exactly.

"Like Faz said, a consistent performer, a big-game player, I would say. Obviously a leader in the group, very different to some of the leaders.

"He knows the dressing room, he's such a huge part of it. I don't think you guys get to see the real Peter O'Mahony. He gives very little away when he sits up here, one word answers but he's the life and soul of the dressing room behind closed doors and it's a privilege to play with him all the time. We'll be playing for him as much as we are for ourselves on Saturday."

Addressing his decision to promote Henderson to the second row ahead of Ryan, the head coach denied the benched lock was not 100 per cent, despite having carried a wrist injury from the South Africa win.

"He's fit. He had a bit of a niggle on a wrist but that's fine and he trained the house down, actually trained the best I've seen him in train in a good amount of years yesterday. He actually nearly took Johnny's head off three or four times so he's fit and raring to go, there's no doubt."