'He is thoroughly deserving of this honour' - O'Mahony the obvious choice as Ireland captain

These players don’t grow on trees. Farrell’s take is clearly one of making full use of them while in bloom, but for how long in this case remains to be seen.

GIANT FIGURE: Ireland's Peter O'Mahony. Pic: Dan Sheridan

Sometimes the answer is staring you in the face. For months we speculated on the identity of Ireland’s next skipper. We ruminated over names, picked apart candidacies, and scratched our heads when one thing or another didn’t quite add up in the court of public opinion.

If there was one common thread through it all then maybe it came in the form of the idea that an Ireland captain couldn’t, and maybe even shouldn’t, hold a similar position with their province. Too much on one man’s shoulders and all that.