Peter O'Mahony and Andy Farrell will 'chew the fat' in the coming days

The 34-year-old flanker led Ireland to another championship on his 105th appearance for his country

Sat, 16 Mar, 2024 - 21:53

Simon Lewis, Aviva Stadium

Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony described lifting the Guinness Six Nations trophy as one of the most special moments of his career then promised talks with those closest to him, including Andy Farrell, regarding his future in Test rugby.

The 34-year-old flanker led Ireland on his 105th appearance for his country at Aviva Stadium on Saturday as his side overcame a stubborn Scotland side to win 17-13 to rebound from a fourth-round defeat to England at Twickenham seven days earlier and claim the championship for the second year in a row following last season’s Grand Slam.

This was O’Mahony’s fifth Six Nations title as a player but the first as skipper having been head coach Farrell’s choice to succeed Johnny Sexton after the fly-half’s retirement at the end of Ireland’s World Cup campaign last October.

“Unbelievably special,” O’Mahony said. “I think this is probably the most special. It was a tough week that we put down as a group.

“I said it to Andy on the way in here, it was a tough week, and it was probably one of the toughest days I put down nerves beforehand.

“Chatting to a few fellas, they were in the same boat, which was nice, but it’s 100% up there with one of the most special days of my career, if not the most.”

O’Mahony had shared the moment of the trophy lift with tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong, who had entered the campaign having recently lost his father.

“Look, it was a nice moment for him and his family, and I thought it was appropriate,” the captain said. “He’s had a tough few months and I don’t need to talk about that anymore. It was a nice moment to share with him.”

O’Mahony added of his own emotions: “It means the world to me. I have said that lots of times before to players and media. It’s a special thing to be picked for your country and you’ve got to treat it with the utmost respect.

“As I said, it was a tough week. We didn’t want to lose last week but we knew we needed to get back on the horse and put in a better performance.

“Coming back home, Championship on the line, the whole lot – it was an important game for us, and I felt the pressure, felt the nerves. It was a big day for us.

“It’s special. It’s hard because it is so special. It’s nice, I have to say. It’s a rare feeling, you know?

“I talked to Willie Bennett who is leaving us, he has been around a long time as our masseur, 35 years he has spent with the Irish team.

“Big chunks of that, we weren’t competing for Championships, and there were chunks of my career where it was the same, the last games were dead rubbers.

“To win a Championship like that is not something we ever take for granted. As you saw in our performance today, it certainly wasn’t something we took for granted.

“It was a proper Test match, special day.”

Yet the match played out amid speculation that O’Mahony would call time on his international rugby career at the end of this Six Nations campaign. Asked whether there will be more days in green for the Munster talisman, he replied: “We’ll see. I don't know. I need to go talk to my wife and family and have a think about it. I won't be making any decisions over the next few days, but next week we'll have to have a chat.

“I'm still loving it. This part of it is the best feeling in the world, and that's the part you chase.

“You've to have a proper chat and be realistic and if it was my last one, it wasn't a bad one to go out on. You can hang the jersey in a good place if it was. I'll have that chat next week.”

Farrell, sitting to O’Mahony’s left, was equivocal about O’Mahony’s future but said: “Whatever’s right for him. I’ve been unbelievably a big fan of Pete all the way through his career and we’ve a close enough relationship to be honest with one another and we’ve been talking about his career, certainly when it’s getting towards the end, for the last year.

“So we’re realists as far as that’s concerned. I’ve no doubt we’ll chew the fat on that over the next coming days.”