If this is the end for Peter O'Mahony with Ireland then what an end it was

The Munster man says he'll consider his options before making any call on his future. 

Ireland captain Peter O'Mahony with his wife Jessica Moloney. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

You didn’t need any great skill in reading between the lines to suspect which way the wind was blowing for Peter O’Mahony on Saturday night as he soaked up the vibes from a fifth Six Nations title and, at 34 years of age, put words to the journey before him.

The tears that caused this hardest of men to squeeze shut his eyes during the anthem were visible proof of heightened emotions and he spoke later of a week leading up to this last Six Nations match that was tougher than any other. Nerves were at a peak.

O’Mahony absorbed all the questions as to his future intentions without ever offering up a definitive answer. There will be chats with his wife, a period of contemplation, and only then maybe a choice between the two roads on offer to him.

Walk away or continue on the same path.

He has always bitten on opportunities to play down his own part in this team’s story and highlight the collective. The Munster veteran did it again late on Saturday night in framing his role as just one link in a very long and strong chain.

“You always represent the past players, do you know what I mean? They’re a huge part, and even Johnny [Sexton] popping into the hotel last week, it’s something that we should probably make a bit more regular.

“They’ve been there for a long, long time and Johnny has been a huge part of where we are now and Earlsy [Keith Earls] is, like everyone who has put a huge amount of effort into the group.

“Of course, every time you pull it on it’s for lots of those people as well and you’d like to think that they’re proud sitting at home today as well, the people who can’t take the field anymore.” 

His place in the team has been debated off and on at different times. There was a stage a couple of years back when he lost that place and it looked like there was an end point imminent. Instead he embraced the challenge and the environment.

He stood firm.

Ryan Baird has been making an ever stronger case for that No 6 jersey and, if it’s only a matter of time before the garment is passed on, then O’Mahony’s influence has been stitched into every layer of this Irish operation.

Scotland’s Finn Russell described him as his country’s talisman after Saturday’s game, and placed him firmly in the cannon with the like of Sexton and Brian O’Driscoll, and O’Mahony’s own teammates formed a line in order to sing his praises.

Jack Crowley roomed with him when he joined the Ireland squad and saw the role the older man had in guiding the next generation. Robbie Henshaw described an unbelievable leader who reminded them last week that you never know when your last game in green will be.

Tadhg Beirne wondered aloud why he shouldn’t keep going. “I’m sure we’ll see him in green again,” said the Kildare man, and you look at South Africa winning a World Cup with two 37-year olds among their forwards and maybe he has a point.

It might be that his decision is swayed by others.

Baird can’t be denied forever, not with that athleticism and physique and hunger, even if Andy Farrell aped his captain over the weekend by keeping his cards close to his chest and saying only that O’Mahony will do what’s right for him.

“I've been an unbelievably big fan of Pete all his career and we've a close enough relationship to be honest with one and other,” said an Ireland head coach that will be hard-pressed to find a better leader in his dressing-room when the day comes.

“We've been talking about his career, certainly over when it's getting to the end, for the last year. We're realists as far as that's concerned. I've no doubt we'll chew the fat on all that over the next coming days.” There isn’t ever a ‘good’ time to call time on Test rugby. O’Mahony’s contract situation with Munster is still not certain beyond this season but it may be that this is the right time to close this particular chapter.

Days like Saturday are precious. He has played a part in 12 of Ireland’s last 13 Six Nations with 50 of his 105 caps coming in the Championship. Five titles, including two Grand Slams, have been earned but in sport you always lose more than you win.

There were four seasons where they got to the last round with no title to play for, three more where silverware was still a theoretical possibility but evaded their clutches. Ireland finished a distant third and fifth in his first two attempts. It’s never all gravy.

He was reminded too that he had spent 10 years captaining teams before he lifted a trophy with that URC success last season. “That’s a shit stat to own," Farrell joked. Now O’Mahony has repeated the act with Ireland just 10 months later.

“You know, it's certainly hard to beat,” he admitted. “There are days like [Saturday] you wouldn't dare dream of, like lifting a trophy. I've been through enough losses, you know. Pick one, semi-finals, with Munster.

“Even a game we learned a lot from, the game with the championship on the line away to France in the last game [in 2021]. You know, I think that game has stood to us for a long, long time.

“It hurt more than ever but did we learn a lot of lessons from it? Massively. We did and that probably stands out.”