Goodwill aplenty but O’Mahony accepts Munster no longer ahead of the curve

Munster's Jack Crowley and Peter O'Mahony. Pic: James Crombie/Inpho

Peter O’Mahony believes there is work to be done for Munster keep up with the times but he is confident the people inside the organisation can make that happen.

O’Mahony, 35, is set to play his final game at Thomond Park on Friday when Ulster visit with the Corkman set to retire this summer, 17 years after joining the Munster academy.

He departs following a season of turbulence, Munster having parted company with head coach Graham Rowntree after just six games. New Zealander Clayton McMillan is set to take the reins as permanent head coach ahead of the 2025-26 season with Munster needing victories in their final two games to be sure of a top-eight finish that will bring play-off rugby and Champions Cup qualification for the new campaign.

Asked for a sense of the organisation he will be leaving, O’Mahony said: "I think there's work to be done but there's so much good about the place.

“I think small things will change a huge amount and there's so much goodwill of the people, of the club; people want the place to do so well it will never be far away, but there are certainly things that need to be tweaked and changed and improved all the time.

"You need to keep up with the times. There's things to be improved but there's so much good in this club that I wouldn't have any fear of it.” 

O’Mahony suggested the public arena was not the place to discuss what improvements were needed, but Munster are keen to garner his opinions and he said: "That's a conversation for a different day, it's not for here, but everywhere has things that need to be better and some places do it better.

"We were ahead of that curve for a long time but I think we need to get back to fix a few things, improve a few small things. We have a big week this week, we have a big week the following week. Who knows what happens over the next few weeks?” 

What is certain is that a considerable amount of rugby intellectual property is heading for the exit door this summer with Dave Kilcoyne announcing his retirement on Wednesday, adding to Stephen Archer and Conor Murray, who will finish his playing career overseas. With a combined 919 appearances-worth of experience ahead of this weekend set to depart in the coming weeks, O’Mahony agreed there were big shoes to fill.

"It will be a different dressing-room, certainly. Fellas like Archie, Murr, maybe more, a generation of players who have been there for a decade plus.

"So you lose a bit certainly with regard to rugby knowledge but you lose the people, which is probably most important and will be the toughest part to fill but that's where people will have to stand up and take on the mantle.

"We've been there at different times and probably those people did the filling in when that big change happened around a decade ago and no fear there's guys in the dressing-room and academy, young guys on development contracts who were more than capable of doing something.”