Peter O'Mahony (born 17 September 1989) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

player. He plays for Munster in the

United Rugby Championship The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

and European Rugby Champions Cup and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

internationally. During his career, O'Mahony has captained Presentation Brothers College, Ireland U18, Ireland U20, Munster,

and the

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

. He plays primarily as a flanker, but can also play at number 8, and represents

Cork Constitution The Cork Constitution (CC) is a rugby union club based in Cork, playing in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League. It was founded by staff of the ''Cork Constitution'' newspaper. Since the paper did not publish on Sundays, the staff were lookin ...

in the All-Ireland League.

Early career

O'Mahony was born in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, where he attended Presentation Brothers College. He went on to enter the Munster academy in 2008 and captained the Ireland under-20s in the 2009 Six Nations Under-20s Championship and

2009 IRB Junior World Championship The 2009 IRB Junior World Championship (known as the 2009 IRB Toshiba Junior World Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the second annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams, this competition replaces the now def ...

. O'Mahony won the 2009–10 All-Ireland Cup with

and was named

player of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

in the final. He was also part of the Cork Constitution team that won the 2009–10 All-Ireland League alongside current Munster teammates Stephen Archer and

Simon Zebo Simon Zebo (born 16 March 1990) is an Irish rugby union player for United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup side Munster. He is equally adept as a wing or fullback, having played in both positions often for Ireland, Munster and Racing 92 ...

and former teammates

Duncan Williams Duncan Williams (born 17 April 1986) is an Irish rugby union player. He plays as a scrum-half and represents Cork Constitution in the All-Ireland League. Munster Williams made his Munster debut against Connacht in December 2009. He made his ...

, Ian Nagle,

Tom Gleeson Thomas Francis Gleeson (born 2 June 1974) is an Australian stand-up comedian, writer, television and radio presenter. Gleeson formerly co-hosted ''The Weekly with Charlie Pickering'' alongside Judith Lucy and currently hosts ''Hard Quiz'', both ...

and Brian Hayes.

Munster

2010–2015

O'Mahony made his Munster debut against

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

on 2 January 2010. He captained Munster A to the final of the inaugural British and Irish Cup in the 2009–10 season. O'Mahony was promoted to a full development contract with Munster for the 2010–11 season. He was an integral part of the team when the internationals were away for the 2010 November Tests, putting in a big performance in Munster's historic 15–6 victory against Australia, a game which was also O'Mahony's first start for Munster. O'Mahony captained Munster in their opening

Pro12 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

match against

Dragons A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

in September 2011, and continued to captain Munster whilst their international contingent were away at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He made his Heineken Cup debut for Munster against

Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...

on 12 November 2011, a game in which he won the Man-of-the-Match award. He scored his first try for Munster on 19 November 2011, in Munster's second Heinken Cup Pool One game against

Castres Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect of Occitan) is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Lan ...

. O'Mahony won the Munster Young Player of the Year for the 2011–12 season. He captained Munster in their

2011–12 Pro12 The 2011–12 Pro12 League (also known as the ''RaboDirect Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th season of the rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, the second with its current 12-team format, and also the first w ...

away play-off semi-final against Ospreys on 11 May 2012, which Munster lost 45–10. O'Mahony started for Munster in their opening fixture of the 2012–13 Heineken Cup on 13 October 2012, a 22–17 defeat at the hands of

Racing 92 Racing 92 () is a French rugby union club based in suburban Paris that was formed in 2001 with the collaboration of the Racing Club de France and US Métro. They were called Racing Métro 92 between 2001 and 2015, when they changed the name ...

. He scored a try in their 33–0 win against

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

in Round 2 on 21 October 2012. He started in the 15–9 win against Saracens on 8 December 2012, and also in the reverse fixture a week later, which Munster lost 19–13. O'Mahony started against Edinburgh in the 26–17 Round 5 victory, and also started in the crucial 29–6 win against

that secured Munster a place in the quarter-finals. He signed a new two-year contract with the

IRFU The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) ( ga, Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and ...

in January 2013. O'Mahony continued to start for Munster in the knockout-stage of the 2012–13 tournament, playing a crucial role in their 18–12 away quarter-final victory against Harlequins on 7 April 2013. He also started the semi-final against

Clermont Auvergne Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne () is a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system. Clermont are two times French ...

on 27 April 2013, which Munster lost 16–10. O'Mahony was named as the new Munster captain on 30 July 2013, replacing former All Black

Doug Howlett Douglas Charles Howlett (born 21 September 1978) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He was primarily a wing, but he also sometimes played as a fullback. He played for Auckland, and the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Blues ...

, who retired at the end of the 2012–13 season. He started for Munster against

in the opening round of the 2013–14 Heineken Cup on 12 October 2013, captaining the side during their 29–23 defeat. He moved to number 8 for Munster's second-round game against

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

on 19 October 2013, which Munster won 26–10. He started against Perpignan on 8 December 2013, captaining the side to a 36–8 win. O'Mahony started the reverse fixture away to Perpignan on 14 December 2013. O'Mahony started the 20–7 away win against

on 11 January 2014, scoring a try in a win that secured quarter-final qualification. O'Mahony started against

on 19 January 2014, scoring a try in the 38–6 Round 6 win that secured a home quarter-final. O'Mahony started in Munster's 47–23 Heineken Cup quarter-final win against

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

on 5 April 2014, but went off with a shoulder injury in the 18th minute. The injury meant O'Mahony was ruled out of the remainder of the season as he had to have reconstructive surgery on his shoulder. He also had surgery on his right shoulder to repair a long-standing issue. O'Mahony was nominated for the

IRUPA The Rugby Players Ireland is the representative body for professional rugby players in Ireland. Founded in October 2001, its aims are to promote and protect the welfare of professional rugby players in Ireland. The Chief Executive Officer is Si ...

Players' Player of the Year 2014 award on 23 April 2014. O'Mahony returned from injury on 4 October 2014, coming on as a replacement against

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

. He started in Munster's first European Rugby Champions Cup game against Sale Sharks on 18 October 2014. O'Mahony started against Saracens in Round 2 of the Champions Cup on 24 October 2014. He started against

on 6 December 2014. O'Mahony also started in the reverse fixture against Clermont on 14 December 2014. O'Mahony started against Saracens on 17 January 2015. O'Mahony started at Number 8 against Sale Sharks on 25 January 2015. O'Mahony signed a new three-year contract with Munster and the IRFU in February 2015.

2015–2022

O'Mahony made his comeback from the knee injury he suffered with Ireland during the 2015 Rugby World Cup on 1 October 2016, coming on as a replacement for

Billy Holland Billy Holland (born 3 August 1985) is an Irish former rugby union player, who spent his entire career playing for his native province of Munster Rugby, Munster, whilst also earning a single international cap for Ireland national rugby union te ...

in the

2016–17 Pro12 The 2016–17 Pro12 (also known as the ''Guinness Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the sixteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, and the seventh with a four-country format. It was the ...

fixture against

Zebre Zebre Parma (, meaning "Zebras") are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season. They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the ...

. On 1 April 2017, O'Mahony was captain in Munster's 41–16

2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup The 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup was the third European Rugby Champions Cup championship (22nd overall), the annual rugby union club competition for teams from the top six nations in European rugby. The competition replaced the Heineken ...

quarter-final victory against

, though he went off during the second-half with a leg injury. Fortunately, the injury wasn't serious and O'Mahony was able to lead Munster in their Champions Cup semi-final against Saracens on 22 April 2017, which the defending champions won 26–10 in the

Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium (also known as Lansdowne Road) is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and ...

, ending Munster's European season. On 27 May 2017, O'Mahony captained Munster against

Scarlets The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...

in the 2017 Pro12 Grand Final, which the Welsh side won 46–22. O'Mahony signed a new three-year contract with the IRFU in December 2017. He was

Man-of-the-Match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

in Munster's 25–16 away win against Leicester Tigers in the

2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup The 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup was the fourth European Rugby Champions Cup championship (23rd overall), the annual rugby union club competition for teams from the top six nations in European rugby and was the twenty-third season of pan ...

on 17 December 2017. O'Mahony won his 100th cap for Munster on 26 December 2017, doing so when he started against

in a

2017–18 Pro14 The 2017–18 PRO14 (also known as the ''Guinness PRO14'' for sponsorship reasons) was the seventeenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It is the first season to be referred to as the ''Gu ...

fixture. O'Mahony was Man-of-the-Match in Munster's 20–19 Champions Cup quarter-final win against

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

on 31 March 2018. For his performances throughout the 2018–19 season, O'Mahony was presented with the ''Munster Men's Player of the Year'' award in late April 2019, adding to the ''Young Player of the Year'' award he won in 2012. He was also named in the

2018–19 Pro14 The 2018–19 Pro14 (also known as the '' Guinness Pro14'' for sponsorship reasons) is the eighteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the second season to be referred to as the ''Pr ...

Dream Team in May 2019. O'Mahony was sent off in Munster's opening 2020–21 Pro14 fixture against

on 3 October 2020 after receiving two yellow cards. Despite this, Munster won the game 30–27, and a Pro14 judicial officer subsequently ruled that the two yellow cards were sufficient and no ban was necessary. He signed a two-year contract extension with the IRFU in March 2021, a deal that will see O'Mahony remain with Munster until at least June 2023. O'Mahony won his 150th cap for Munster in their 20–18 win against provincial rivals

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

in round 4 of the

2021–22 United Rugby Championship The 2021–22 United Rugby Championship was the twenty-first season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the first season that the competition is referred to as the United Rugby Championship, ...

on 16 October 2021, which also marked the fifth anniversary of former Munster player and coach Anthony Foley's passing. Having missed the first leg of Munster's 2021–22 Champions Cup round of 16 fixture away to English club

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played its home m ...

due to injury, which the hosts won 13–8, O'Mahony returned for the second leg one week later on 16 April 2022 to lead from the front and earn the

award in the province's 26–10 home win, which secured a 34–23 aggregate win and a record-equallinging 19th Champions Cup quarter-final for Munster. O'Mahony won the

award in Munster's Champions Cup quarter-final defeat against defending champions

on 7 May 2022. The match was tied 24–24 after

extra-time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only ...

, and Toulouse won the penalty shootout 4–2, but O'Mahony's performance during the match, which included four turnovers and a huge defensive effort, garnered widespread praise, with both Munster head coach

Johann van Graan Johann Christoffel van Graan (born 18 March 1980) is a South African rugby union coach, currently the head coach for Bath. Coaching career Van Graan did not have any top level playing career. With family background in rugby, he showed very s ...

and O'Mahony's former

teammate Sam Warburton calling him a ''"warrior"''.

Ireland

O'Mahony captained

at under-18 and under-20 levels, before being called up to the senior side in 2012. He made his full debut against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

on 25 February 2012, coming on as a replacement for Seán O'Brien. He made his first start for Ireland in the game against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

on 10 March 2012, after an injury to Seán O'Brien. By the end of Ireland's tour of New Zealand in 2012, he had played in all three back-row positions. O'Mahony won the IRUPA Young Player of the Year award for the 2011–12 season. He also played in the 2012 November Tests against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. In the

2013 Six Nations Championship The 2013 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2013 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 14th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship ...

O'Mahony played in all five games as Ireland finished fifth. He also featured in the 2013 Ireland tour to North America, and was made captain after

Rory Best Rory David Best (born 15 August 1982) is an Irish former rugby union player from Northern Ireland and was the captain of the Ireland national team from 2016 to 2019. He played hooker for Ulster and was registered for Banbridge RFC, having pr ...

was called up to the 2013 British & Irish Lions squad. In the 2013 Autumn Tests he scored his first try for Ireland, in a game against

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

. O'Mahony featured in four of Ireland's games, picking up a

award against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, in their championship-winning 2014 Six Nations. After playing against

and Australia in the 2014 Guinness Series O'Mahony started every game in the

2015 Six Nations Championship The 2015 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2015 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 16th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union tournament. It was contested b ...

as Ireland retained their title, the first time Ireland had won back-to-back championships since 1948–49. O'Mahony was selected in the final 31-man squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and started pool games against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, but went off with a knee injury during the second-half against France and was ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup. On 26 October 2016, O'Mahony was named in Ireland's squad for the

2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals The 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals, also known as the ''2016 Autumn Internationals'' in the Northern Hemisphere, were a series of international rugby union matches predominantly played between the visiting Southern Hemisphere countries: ...

. On 12 November 2016, O'Mahony made his return to the senior Ireland team, captaining them in the 52–21 win against

. On 23 January 2017, O'Mahony was named in the Ireland squad for the opening two rounds of the

2017 Six Nations Championship The 2017 Six Nations Championship was the 18th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. The tournament was also known as the RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by The Roya ...

. On 18 March 2017, O'Mahony was Man-of-the-Match in Ireland's 13–9 win against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, a victory that denied England consecutive Grand Slams in the Six Nations. O'Mahony started in Ireland's wins against

and

during the 2017 Autumn Internationals. O'Mahony started every game for Ireland as they won a

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

in the 2018 Six Nations Championship. At the end of the game against England, O'Mahony gave his winner's medal to an Irish supporter with Down's Syndrome. In the absence of the injured

, O'Mahony captained Ireland to a historic 2–1 series victory against Australia in June 2018, Ireland's first since

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

, with O'Mahony also winning his 50th test cap for Ireland in the third test. During the 2018 Autumn Tests, O'Mahony started in Ireland's 28–17 win against

on 10 November, and was

in Ireland's 16–9 win against

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

on 17 November, a win that was O'Mahony's first against the All Blacks and Ireland's first ever win in Dublin against New Zealand. O'Mahony was ever-present for Ireland during the

2019 Six Nations Championship The 2019 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 20th Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, ...

, starting in the 32–20 opening defeat against

, the 22–13 win against

, the 26–16 win against

, the 26–14 win against

and the 25–7 defeat against

in the final round, a victory that saw the Welsh win the grand slam. He was selected in the 31-man Ireland squad for the

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...

, having featured in the warm-up matches against

and

, captaining Ireland in the latter. During the World Cup itself, O'Mahony started in Ireland's opening 27–3 win against

their shock 19–12 defeat against hosts Japan, and in the 35–0 win against

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, before featuring off the bench in Ireland's 47–5 win against

in their final pool game, and starting in the comprehensive 46–14 defeat against

in the quarter-finals, which brought an end to Ireland's 2019 World Cup. Retained by new head coach Andy Farrell in his squad for the

2020 Six Nations Championship The 2020 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland ...

, O'Mahony featured off the bench in Ireland's 19–12 opening win against Scotland on 1 February 2020, then started in their 24–14 win against defending champions Wales on 8 February, and their 24–12 defeat against England, before the tournament was suspended due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The tournament eventually resumed in October 2020, with O'Mahony featuring off the bench in Ireland's 50–17 win against Italy and the 35–27 defeat against France in their final fixture of the tournament. With the usual format of end-of-year international tests not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ireland instead participated in the

Autumn Nations Cup The Autumn Nations Cup was a rugby union competition held in November and December 2020 in place of the usual Autumn internationals series typically held in the same period each year, as many teams were avoiding extended travel due to the COVID- ...

. O'Mahony started in the 32–9 opening win against Wales on 13 November and in the 18–7 defeat against England on 21 November, featured off the bench in the 23–10 win against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

on 29 November, and returned to the starting line-up for the 31–16 win against Scotland on 5 December, which secured a third-place finish for Ireland in the tournament. In Ireland's opening 2021 Six Nations game away to

on 7 February 2021, O'Mahony was sent-off in the 14th minute for making contact with the head of Wales prop Tomas Francis when attempting to clear him (Francis) out in a ruck. He was subsequently banned until 14 March 2021. The red card was the first received by an Ireland player in a Five/Six Nations match since Willie Duggan's in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

. He returned from the ban to feature as a replacement in the 32–18 win against

in the final round. During the

2021 July rugby union tests The 2021 mid-year rugby union internationals (also known as the summer internationals in the Northern Hemisphere) were a series of international rugby union matches that are typically played in the Southern Hemisphere during the July international ...

, O'Mahony started in Ireland's 39–31 win against Japan before commencing his off-season. During the 2021 Autumn Nations Series, O'Mahony featured off the bench in Ireland's 60–5 win against Japan on 6 November and in the famous 29–20 win against

on 13 November, before replacing the injured Jack Conan to start in the 53–7 win against

in Ireland's final fixture of the series on 21 November. O'Mahony featured as a replacement in Ireland's 29–7 win against

in their opening fixture of the

2022 Six Nations Championship The 2022 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 23rd Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, ...

on 5 February, and in their 30–24 defeat away to

on 12 February, though he left the field with a head injury shortly after coming on. With regular captain

Johnny Sexton Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton (born 11 July 1985) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Leinster Rugby and Ireland, and he also captains both teams. He represented the British & Irish Lions in both 2013 and 2017 and has scored o ...

on the bench and vice-captain James Ryan injured, O'Mahony captained Ireland in their 57–6 home win against

on 27 February, and he retained his place in the starting XV in the 32–15 away win against

on 12 March, before being used as a replacement again in the 26–5 home win against

on 19 March that secured the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

for Ireland. O'Mahony was selected in the squad for the

2022 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand In July 2022, Ireland played a three-Test series against New Zealand as part of the 2022 mid-year rugby union internationals. Ireland also played two matches against the Māori All Blacks. This was Ireland's first tour since their tour to Austr ...

, and started in the 42–19 defeat against

in the first test on 2 July. O'Mahony also started in Ireland's historic 23–12 win in the second test on 9 July, in what was Ireland's first ever away win against New Zealand, and in the 32–22 third test win against New Zealand on 16 July that secured Ireland's historic first ever series win in New Zealand. During the 2022 Autumn Nations Series, O'Mahony started for Ireland in their 19–16 win against world champions

on 5 November. Following a pre-match injury to regular captain

, O'Mahony captained Ireland in their 13–10 win against Australia on 19 November.

British & Irish Lions

In April 2017, O'Mahony was selected in

Warren Gatland Warren David Gatland (born 17 September 1963) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player who is currently in his second spell as the head coach of the Wales national team. As head coach of Wales from 2007 to 2019, he won four Six N ...

's 41-man squad for the

2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand The British & Irish Lions toured New Zealand during June and July 2017. The Lions, a rugby union team selected from players eligible to represent England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, played ten matches: against all five New Zealand Super Rugby f ...

. On 7 June 2017, O'Mahony made his non-test debut for the Lions when he came off the bench against the Blues in Eden Park. On 10 June, O'Mahony made his first start for the Lions, doing so in the match against the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

in AMI Stadium. On 17 June, O'Mahony captained the Lions in their game against the

Māori All Blacks The Māori All Blacks, previously called the New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand Natives, are a rugby union team from New Zealand. They are a representative team of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and a prerequisite for playing i ...

Rotorua International Stadium Rotorua International Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located on Devon Street West in the Westbrook suburb of Rotorua, New Zealand. It is currently used mostly for rugby union and rugby league matches, being one of three home stadiums for th ...

. In doing so, he became the first Munster player since

Paul O'Connell Paul Jeremiah O'Connell (born 20 October 1979) is an Irish former rugby union player and coach. When he stopped playing, he was Ireland's third most-capped player (108) and the eighteenth most-capped international player in rugby union histo ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

to captain a Lions team. O'Mahony played for 64 minutes, before being replaced by tour captain Sam Warburton, and led the side to a record 32–10 victory against the Māori. On 24 June, O'Mahony captained the Lions in their 30–15 first test defeat against

in Eden Park. He became the 11th Irishman to captain a British & Irish Lions test team and the first

player to do the same since

Tom Kiernan Thomas Joseph Kiernan (7 January 1939 – 3 February 2022) was an Ireland international rugby union player. He won 54 caps for Ireland as a full-back between 1960 and 1973 and captained his country 24 times. At the time of his retirement he w ...

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

. However, O'Mahony was controversially dropped from the squad altogether for the second and third tests, with O'Mahony's former Ireland teammate

Brian O'Driscoll Brian Gerard O'Driscoll (born 21 January 1979) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the ...

, himself controversially dropped by Gatland before the third Lions test in

, remarking that there "has to be someone to point the finger at in defeat".

Statistics

International analysis by opposition

''Correct as of 19 November 2022''Peter O'Mahony
''ESPN Scrum'', 5 July 2017 * indicates inclusion of caps for

Honours

Presentation Brothers College

Munster Schools Rugby Senior Cup The Munster Schools Senior Cup or Munster Senior Cup is the under-age rugby union competition for schools affiliated to the Munster Branch of the IRFU. The inaugural Munster Schools Senior Cup took place in 1909 and, since then, Cork city's two ...

: **Winner (1): 2007

Cork Constitution

* All-Ireland Cup: **Winner (1): 2009–10 * All-Ireland League: **Winner (1): 2009–10

Munster

: **Winner (1):

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

Ireland

* Six Nations Championship: **Winner (3):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, 2015,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

: **Winner (1):

: ** Winner (2):

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

British & Irish Lions

*British & Irish Lions tours: **Tourist (1):

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

Individual

*Munster Rugby Young Player of the Year: **Winner (1):

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

*Munster Rugby Men's Player of the Year: **Winner (1):

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

References

External links

Munster ProfileIreland ProfileBritish & Irish Lions ProfileURC Profile
*
U20 Six Nations Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:OMahony, Peter 1989 births Living people Rugby union players from County Cork People educated at Presentation Brothers College, Cork Irish rugby union players Cork Constitution players Munster Rugby players Munster Rugby captains Ireland international rugby union players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Ireland Rugby union flankers Rugby union number eights