Catching Up With Peter O’Mahony

Munster man Peter O’Mahony hails from Rochestown Cork, is in his first year of the Munster Rugby Academy, and currently captains the Ireland U20s side.

The Irish U20’s claimed their first victory of the 6 Nations last Friday when they defeated France 9-6 in Dubarry Park, Athlone.  The squad leave for Milan today where they take on Italy in Piacenza on Saturday afternoon at 3pm. 

Peter, a close game last week against the French but a great win….

“Ya it was an extremely tough game, very physical upfront but I think we showed a lot of bottle and all the lads came through.  We talked alot out on the pitch when we were three points down but nobody panicked and we worked hard ’till the end.”

A good start to your 6 Nations Campaign…

“It was a huge win for us and really gives us great momentum going forward and we hope to build on the confidence from it.”

The game didn’t let up for the 80 minutes…        

“Ya the intensity level was there for the full game but our team focus was really on work rate, and it was a heavy pitch on the night in cold conditions, but our subs had a huge impact on the game and it really showed that we are a 22 man squad.”

It was great the game was televised, did it add to the pressure on the night?

“No, we didn’t actually know it was on tv, it may have been announced on the PA but it obviously wasn’t something we were focusing on at the time.  It was great though for the exposure of all the lads and profiling the U20s game.”

Did you get a break from Irish camp after the game?

“Well Sunday and Monday were rest days for us, so I just came home and caught up on some college work, and then I was just looking forward to getting back into camp on Tuesday.  We spend alot of time together and it’s been great with a lot more preparation together as a squad.”

There must be a good buzz in the camp?

“There’s a superb atmosphere, but we’re not getting ahead of ourselves, we’ve four games left and we know last week’s win was only a stepping stone in the overall championship.  We just want to keep our heads down and work away.  We’ve huge respect for the Italians and know we face a tough game on Saturday.”

When you captained the Irish Schools and U19’s would you have come across some of this weekend’s Italian players?

“Ya when we were going through the video analysis I definitely recognised a few faces from past games.”

Do you feel added pressure in the captaincy role?

“Well there’s a huge responsibility on my part but it’s a great honour to captain your country and I really enjoy it.  My job is made all that easier with the support around me, we’re all singing off the same hymn sheet.”

And you have some of your fellow Academy members involved in the squad also…

“Ya Conor Murray and Andrew Burke are both in the first year of the Academy with me and started last week at 9 and 10, but Burke got an injury in the game so he’s out for this weekend.  But Mark Doyle has come in starting on the wing and Ronan O’Mahony is now in the 22, and they’re both in the Munster Rugby sub-academy.”

Peter you’re obviously enjoying the whole experience…
“Ya it’s a fantastic experience, and we’re lucky with the professional structure that’s in place, Allen Clarke and all the coaches are great and we’re just looking forward to the next game.”

Ireland U20s to play Italy U20s

15 – David Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster)
14 – Mark Doyle (U.L. Bohemians/Munster)
13 – Ian McKinley (UCD/Leinster)
12 – Eamonn Sheridan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
11 – Michael Keating (Clontarf/Leinster)
10 – Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster)
9 – Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)

1 – Paddy McAllister (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
2 – Thomas Sexton (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
3 – Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
4 – Ciaran Ruddock (Neath/Exiles)
5 – Mark Flanagan (UCD/Leinster)
6 – Rhys Ruddock (Millfield School/Exiles)
7 – Dominic Ryan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
8 – Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)

Replacements:
16 – David McGregor (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
17 – Jack O’Connell (Lansdowne/Leinster)
18 – James Sandford (Queens University/Ulster)
19 – Michael Noone (Seapoint/Leinster)
20 – Matthew Healy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
21 – Gary Foley (Blackrock College/Leinster)
22 – Ronan O’Mahony (Garryowen/Munster)