Peter O’Mahony To Retire At The End Of The Season

Peter O’Mahony has announced that he will retire from professional rugby at the end of the season.

Head of Rugby Operations and Interim Head Coach Ian Costello said: “Everyone in Munster is incredibly proud of what Peter has achieved in the game over the past 17 years.

“We knew we had a serious prospect on our hands when he joined the Academy in 2008 but he has surpassed all of our expectations to become one of the finest players to ever line out for Munster and Ireland.

“Anyone who played alongside Pete will tell you how good a leader he is but he was also an incredibly talented player.

“The bigger the game, the better he played and he demanded the highest standards of himself and his team-mates.

“He made his Munster debut over 15 years ago and it’s 13 years ago this month that he made his Ireland debut.

“The way he has adapted his game and stayed at the very top level for so many years is a testament not only to his playing ability but also his character to keep going and make the very most of himself.

“His presence around the HPC, at Thomond Park and Virgin Media Park will be sorely missed.

“When the time comes, we will wish him and his family the very best for the future but thankfully we have a few more months before we say our goodbyes.”

O’Mahony was Munster captain for 10 years, a time-span that is unlikely to ever be matchedirishrugby.

To date, the Cork Constitution man has made 309 professional rugby appearances which includes 193 for Munster, 112 for Ireland and 4 for the British & Irish Lions, the latter of which saw O’Mahony receive a Lions cap when he led the side in the first Test against the All Blacks in June 2017.

The 35-year-old has won Celtic League/URC titles with Munster and five 6 Nations titles with Ireland.

A former PBC student, O’Mahony joined the Academy in 2008 and made his debut away to Ulster as a 21-year-old in 2010.

He won his first league title with Munster in 2011 and in 2012 made his Ireland debut along with winning Munster’s Young Player of the Year award.

He was named club captain in 2013 and was our longest-serving captain of the professional era, stepping down from the role after over 10 years last season.

He won Munster’s Player of the Year award in 2019 and will return to Munster for his final games for the province following the 6 Nations Championship.