Newly appointed Ireland skipper Peter O’Mahony couldn’t hide his delight after he succeeded Johnny Sexton in the leadership role and described it as one of the proudest moments of his life.
The 34-year-old will captain his country during the upcoming Six Nations following Sexton’s retirement from the game after Ireland’s defeat to New Zealand at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France.
The veteran flanker is no stranger to the captaincy as he first led his country in a a 15-12 victory over the United States in Houston in 2013.
He is vastly experienced having made his debut for
way back in 2010 while he has won 101 Test caps for Ireland and one for the British and Irish Lions.
received the nod for ‘s captaincy from head coach ahead of the likes of James Ryan, Iain Henderson, Garry Ringrose and Caelan Doris.
“Ever since I was a boy starting off in the game, I have always dreamed of captaining Ireland,” said O’Mahony.
“I have been asked to lead Ireland on a number of occasions previously and each of those 10 matches were special days.
“To be now asked to captain Ireland ahead of the Six Nations is without doubt one of the proudest moments of my life and I would like to thank Andy for this show of faith in me.
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He has plenty of leadership experience as he captained Munster for 10 years and guided them to last season’s United Rugby Championship title.
However, he stepped down from the Irish province’s captaincy last November and also captained the Lions in his only appearance for the famous touring team against the All Blacks in New Zealand in 2017.
There has been plenty of speculation over O’Mahony’s future as his central contract with the Irish Rugby Football Union is set to expire at the end of the season.
Despite that, Farrell believes O’Mahony is the right man to lead Ireland’s title defence.
“He is a born leader and someone who has been an influential figure for Munster and Ireland for many years,” said Farrell.
“I am confident that the squad will continue to benefit from his leadership skills, both on and off the field.
“He is thoroughly deserving of this honour and I know that he will relish working closely with the wider leadership group and squad over the coming campaign.”
Ireland, who completed a Grand Slam last year, will start the defence of their title against France in Marseille on Friday, February 2.
“We have a strong core of leaders who will all play a key role in driving the highest standards for the team over the coming weeks,” added new skipper O’Mahony.
“Competition is red-hot across the squad and we’re all hugely motivated to work hard when we meet up next week ahead of the opening game in Marseille.”
