Following the decision from Peter O’Mahony to step down as Munster captain after ten years in the role, there has been much speculation as to why he has come to the rather out-of-the-blue decision.
Will O’Mahony be selected to be the future captain of Ireland, which would mean that he would be unable to do two jobs at once? Or is the injury he sustained recently worse than it seemed at first?
While the second alternative appears more feasible, former Scotland international John Barclay and former Wales center Tom Shanklin have discussed a third option in their URC Unloaded podcast with Stephen Ferris.
Shanklin: I wonder if something will change in the middle of the season. Who knows, maybe he’s agreed to a relocation.
Barclay: That’s my understanding. I believe he has decided to go at the end of the season and is considering his age—34—given the number of talented players that are emerging.
For me, he’s either Munster forever, but then why wouldn’t you keep him on as captain. And if he’s thinking about moving then that’s the only reason that makes sense.
Shanklin: He’s Munster forever until somebody chucks 700 grand at you.
According to O’Mahony, “captaining Munster has been a dream come true for me,” in a recent statement.
“I watched and looked up to the Munster squad growing up, especially the players who were captains.
“People like Paul and ROG, who I had the honor of playing with early in my career, and Mick Galwey and Jim Williams after that.
“I recall talking to Paul to obtain his consent on the day I was asked to be captain, as if it were yesterday.
Since then, everything has been an incredible privilege for me, and I’ve never taken anything for granted.
But after giving it a lot of thought, I believe the time has come to step back from the position so I can share my experiences and offer the same advice I was given when I took it on.
“What an incredible privilege it has been and will always be.”
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