Peter O’Mahony’s comments on Owen Farrell should take no one by surprise

Patrick McCarry

The pair have been going hammer and tongs against each other for over a decade.

Whether it is in the green of Ireland, white of England or red and black/navy of Munster and Saracens, Peter O’Mahony and Owen Farrell have torn into each other on plenty of occasions.

On the international stage, O’Mahony and Farrell first clashed at Twickenham in the 2012 Six Nations. England came out on top, that day, with Farrell kicking 20 points in a St Patrick’s Day smackdown for Declan Kidney’s side. O’Mahony did get his hands on Farrell, though, and Getty Images has some fetching snaps of him trying to recreate the Stephen Ferris rag-doll tackle on Will Genia.

In 2017, the pair put aside past rivalries (or shelved them for a while) to represent the British & Irish Lions on tour in New Zealand. Farrell played all three matches in the drawn Test Series while O’Mahony captained the Lions in the First Test.

11 years on from that St Patrick’s Day meeting at Twickenham, O’Mahony’s Ireland are the team in the box-seat while Farrell is back in the England XV after being benched for last weekend’s tonking at the hands of France.

We caught up with the Cork native ahead of the recent win over Scotland, as he was helping launch an Aviva competition. While some may not have expected his answer to our Owen Farrell question to be so glowing, no one should be overly surprised.

Peter O’Mahony pictured at the launch of Aviva Ireland’s Best Seat in the House competition. (Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)

Peter O’Mahony on Owen Farrell

Our very own Jason Hennessy asked Peter O’Mahony what he made of Owen Farrell being dropped for England’s game against France.

“I’ve no doubt, he’ll bounce back,” said O’Mahony.

“He’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with, without a shadow of a doubt. He’s one of the best people, one of the best rugby people, I’ve ever come across.

“He’s incredibly driven with an incredible attitude to win. He’s a good person, a good family man. And I’ve no doubt that there is no better man to be as resilient as anybody that’s ever set foot on a rugby pitch. I’ve no doubt he’ll be able to navigate his way through it.”

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Respect forged through years of battling against each other, for club and country, and that memorable Lions Tour to New Zealand.

*Aviva is giving one lucky Irish sports fan a VIP experience for two people to every game at Aviva Stadium through to July 2023. To enter, visit their competition hub.

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